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#4520202 - 05/08/20 10:33 PM Can you top this bad customer service story?  
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Zamzow Offline
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So every year me and my roommate shut off the gas to our apartment around spring and turn it back on again late fall.

Reason being, we have one of those old gas "wall heaters". The pilot light alone is worth an extra 3 or 4 degrees in the winter. But summer it's probably "worth" an extra 5 or 6 degrees...

Plus we don't like paying for a "heating bill" when it's not cold...

So today we get on the phone to set up the annual shut off, PG&E tells us to DO IT OURSELVES, because due to coronavirus they're not sending techs out.

This is a procedure done OUTSIDE, with no face to face interaction needed!

So we go out there, there's two valves, we don't know which one...

Tried both. One moved (with great effort from my 250+ pound roommate), but it was the one after the dials. The other (which I think is the one that should be turned) simply wouldn't move (with a 12 inch crescent wrench).

I told my roommate to stop - the entire array of 8 meters was flexing way too much...

We call PG&E back and ask for a "walk through" on which valve and which direction....

Let me state, if this was anything other than a freaking GAS LINE our ability to "turn a wrench" would suffice, no problem.

But it's a GAS LINE - what if something BREAKS??? We could KILL people! To say nothing of blowing up the whole apartment building! That's why we were going for a "walk through", not because of doubts of our ability to force that valve to move, but in case something BREAKS then we have them on the line...

Their reply? They tell us to "get a plumber or contractor to do it"!!!

I have NEVER even HEARD of a circumstance where "customer support" dishes out a recommendation that could put you in the position of KILLING people!!!

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#4520205 - 05/08/20 10:54 PM Re: Can you top this bad customer service story? [Re: Zamzow]  
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I would not touch that line for any reason. if something where to happen you will get blamed and the gas company would be like we never told them to touch it.. if you are in an apartment contact your Landlord or manager or something and ask him what to do but I would not touch it you are not qualified plus it is not your job..

If something did happen you will be bet you and your buddy are gonna take the fall..


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#4520206 - 05/08/20 10:55 PM Re: Can you top this bad customer service story? [Re: Zamzow]  
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Nixer Offline
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If they explained it to you, and ya'll blew up, they'd be liable.

Blame the LPA (Lawyers Protection Association) aka the American Bar Association.

Welcome to their utopia.


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#4520207 - 05/08/20 11:09 PM Re: Can you top this bad customer service story? [Re: The Nephilim]  
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Zamzow Offline
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Originally Posted by The Nephilim
I would not touch that line for any reason. if something where to happen you will get blamed and the gas company would be like we never told them to touch it.. if you are in an apartment contact your Landlord or manager or something and ask him what to do but I would not touch it you are not qualified plus it is not your job..

If something did happen you will be bet you and your buddy are gonna take the fall..


That's exactly what I just finished convincing my roommate of.

We're qualified to "turn a wrench". We're not qualified to deal with any form of ruptured gas lines...

The crappy thing is we don't HAVE a landlord right now. Old one retired about a month ago, new replacement just got fired today...

All we have is an emergency number to the property management company for now...

I still can't believe the utility shirking this over coronavirus - a simple job done OUTSIDE.......

#4520209 - 05/08/20 11:52 PM Re: Can you top this bad customer service story? [Re: Zamzow]  
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Which state agency regulates the gas company where you are? Call them. I would also post the same story you just wrote here on their social media. Facebook, Twitter, whatever. Do you have a reporter at your local news station that fights for consumers? Call them! Companies do not like bad publicity on TV. Once they are contacted by a TV news station, they will issue the usual B S: the safety of our customers ..... our customers are valuable to us.... we are sorry there was a misunderstanding between our representative and Mr. Zamzow. We will investigate the issue and take appropriate action with the representative and retrain him, her, them .... etc etc


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#4520210 - 05/09/20 12:04 AM Re: Can you top this bad customer service story? [Re: Zamzow]  
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I would also post the same story you just wrote here on their social media


Yep. Maybe they will shut off ALL the gas in so cal, the environment don't you know.

Maybe burn you neighbors books? reading


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#4520213 - 05/09/20 12:39 AM Re: Can you top this bad customer service story? [Re: Zamzow]  
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Vaderini Offline
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I would wait for the whole 'apartment ownership' situation to clear up, it's their house so their problem. I certainly wouldn't fiddle with any gas lines if you're not 100% certain of what you're doing.

Furthermore, why cant the gas company do it? The whole Corona thing sounds like a convenient lie since closing gas valves require zero human interaction.

And make sure you have everything in writing, both from the gas company and the company who owns your apartment, about agreements made around this issue. A "they said this, we said that" story won't really uphold legally, considering you're the one who will have created the damage by screwing around with the gas pipes.

#4520217 - 05/09/20 01:20 AM Re: Can you top this bad customer service story? [Re: Zamzow]  
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Zamzow Offline
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How would you get anything "in writing" nowadays?

As if that was ever easy back in the paper and pen days....

Nope, gonna have to improvise and deal with it myself - in the form of THIS:

Account is shut down "on paper".

Pilot light still running.

So, put up with that for the summer, then come WINTER we'll take the extra 4 degrees from that and use electric heat.

We'll spend a few extra bucks on cooling for summer, then get free "heat boost" in the winter. Cancels out.

Normally I'd feel like a scammer for even thinking this, but sometimes you gotta just fight fire with fire...

#4520218 - 05/09/20 01:41 AM Re: Can you top this bad customer service story? [Re: Zamzow]  
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Management is totally responsible for this type of work. They must call PG&E, yes we know they are responsible for the fires and going bankrupt. But its still
California legal power company.

Wait for management to get it, you take away their liability if you try it.

Retired Resident Manager of 25 years. So glad to be away from it.


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#4520228 - 05/09/20 06:37 AM Re: Can you top this bad customer service story? [Re: Zamzow]  
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Zamzow Offline
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I thank you all for the replies. It is something neither me or roommate should touch. We'll just have to deal with it.

But wow, I'm still a bit shocked that the freaking utility company tried (no, DID) delegate this to US...

I had the "smarts and experience" to put a stop to our attempt, but I think of some of the OTHER neighbors, and if they'd tried this today???

Again, very simple in terms of wrenching, very simple.

If it were my private home, no problem, it'd be dealt with.

This is 8 meters on a fat gas line. We ain't qualified to deal with any rupture or leakage whatsoever with THAT...

Somebody vandalized a water heater in a laundry room today and created a gas leak. Fire department was here, landlord got fired (and I don't see where it was HER fault!), just a mess...


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