Thoughtlessness Crosses All Boundaries

[rowyn]

pyat linked to this article about a 93 year-old man who froze to death after the utility company put a limiter on his service due to non-payment. Two things in particular, apart from the obvious "wow that sucks", struck me about it:

* This is a public utility run by the city.
* Private utilities are regulated by Michigan state law and cannot shut off service to senior citizens between November and April.

And it's just ... ngh! The trouble with organizations is that whether they're public or private, they're still run by people.

*sigh*

Comments

[pyat.livejournal.com]

Though, it's possible the device might have been allowed even with a private firm. It's a "limiter," sort of like a "nag" on software. It's not quite the same as cutting off service entirely. It turns your heat off or way down, as I understand it, at certain periods, and must be reset by going outside and manually doing it.

Given the depth of snow and the cold we'd had lately, that's absurd in and of itself. Even if the man in question knew about the limiter (which isn't clear from the article), expecting a 93 year old to go out in the snow to reset it is simply cruel.

[rowyn]

Googling a little, I found an article that says the state regulators discourage limiters. "Discouragment" from a regulator is a more effective tool than you'd think, actually. But it sounds like they're not banned.

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Oh lovely. He didn't pay his bill because he was going senile and didn't remember how to pay bills, and the utility didn't put any effort into his case because they were having to shut off power to dozens of people every day, because this is Michigan. And they don't have any information about the age or health of their customers... but there are laws about what they can do that rely on the age and health of the customers?

And their response: "Um, yeah, since it's cold we'll stop shutting off power to *anyone*." They might as well just say 'don't bother paying your bills until spring'. x.x

[rowyn]

It's not *quite* as horrible as "don't pay your bills until spring". Even if the utility company couldn't shut off your power ever, you'd still wreck your credit rating if you refused to pay. And they can take you to court and get a garnishment on your account, and charge you late fees and interest and penalties. So they're not wholly without recourse.

I suspect utility companies generally do know the age of their customers; they probably track birthdates in their system because there are contractual obligations that minors can't enter into legally, if nothing else.

But, yeah. The problem sucks and all the solutions kinda suck too. :/

[wildcard-47.livejournal.com]

The worst part of this article was that the company expected him to pay his bill over the phone or online -- I read that the man had the cash/forms ready to pay -- and they were lying on a table in his house -- but couldn't get out of his house to run that errand.

The whole thing is just so awful. This man deserved so much better.

[(Anonymous)]

Each and every one of the town council, mayor, and managers who said yes to using these devices should be indicted for manslaughter.

[missdiane.livejournal.com]

Found your blog linked on CNN and though I do agree that they should change their policies regarding turning off power during freezing and heat crises my thought was - where was this 93 year old's family and friends who could come over and assist him with paying his bills?

People seem quick to point fingers at the utility, but don't seem to be taking any personal responsibility for this loved one that suffered a slow horrible demise.