Semper Fi 1959
In Memoriam
Hoping for some help here...
A few months back (it was around April'ish) a representitive from my local power company contacted me and let me know that I am eligible for a H.E.A.P. payment (Heating Electricity Assistance Program). All I have to do she says is go down to the Public Assistance building in my town and apply (I had been laid off so I was eligible). She said that if all of the funds from '07 did not get used up, then this year the state would cut back on the funding available. Fine I said, why not take a free heat and electric payment? Then she told me that she would send me out a 'disconnect notice' due to the fact that the Public Assistance office MUST have a disconnect notice to start the ball rolling with a HEAP payment.
My first reaction to her was "ARE YOU SURE I'M NOT GOING TO GET SHUT OFF ON ACCIDENT"? She says 'No, not at all. The notice is just for the HEAP office, no one will come out and turn your power off".
Sure enough the power company came and cut my power off at about 8am shortly thereafter. I called this same woman back (she is the consumer advocate for this LARGE power company) and she had been out of the office for a few days her voicemail said and it would take her 'a few days' to sift through and call back all of her messages. So I called her cell phone. (I've had a lot of problems with this company, so she personally gave me her cell number. I've been 'screwed' by this company a few times before and this is why she personally contacted me about the HEAP payment and why she gave me her cell phone number. I now deal DIRECTLY with her and the PSC or Public Service Commision - that's how bad things have gotten. I'm even involved in a civil suit against them) Her phone wasn't even turned on. I called for hours and hours. Left messages and messages and messages...got no call back and didn't know what to do. I called the companys 800 number and they had no knowledge of my dealing with this woman (of course) and said that I wouldn't get turned back on until the NEXT DAY at the earliest. That means the tank would be without power for over 24 hours. Now I live in a house, so it's not like I could run an extention to the guy upstairs, downstairs or the like.
After standing there moving water with a plastic pasta type spoon and watching my fish die, I called back the 800 number and told them I smelled gas.
Someone was here within 30 mins and they turned me back on. (this was LATE that night thoguh...)
LOOOOONG story short, she OFFERED a free payment on my past due balance. Told me I needed a disconnect notice, and sent me a FALSE one. Told me I would NOT be disconnected and not to worry.
Well I WAS disconnected and lost most of my fish and LOTS of corals. The temp got down in the low 60's and I had no airation or water movement for about 15 hours.
I lost my:
Orange Shoulder Tang
Chocolate Tang
Desjardini Sailfin Tang
Yellow Tang
Black Tang
2 Helfrichi Firefish
Copperband Butterfly
6 Line Wrasse
10 Fire shrimp
5 Cleaner shrimp
5 Brittle stars
Crocea Clam
Maxima Clam
And TONS of my SPS corals/frags. The SPS was hit the hardest, is there a reason for this?
Anyway where I need help is this...I have filed a claim with the company stating that the woman filed a FALSE disconnect notice to get me a HEAP payment that I didn't even know about...then I was ACTUALLY cut off and lost most of my livestock. Not my fault I argue.
They want a list of my losses with prices to REPLACE. I'm NOT a big coral name person, so all I have is SPS skeletons...no clue what most of them were called. My fault on that I guess. I've bought frag packages from a few folks here, spent over $1000 at Fosters and Smith, got a BIG frag pack from Your Reef.com, TONS of $$ at local stores, etc etc etc.
AS AN EXAMPLE: Now if I bought a coral for $50 a year ago, and it grew to a piece that I'D ESTIMATE to be worth $200 is that what I tell them it would cost to replace? Or do I replace the $50 piece that I originally purchased? I feel they should pay me for the size that I LOST, not the size that I bought it as. I hope this makes sense.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE: Let's say I bought a fish that cost me $100 2 years ago as a juvenile but has now grown to an adult. How in the world to I go about figuring out the fish prices? PLUS all of my fish were in my care FOREVER, so I know they were healthy etc. You all know what I mean...if they 'replace' my fish who knows what I'll get. What if they replace my Firefish with Firefish that croak in a week? I HAD FISH THAT WERE BULLETPROOF AND THEY KILLED THEM!
Another thing is attachment. They are not JUST FISH as eveyone I know says. They are my pets...my charges entrusted to MY care... My Chocolate Mimic Tang for example was my favorite fish and I got him as a GIFT from someone who has since passed on. How do I put a price on that fish? Is he worth more due to 'sentimental reasons'?
I still have some of the fish in my freezer, pics of most as well...and still have ALL of the coral skeletons. I'm not out to 'stick it to them' but I really want to get what I feel I deserve.
What do you all think?
P.S. The company is called NATIONAL GRID. They are the WORST company in the entire universe. Hands down. They are worse than Glass Cages. :strooper:
Also before you respond telling me that I need a gas operated generator, it's already on the list of things to get.
And I guess it wasn't all a COMPLETE loss. It enabled me to tear the tank down, get a new stand and 'start over'. Sad that it wasn't MY choice to start over but... I don't know what I'd do if something like that happened again.
A few months back (it was around April'ish) a representitive from my local power company contacted me and let me know that I am eligible for a H.E.A.P. payment (Heating Electricity Assistance Program). All I have to do she says is go down to the Public Assistance building in my town and apply (I had been laid off so I was eligible). She said that if all of the funds from '07 did not get used up, then this year the state would cut back on the funding available. Fine I said, why not take a free heat and electric payment? Then she told me that she would send me out a 'disconnect notice' due to the fact that the Public Assistance office MUST have a disconnect notice to start the ball rolling with a HEAP payment.
My first reaction to her was "ARE YOU SURE I'M NOT GOING TO GET SHUT OFF ON ACCIDENT"? She says 'No, not at all. The notice is just for the HEAP office, no one will come out and turn your power off".
Sure enough the power company came and cut my power off at about 8am shortly thereafter. I called this same woman back (she is the consumer advocate for this LARGE power company) and she had been out of the office for a few days her voicemail said and it would take her 'a few days' to sift through and call back all of her messages. So I called her cell phone. (I've had a lot of problems with this company, so she personally gave me her cell number. I've been 'screwed' by this company a few times before and this is why she personally contacted me about the HEAP payment and why she gave me her cell phone number. I now deal DIRECTLY with her and the PSC or Public Service Commision - that's how bad things have gotten. I'm even involved in a civil suit against them) Her phone wasn't even turned on. I called for hours and hours. Left messages and messages and messages...got no call back and didn't know what to do. I called the companys 800 number and they had no knowledge of my dealing with this woman (of course) and said that I wouldn't get turned back on until the NEXT DAY at the earliest. That means the tank would be without power for over 24 hours. Now I live in a house, so it's not like I could run an extention to the guy upstairs, downstairs or the like.
After standing there moving water with a plastic pasta type spoon and watching my fish die, I called back the 800 number and told them I smelled gas.
Someone was here within 30 mins and they turned me back on. (this was LATE that night thoguh...)LOOOOONG story short, she OFFERED a free payment on my past due balance. Told me I needed a disconnect notice, and sent me a FALSE one. Told me I would NOT be disconnected and not to worry.
Well I WAS disconnected and lost most of my fish and LOTS of corals. The temp got down in the low 60's and I had no airation or water movement for about 15 hours.
I lost my:
Orange Shoulder Tang
Chocolate Tang
Desjardini Sailfin Tang
Yellow Tang
Black Tang
2 Helfrichi Firefish
Copperband Butterfly
6 Line Wrasse
10 Fire shrimp
5 Cleaner shrimp
5 Brittle stars
Crocea Clam
Maxima Clam
And TONS of my SPS corals/frags. The SPS was hit the hardest, is there a reason for this?
Anyway where I need help is this...I have filed a claim with the company stating that the woman filed a FALSE disconnect notice to get me a HEAP payment that I didn't even know about...then I was ACTUALLY cut off and lost most of my livestock. Not my fault I argue.
They want a list of my losses with prices to REPLACE. I'm NOT a big coral name person, so all I have is SPS skeletons...no clue what most of them were called. My fault on that I guess. I've bought frag packages from a few folks here, spent over $1000 at Fosters and Smith, got a BIG frag pack from Your Reef.com, TONS of $$ at local stores, etc etc etc.
AS AN EXAMPLE: Now if I bought a coral for $50 a year ago, and it grew to a piece that I'D ESTIMATE to be worth $200 is that what I tell them it would cost to replace? Or do I replace the $50 piece that I originally purchased? I feel they should pay me for the size that I LOST, not the size that I bought it as. I hope this makes sense.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE: Let's say I bought a fish that cost me $100 2 years ago as a juvenile but has now grown to an adult. How in the world to I go about figuring out the fish prices? PLUS all of my fish were in my care FOREVER, so I know they were healthy etc. You all know what I mean...if they 'replace' my fish who knows what I'll get. What if they replace my Firefish with Firefish that croak in a week? I HAD FISH THAT WERE BULLETPROOF AND THEY KILLED THEM!
Another thing is attachment. They are not JUST FISH as eveyone I know says. They are my pets...my charges entrusted to MY care... My Chocolate Mimic Tang for example was my favorite fish and I got him as a GIFT from someone who has since passed on. How do I put a price on that fish? Is he worth more due to 'sentimental reasons'?
I still have some of the fish in my freezer, pics of most as well...and still have ALL of the coral skeletons. I'm not out to 'stick it to them' but I really want to get what I feel I deserve.
What do you all think?
P.S. The company is called NATIONAL GRID. They are the WORST company in the entire universe. Hands down. They are worse than Glass Cages. :strooper:
Also before you respond telling me that I need a gas operated generator, it's already on the list of things to get.
And I guess it wasn't all a COMPLETE loss. It enabled me to tear the tank down, get a new stand and 'start over'. Sad that it wasn't MY choice to start over but... I don't know what I'd do if something like that happened again.
but that doesn't change the fact that I was hurtin over the winter.
if you really wanted to save them why not do something? i dont want you to take this the hard way because if i were you i would be hurting.
