Power to the people!

Yes, but which people? I’m speaking, of course, of the Power Companies, who serve the people but also pay homage (and dividends) to their power(ful) shareholders. In a week in which one particular power(ful) company announced massive billion-pound profits, I will tell you a short story of my attempts to secure a miserable, but promised, £75 from the same outfit. Maybe you can then tell me if you’ve experienced the same frustrations in dealing with our powerful friends?

It was Christmas Eve and we had, literally, just lit some candles and sat down to dinner when the lights went out. We thought, at first, that a fuse had gone, but it turned out the whole area was in darkness. So, we finished dinner and, when the novelty wore off, we took ourselves to the pub, hoping that when we got home, order would have been restored. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until 11am on Christmas Day, as we sat together opening presents by candlelight, that power was restored. What a relief! The turkey had been saved (though I imagine the turkey might have gobbled something different if the opportunity had presented itself).

Now, many people had worse experiences, and in true insurance company-speak, the adverse weather conditions over Christmas were an ‘Act of God’. I expected nothing further to come of it all; but no, and bless their Armani socks, for the powers that be stepped out of the shadows of their power stations and proclaimed that they would compensate anyone who had been without power on Christmas Day and, as a marvellous PR stunt, they would ignore the guidelines and pay out £75 no matter how long the power vacuum had lasted.

Duly impressed, I submitted a claim, and I have received not one but three voicemails confirming that a cheque would be coming. Remember the old joke? The cheque is in the post. It appears the adage still holds true (even though cheques have fallen out of fashion). Two of those phone calls came in February, promising the aforementioned piece of paper within 5 weeks; another call came in March or April, advising me to wait another two to three weeks. I hate to think about the layers of internal bureaucracy that those companies appear to have created for themselves, though the individuals who made those phone calls may actually be a tiny clan of the power-less trying to deal with a powerful, and apparently elusive, chequebook signatory. I resorted to an email on Tuesday, and received an automated response advising that the company in question ‘usually respond within one day’. I think the chequebook signatory must have gotten to my enquiry first…

So to Cliff Richard. It’s usually against my religion to even mention his name, but for one particular case, I’ll make an exception. Come on, people! In His own words, it should be power to you and me!

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