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OT Damn gas/electricity company

When I woke up, the house was colder than usual.

The heat was off and I didn't see a pilot light. I went to look for the gas candle lighter.

Marilyn said, "Don't bother with it. Call SDG&E and they will come put and light it for free."

I did call. The man on the other end asked me to the info he needed. He started giving me the usual list of "dos and don'ts. I told him that I had a gas certificate and used to be a H&S opfficer at a housing organization, (I didn't mention that was in Engand.) He still went on, ignoring me. When he was through, I said that it would be best after 3PM as we had bridge until then. He said that he had no idea whrn the tech would be there, said that someone needed to be there or the key left under the mat and asked for my phone number. I said that I'd give him all three numbers, in case one was busy. He said he could take only one. This is in the day and age when most folks have several phones!. I finally gave him my number and we commenced finding a relacement for me at bridge, using another phone. I didn't get on the computer. About 4PM the bell rang and there was a nice, efficient tech who said he hadn't called because he hadn't been given a phone number, just an address. He had it fine in just a few minutes. (I cold have done it myself.

In England, I had a choice of three electrical cmpanies and two gas suppliers. In addition, the electrcal rate* dropped i half after midnight!

And they were customer-friendly!

  • The full-time rate was just about the same when I got to England as I had paid in San Jose.

Karl

Reply to
midlant
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You'd last less than a week in 40 of the 50 states in this country .....

When I woke up, the house was colder than usual.

Reply to
Jeff Rice

Do you keep the lights on all night to save money? ;)

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

Why didn't you retire in England?

JT

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

Taxes probably. They are so much less in California

"Grumpy AuContraire" wrote:...

Reply to
Jeff Rice

"In England, I had a choice of three electrical cmpanies and two gas suppliers. In addition, the electrcal rate* dropped i half after midnight!"

And you get your telephone from the Post Office, pay a yearly lincence fee for every TV and radio, and if you don't like the care at National Health you can go to the other National Health.

You used to say that it was different there--not better or worse, just different. Then your pilot light burned out, and look what happens.

Reply to
comatus

The pilot went out due to not having been cleaned for a long time.

Had that happened my FIL, who was a gas (industrial and home) serviceman would have fixed it for me. The old British Gas (nationaized) used to do annual PM on all gs appliances, home and business. Thus, my problem wouldn't have occured. Also, they were scheduled by day and time,

Karl

Reply to
midlant

On Feb 10, 11:55 am, Grumpy AuContraire wrote:

JT Leaving emotion aside, it actually is comparing The Midlands of England with the SanFran or the San Diego areas, not England with the US.. Comparing to some areas of the US would have been a no-brainer. Duluth was out of the question. (Sorry van Dell family.) Medical care was a break-even thing, as TriCare for Life was awaiting me from the Navy. Except for the fact that the customers come from a wider group of the population in GB, NH = TFL. The TV/radio licence costs a bunch, for sure, but I have the middle- range Cable connection here, which costs a lot more. I would be glad to also pay the licence fee for just the UK radio if I could get their 7PM show at 7 PM here, and so on, and didn't have to be tied to the computer, as I am now. (A six half-hour show series on the FenderStratocaster can be interesting when quality is the driving goal!) On some days I had to make up a chart and use two VCR and be taping a radio show at the same time as I listened to another. No Studebakers readily available, but my area was a hot bed of old-car activity. World-class auto museum within walking distance (makes mine here in SD look like the corner gas station.) Annual 100 mile Shakespeare Old Care Run" passed within a hundred yards of my house. Fuel was expensive and annual saftey test a bother except for once when a brake cylinder failed on the "rolling Road", not the highway where I would havebeen!. Traffic rules were pure common sense in mst cases (sample available for the asking,) but for "no turns on red light" allowed,,,, yet. Standard garage made for cars that were common at the time of house construction. I had a 1938 home,so the garage was small. The guy "up the street + one" had one rebuilt to 17' wide one as the lot was that size. Many parts stores and speed or restoration shops all over the city. Three major-league race tracks within 50 miles - ones you would see mentioned in R&T and/or bike racing mags in the US fifty years ago. The dining-out food is up-to-date, but Mexican stuff expensive - have to pay for the chips and salsa - AAARRRRRRRG. Poor weather, but only one day was I cold - brake-job outside! Those warnings of "Beware the Arctic Winds, today" were for wimps. Only one tornado that I can recall, and that was very close the last time we were there.(2005)

Prime Minister announced that he was going to drive the value of the Pound v Dollar down, and that scared me into selling our/my house, and that money, along with the death insurance and an IRA went into buying a house in SD, at my sisters suggestion. Early retirement became available, GBP going down, and the 1999/2000 transition computer scare made me come back in very late 1999.

FYI The house, in dollars, is now worth about three times what it was when I sold it!

(It was not such a simple problem when the emotional things during this whole time are factors in.

Karl

Reply to
midlant

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