It doesn't seem right.

All righty. Tuesday and I'm doing a slow burn. And no, it's not about the leaking valve.

But it is about another government body, and its treatment of people.

This one began about a month ago. I came home to find a Manitoba Hydro truck in my driveway. The guy was apparently just finishing up whatever it was he was doing.

And, being a naturally curious kinda guy when it comes to strange trucks in my driveway, I asked. Turns out he had just replaced the electrical meter on the side of my house. 

"Hmmm," thought I. "Why would he do that?"

So I asked him. "Why did you do that?"

And I learned that the meter on my house was defective. It wasn't working. And it had not been working since February 29. It was September 10. So, for a little more than six months, no meter. No one was measuring how much electricity I was, or wasn't using.

Now, as I had paid several electrical bills over that time period, I was a little concerned as to how these bills were calculated. I mean, really, do they just get to guess at this stuff?

"Based on last year, we figured you used X. So just pay that, okay?"

Um, no, not okay. Did you know I was away for a month in the summer camping? Did you know I replaced our giant front window just before winter? Did you know we've been taking every step to reduce our electrical bill? Did you know I installed a generator in the garage in the spring and have been using it, instead of your electricity for most of the summer?

Okay, that last one's a lie. But hey, nobody has asked me. And the first three are true. 

So, when meter installer guy left, I called Manitoba Hydro. And I asked what was going on. And I was told that my meter had been out of service (broken) since February 29. I asked about the bills I have been paying. The customer service rep and I had a hard time understanding each other, I admit. But what I got from the phone call was that, apparently, I was paying my bill (their estimate) once every other month. The next month, it was refunded, minus the "basic charge." 

I was not entirely clear on how that all worked, or why. I do recall asking if it was even legal to charge me for electricity when there was no proof that I used any.

Fast forward a month.

I got the letter. It began "Dear Customer:"

Could they at least use my name. I mean, I like to get kissed before I get fucked. I realize a kiss is out of the question, but at least know and use my name, eh?

Stay on track . . .

The letter continued:

"We have estimated consumption to cover February 29, 2012 to September 10, 2012. Based on 9,130 kW.h consumption recorded on the previous meter for the 183 day period from March 1, 2011 to August 31, 2011, there is daily consumption of 50 kW.h. For the period from February 29, 2012 to September 10, 2012, consumption based on this would have been 50kW.h multiplied by 194 days for a total of 9,700 kW.h. To allow for any inaccuracies in our estimate, 10% or 907 kW.h was deducted resulting in an estimate of 8,730 kW.h"

Bottom line: I now owe them just shy of $600. Payable now. 

I have a few questions. First off, I gotta ask why it took more than six months to replace a broken meter? Second, was the meter working properly up to that point? And please don't automatically say yes. It's not like you jumped on the problem when it stopped working altogether.

And finally, and most importantly, on what planet, and in what business transaction can the supplier say to the customer, "We have absolutely no proof, but we figured you bought this much. Pay for it! Further, we have a mechanism for accurately measuring consumption, but it broke six months ago. It is our responsibility to fix it, but we just didn't get to it. So just pay up."

It would be like buying meat from a butcher. His scale breaks. He doesn't tell you. He just throws the meat on, gives you a number and asks for the money. After six months, he confesses, because you ask about that fancy new scale he has. He refunds some of your money (keeps some as a "basic service fee") and then bills you several hundred dollars for your meat purchases over the last six months . . . based on the previous year's meat purchases. 

What's more, he does it by mail. Just sends you a bill. Would you pay it? Should you pay it?

Okay, this is gonna take more than one post. So I'm just gonna leave you with this for today:

The "basic charge" that I was told I still had to pay during the six months of broken meter? According to my letter and bill from Manitoba Hydro, it is "The fixed charge that pays part of the cost of providing service and does not depend on how much energy is used."

Okay, fair enough. But it goes on:

"It helps pay for such items as the maintenance of meters, the cost of meter reading, billing and record keeping."

Um . . . should I REALLY have been paying that during the six months my meter was broken? Just asking.

I have some research to do and a few phone calls to make to sort this out.

Have a stress-free Tuesday.

So close . . .

Okay, in spite of what the naysayers have to say (coT cough I couFFgh A cough couNgh Ycough . . . excuse me), we pretty much completed the bathroom reno in two days. And I maintain we could have done it in one IF I had all the parts ready to go. That was my error. 

While it may take SOME people two day to clean a room, (coT cough I couFFgh A cough couNgh Ycough . . . excuse me), I can renovate in two. HA!

Sorry to the rest of you, but I was roundly mocked and criticized by a fellow blogger, who shall remain nameless, for suggesting a one-day reno was even possible. I still say it is. HA!

Anyhoo, last night, at about 7:30, I put the toilet back in place. That was after putting the vanity back in place. And that was after prepping the floor and installing the new vinyl flooring. And I even had a nap today. So there, nameless one.

It is awesome, mostly. It would be completely awesome if a certain store, that shall remain nameless, RONA, had the countertop it claimed to have two of, earlier in the day. But did NOT have  at 6 p.m., in spite of the fact the store inventory computer claimed to have both. Grrrrrrr.

So today, to spite the nameless box store, I shall head to Winnipeg in search of the perfect vanity countertop. For I have the perfect taps ready to install in said countertop. Okay, so it's not just spite, I want this freakin' job DONE!

Oh, and Sontoo has a nasty, nasty little cough that has kept him awake for a few minutes every hour, throughout the night. And that means I've been awake most of the night, as I can not go quickly and peacefully back to slumberland after my hot honey and lemon drink.

I am so tired, in fact, that I stuck the SD memory card from my camera into the disk drive on my computer this morning and had to fish it out with two knives. It was not easy . . . and I'm tired.

Anyhoo, that's it, other than a few quick renovation pictures. Have a great, um, Saturday. Yeah, Saturday.

It starts.

Midway

End of Day 1

End of Day 1 from other side.

End of Day 2. If I'd had the countertop, it WOULD have been installed.

Frustrating Day

Well, yesterday was a frustrating day. Had big plans for cleaning out the garage, building shelves, organizing . . .

And whilst I was doing that, the nice man from Bell Satellite TV would install the stuff necessary for my evening entertainment. Hell's Kitchen was on last night, and I was kinda looking forward to, if not seeing it, at least recording it for later viewing pleasure.

Now I've been a patient guy. My original date for the completion of the promised "smooth transfer" of my Bell services, was last Wednesday. But, as you know, my receivers and television were on a truck somewhere between here and Churchhill at that time. As such, I was told the friendly and helpful Bell installer would not come to the house, and I would have to wait one week.

Fair enough.

So yesterday, with my television and receiver firmly in place, I awaited the installer, who arrived a little later than expected. Fair enough. We're all busy.

A few things here you might not know about the "smooth transfer" of your satellite service with Bell. First off, the installer is apparently not allowed to set foot on your roof. Too dangerous. So if your dish is not near the edge or your roof, you may be expected to help out a little, if you want satellite service.

Second, your installer is allowed to drill one hole for free. Then he will charge you for any additional holes that need to be drilled to facilitate installation of the necessary cables in your home. Interesting.

Oh, and if you have any illusions about the cables being hidden in the walls, exiting at appropriate places with nice, neat face plates, forget about it. I was told that if you want that kind of thing, you need to hire an electrician prior to the arrival of your Bell installer whose job, apparently is to then screw the cable into the dish.

Anyhoo, back to yesterday. Behind the new house, two of my neighbours to the south have very tall poplar trees. These things are apparently directly in the path that leads from my satellite dish to the Bell satellite in space. As such, I can not get sufficient signal strength for a proper installation. (And that's without any leaves on the tree. Leaves, the installer told me, make things even worse!)

My installer friend discovered this by hooking up a small computer to the dish to gauge signal strength. He didn't need my TV or receiver to do it. My installer friend also told me that, maybe, if the dish was on the peak of the roof at the other end of the house, we might get a stronger, adequate signal. He was skeptical, as the trees in that sight line were even taller than the current ones. But, as he's not allowed to set foot on the roof, he couldn't really check it out.

He then suggested I talk to my new neighbour about, perhaps, lopping 20 or so feet off the top of a couple of his 80-foot poplars. Um, yeah.

Or maybe I could install a pole somewhere that would be tall enough to put the satellite dish in a position to see over those trees. Bell doesn't do that, nor does it manufacture or supply said pole, I was told. I'd have to do it, dig a trench for the cable and then set up another appointment for the installer to come back and hook it all up.

So . . . the installer left. I'm stuck with a useless Bell HDPVR, and another useless Bell HD receiver, both purchased in the last year and a half. I'm not happy about it.

So I call Bell customer service. No, they won't buy the receivers back. But hey, Bell, in its infinite graciousness, has waived the 30-day penalty for cancelling my service. Wow! The helpful customer service rep informed me that she would cancel the service, effective yesterday and I would receive a refund for the remainder of the month.

Um . . . wait a minute. I haven't had service since Nov. 1, when I moved out of the home in Thompson. What exactly am I paying for? Sorry, I was told, but I'd still have to cough up the dough for those 10 days.

I will admit, I became somewhat indignant. But I explained that, as I have not had access to the service for those 10 days, and as I had an appointment for installation a week ago, and as Bell was unable to supply service now, there was not a snowball's chance in hell I would be paying for those 10 days. After a little discussion, the customer service rep agreed.

She then told me that she and a supervisor had looked over the report from the friendly installer that came to my home, and they'd determined he might have done some things incorrectly. And maybe, just maybe, a more senior installer could still make this work.

She asked me what would be a convenient time for the senior installer to come out and have a look.

"Today," I replied.

Well, she said, the first available time is a week from today, next Wednesday.

So, we finished up our conversation, and I started looking at options. MTS TV, Shaw cable, Shaw satellite.

And, to make this long story just a tad shorter, I found Shaw satellite (whose satellite in space is in a more convenient, treeless direction) has a better deal anyway. So the Shaw guys are coming out tomorrow to install my new service. And once that's up and running, I will contact Bell, tell them to give the senior installer a rest and then put my receivers up for sale.

All of this, by the way, took up the better part of my day. Thus, my big plans for today include cleaning out the garage, building shelves, organizing and pausing at 11 a.m. to Remember . . .

Have a great Remembrance Day.

(Oh, and if you know anyone who's looking for a Bell HDPVR, let me know)

Caveat Emptor

Okay, I've cooled off a bit, but I'm still frustrated.

It's gonna be a long day today. It will likely officially begin at 6:45 a.m. when I will have to feed the boys breakfast. It's usually at 8 a.m.

But we need to dress 'em up and pack 'em into the van to drive mommy to work for 7:30 a.m. and then to the airport for 8 a.m. Why, you ask?

Well, we're a one-car family and will be so for up to three weeks. And that, friends, is why I'm frustrated.

The fun began Monday, when Neomom went out to start our 2008 Ford Ranger for work. It kinda started, but it sounded like a wounded dog with asthma. Not good. So I phoned the Ford dealer in Thompson to book an appointment. First available was yesterday. So be it.

Yesterday morning, truck was towed to dealership (I'll try to keep this short, but no promises). And here, Ford Canada gets one star. The roadside assistance plan worked. I call the 1-800 number and a tow truck was here within half an hour. No charge. One star.

So, a few hours later a get a confusing call from the dealership. According to the caller, they had not diagnosed the problem and they would have to pull the engine out of the truck to do so. This confused me. I tried to ask some questions, but didn't get any good answers. Bottom line, she said, was that the engine had to be pulled before they could give me any news.

And, she said, it would require a large block of time. The first large block of time available, she added, was on February 25th— two weeks away.

Aw shit! I mean, when you buy a new vehicle, you sort of expect worry-free driving for a few years. This Ranger has about 13,000 km on it. We haven't even had it for two years. Yeah, I know, shit happens.

Anyway, this still didn't make sense to me. How could they not know, or at the very least, not have some idea what was wrong? So, after dropping Sonwun off at preschool (with his fruit plate for the Valentine's party) I headed over to the dealership to ask a few more questions, including "Can I get a loaner while all of this is going on?"

This time I met service manager Glenn. Nice guy. He took the time to explain to me what they knew at this point and what they didn't know. And basically, they think a cam has come loose in the engine. This would explain why three of the six cylinders were misfiring. It's unusual to say the least, but based on what they're hearing and seeing, that's the best estimate at this time. Fair enough. Why couldn't the first caller explain that?

It will take a big chunk of time to start tearing down the engine and, if necessary, to pull it out to fully assess the damage, which is why they've booked that time two weeks from now. Glenn explained that if there are cancellations and such, it would be moved up. Again, fair enough. It is what it is.

As for a loaner, um, no. This dealership doesn't do that. Well, to be fair, they don't do that unless you purchased an Extended Service Plan when you bought your truck. I didn't. Mostly because I didn't think I'd need an "Extended" anything for at least the first three years. I don't know, you hear bumper-to-bumper warranty for the first three years or 60,000k and, well, you think you've got nothing to worry about. Live and learn.

So, I figured I'd give Ford Canada a call when I got home. I mean, I live in Thompson, Manitoba where a 4X4 is standard equipment. There is only one Ford dealership and again, to be fair, they're pretty busy. Which is why I have to wait 2 weeks for my full diagnosis and then, possibly, another week for parts (or a whole new engine) and then whatever time it takes to put it all back together.

This has to qualify for extenuating circumstances and Ford Canada would probably fall all over themselves apologizing for the inconvenience this defective product is causing me and authorize a loaner of some kind. They would go the extra mile to stand behind their product.

Um, no.

After about 10 minutes on the phone, being put on hold 3 times, I got my answer. Sorry about your luck chump, but we're not providing a loaner. We'll honour the warranty, but you're shit out of luck for the 3 weeks it may take to solve this problem. You should have purchased the extended service plan.

It was almost humourous when the customer service representative suggested that maybe I try another Ford dealership in the area that had a loaner program. After explaining that the next nearest dealership is about 800KM away, well, nothing changed. Sorry about your luck chump, but we're not providing a loaner.

Sooo, what lessons have I learned? I don't know. Ask stupid questions when you buy a vehicle? Questions such as: "If this fine vehicle craps out in a big way during the first two years of ownership, and it's gonna take three weeks for you to repair it, can I get a loaner?"

Why, oh why, didn't I think to ask that question. My bad. Caveat emptor.