Lennart Thornros <lenn...@thornros.com> wrote: I am glad there was an answer to your water problem, Jed. > I hope you have learnt that having to deal with large government is not > fun. > Even if your water problem is OK now, you do not like the cost, if I hear > you right. > Because there is rule or law in every phase of our lives you can do > nothing but shut up and pay the bill. >
No, it isn't like that. The County was slow to address the problem, but they have been courteous and helpful all along. They gave me a large rebate for the repair I made in April, even though it was on my side of the water meter. They did not have to do that, but the work was done on their recommendation. Today, the Supervisor finally showed up. He was very helpful. So professional! He even wore a spiffy uniform. He did a complete check of the meter, he went into the house and checked the plumbing, and asked to see the plumber's invoice. He brought records from several years. In the end, he made a convincing case that the present meter is working correctly, and the previous one was faulty. He showed me two readings 60 days apart from several years ago that were nearly identical. Clearly, the old meter was stuck. It was undermeasuring the flow. I have had much worse experiences dealing with the cable TV company, the phone company, and small appliance repair companies. It is true that big government organizations are sometimes brusk. They can be unresponsive. It is because they have a monopoly. You have nowhere else to go. On the other hand, they live in fear of politicians, and the politicians live in fear of voters. Especially voters my age. Overall, my experiences with big government agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service (the tax people) has been positive. The IRS called me for a brief audit once. They could not have been nicer or more professional. - Jed
