Another fine Christ(mess) …
It could be these strange post-modern Covid times, but for some reason I spent most of yesterday scarcely able to believe that it was either Christmas Eve or indeed a Friday.
The first task on my agenda was to accompany The Boss on our major food & drink shop for the weekend.
Given widespread media stories that the world had gone mad – confused by the bewildering array of contradictory Government regulations and advice, the bulk of the population had apparently “gone rogue” and made its own mind up between either spending Christmas in splendid (protected) isolation or defiantly hosting a “Christmas as it used to be B.C.”[Before Covid] – we didn’t have a clue as to whether we’d encounter roads as quiet as if a tornado of a lifetime had passed through overnight or – alternatively – we’d be spending an hour in a two-lane dual carriageway traffic jam and then finding the supermarket shelves denuded of product when we got there.
It turned out to be a bit of both – probably partly because, having the night before imposed upon ourselves a 7.00am start, we didn’t actually set off until 9.30am.
The car park at our local Sainsburys was rammed, the inside full of Christmas shoppers. Some aisles were locust-style denuded, others seemingly as stocked-up as if they’d literally opened for business only minutes previously.
The plan had been that that I would pay for our shop by redeeming some of my famous famously impressive stash of Nectar points – thereby happily avoiding any need to part with cash.
It didn’t quite work out like that.
We necessarily “enjoyed” (if that at is the right word) a relatively slow and deliberate tour of the shelves during which, to be fair – despite being a fully paid-up member of the tribe that ordinarily would prefer to have its teeth pulled rather than go shopping – I did find myself picking “extras” here and there to add to the bulk buys we were inevitably mounting up.
Nevertheless, when we reached the check-out – having genuinely believed in advance that my stock of £185’s worth of Nectar points would comfortably take care of the bill – I was still stunned to be told that, even with my “points” being taken into account, I’d have to fork out another £197 in real money on top!
The rest of the day passed almost without incident or progress – I’d go so far as to suggest everyone on site Chez Nous seemed as laid back as if Christmas wasn’t happening at all – until the latest incoming mail was brought to me.
They say that energy companies – particularly electricity ones – are in a state of meltdown at the moment because of a global hike in wholesale prices.
That may be true, I don’t know.
However, historically in my experience utility suppliers have consistently been some of the most inefficient and hopeless organisations known to man.
I’m not going to “name and shame” my electricity company [to “protect” myself, mainly!] here – I’m just going to present the facts.
We arrived at our new home at the end of September. I made contact with our electric supplier shortly afterwards, “registered” with them and at that point everything seemed as it should be.
Then, out of the blue, on Thursday (23rd December), in the mail, I received my first bill from them – dated 21st December – for a sum not far short of £180.
On the face of it, this seemed a little “heavy” but I shrugged my shoulders and paid it the same day by credit card.
Then yesterday, just before lunch, in the mail arrived another missive from them.
It was dated 16th December and (in big red lettering) announced “IMPORTANT: YOU HAVE DEFAULTED ON YOUR ELECTRCITY BILL – YOU HAVE NOT PAID YOUR ENERGY BILL OF £[XXX] SO WE ARE PREPARING TO TAKE DEBT RECOVERY ACTION AGAINST YOU …” and thereafter continued in the same vein for two pages.
I repeat the facts:
On 23rd December I receive first-ever bill from this organisation.
The next day I receive what effectively amounted to a “letter before action” (dated a full week before) because I had allegedly failed to pay it!
I shall have some fun next week in writing letters to both the Chairman and CEO of this company, advising them that their accounts department is plainly “not up to scratch” and suggesting that if this is what passes for its normal “customer service” then they need to take a serious look at themselves the mirror.
I shall probably “CC” these to Boris as well, just to make my point.
To finish what was a somewhat weird day, last night we went to a well-known local restaurant with our next door neighbours.
As we arrived it felt as if it was a normal (non-Covid) evening – the place was reasonably full, nobody at the tables was wearing a mask, the noise level high. Two hours later we were the only diners there and the staff were standing around, waiting for us to depart.
To be frank, although the evening was fun, I was disappointed by my meal. Nothing wrong with it, but it wasn’t over-special – for drink we had an average bottle of merlot – but the bill was relatively eye-watering.
I’m channelling my “Scrooge” persona today!