The Bad, Part II

(I know, I know . . . I took another hiatus! Shame on me!)

In part one I kind of introduced you to The Villagers (that's usually how we refer to them) and their sheer hatred of meters. And also their belief that we are fixing all the wrong things first. Case in point, I just had a gentleman in the office who was on the Board a few years ago who wanted to know "what hell was wrong with the generator" and why we have to spend money to fix it because "there's nothing wrong with it - change the oil and put a new battery in it". The generator in question hasn't run in a number of years and needs several things fixed. But I politely told the gentleman that I personally have no idea what may or may not be wrong with it, but that the guys would look it more in depth before winter hits and figure out what it needs.

That seems to have placated him for the moment.

As he left, another Villager called and spent the next 20 minutes telling me exactly who started one of the many rumors about those of us that work for the water company. We apparently need to make sure to wear our suits of armor because one of them is a "midget (I think the PC term is Little Person) with severe mental illness, who carries around a sword and a nigger-beater" and that her "husband/current boyfriend is a murderer" and that "they are both drug addicts". She believes that they've killed her cats because they accused her of doping their dogs when she took care of them after they over dosed on whatever drug of choice.

This has been my Friday afternoon.

And believe me, this is far from the worst of anything.

It began slowly, with Boyfriend talking to people about wasting water and issuing fines for doing so. A couple people started spouting off that Boyfriend has a bad attitude and he's menacing and harassing customers.

We took that with a  grain of salt. I mean, seriously, Boyfriend comes to town in the middle of the worst drought on record and tells people they no longer have "unlimited" water and that they can't wash their car in the street or water the road or drain their pool because they thought it looked crooked (yes, someone actually did that) or flood alley ways. Of course some people aren't going to like him. Duh.

The Board of Director's continued to tell Boyfriend to do his job and that if any customer gave him shit, to tell that customer that they could talk to the Board.

Part of this begins in May, when one Board Member resigned. According to our By-Laws, should a vacancy occur on the Board within 90 days of the annual shareholder meeting, then we have to hold an election. BUT, if the vacancy happens to occur more than 90 days from the meeting, then the two remaining Board Members can appoint someone to fill the empty seat. The appointed person would be confirmed at the next annual shareholder meeting.

One Villager expressed interest in being on the Board. The Board Members discovered that they lived outside of the subdivision and cannot be on the Board. In the end they appointed someone else. So this Villager comes to a meeting of the other water company and accosts us when we leave. He kept telling us we "can't do this to an American citizen". I think he thought that one of the reasons he didn't get on the Board was that he's a Cuban immigrant. We kept trying to tell him that the we had nothing to do with the decision and that he can come to our Board Meeting the following week and bring it up to the Board. Finally this Villager tried to push Boyfriend; when he didn't budge, the Villager then flopped himself against the wall and fell on the floor and claimed that Boyfriend assaulted him.

We both stood there like, "WTF? Are you serious??"

I lost my cool and said, "This . . . this here, is bullshit." And we left. And called the sheriff's department.

Later in June, Boyfriend and our other employee tell me that about 20 empty chemical buckets were stolen from the company. And not just from any part of the company - the wastewater treatment plant. My first question is, who in their right mind breaks into a wastewater treatment plant??? Boyfriend had kept the empty bleach tablet buckets to use for random things - carrying tools, hauling soil, or covered tomato plants so they wouldn't freeze. He had looked all over and couldn't find any evidence of forced entry to the treatment plant, which meant that someone must have either scaled the fence and made it over the razor wire or they had a key.

Of course, we're still dealing with the typical "you can't shut me off, so I won't pay my bill" customers; the "I pay my water bill so I can use as much water as I want" customers; the "You're gouging us customers to put money in your own pocket" customers; and my personal favorite, the "we're not in a drought" customers. You know, typical.

To be continued.....



The Bad, Part I

I alluded to some bad that has happened during my hiatus. Actually, a lot. First, here's some basics and a tiny taste of some of the negativity.

As I've mentioned, Boyfriend manages a small water company. It's a "mutual" so that means that all the customers "own" a piece of it. It's been run by the "good ol' boys" club for the past 40 years. They've never had a licensed operator to run the place and somehow managed to get away with it. Nothing was updated or upgraded. Band-aides were put on only when forced. Being so small, the state turned a blind eye. Until the last couple years. And the band-aides aren't working anymore.

Last year, the state finally inspected the surface water treatment plant and found some deficiencies - because it's 60 years old. Because of these deficiencies, when we have to use the river and run the treatment plant, we have to issue a boil advisory, per state law. Due to the drought, we've had to use the river to since March, about 4 months earlier than normal. We have 5 wells that, up until now, have provided adequate or near adequate water supply. But they are slowly running dry; two of them are dead in the water. One is consistent, and two are intermittent. If we don't get any rain this winter, by the first of the year we could be forced to use the river as our only supply. By law, we can only pull so much out of the river in a day; plus our plant is only designed to handle that maximum amount in a day. Any more than that and it just overflows and goes right back into the river.

Another problem is that when Boyfriend started, none of the customers were metered. Everyone pays a flat rate for what they believe is "unlimited water". No one has ever really been able to show these people how much water they waste. Earlier in the year, we instituted a strict water waste policy (well, strict for these people anyway), where if water was in the street, it's waste and fines are added to their account. We even made sure to take pictures to prove to people. They would argue about it while letting it continue to run in the street that they "pay their bill and therefore can use as much water as I want". Seriously.

A lot of changes have happened in a very short period of time. Boyfriend started last December, I started in April and the three Board Members have only been around a year or less each. They are all learning and have been surprised to learn how bad of shape the system is. They agreed to updating the water waste policy so that there were fines attached; they agreed to changing the due date (it used to be the 10th of the month and I suggested the 15th or 20th, they chose the 15th) and agreed that the due date should be enforced; they agreed to do public monthly board meetings, even though as a mutual, we don't have to; they loved the idea of a newsletter to go out with the bills; they want the water company to become a non-profit so we can pursue grant funding; they want meters installed.

All of us are aware that a lot of our customers have lived here for 20, 30 or even 40 years and they aren't used to the changes. They don't like and they don't want it. As one customer shouted during a special informational meeting about becoming a non-profit, "WE DON'T WANT METERS! WE DON'T WANT THEM!!" The anger over meters shocked the shit out of our panel. We had invited our attorney, our drinking water engineer from Ca Dept of Health, our waste water engineer from the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and a gal from Cal Rural Water Association; who are all in favor of us becoming a non-profit.

So what are people concerned with? Rates. That's it.

They associate changing to a non-profit with rate increases. They associate meters with rate increases. They associate grants with rate increases. They associate loans with rate increases. They believe we are fixing the wrong things first. They believe we're spending money where we don't need to.

They want an all new system with a guarantee of zero rate increases. They want us to replace the distribution system first because the pipes are old. However, our drinking water engineer says that is one of the lowest things on their list to fund, while things like new surface water treatment plants, new wells, new storage tanks - those are priorities.

We actually had some guy who, even after the difference between a grant and a loan were explained, said he didn't want to pay back a grant and would rather pay back a loan. He believed that it's fair that he pays $40 a month for water and two people live in his house, and a few houses down there's a house with 10 people living in it and they only pay $40 a month of water. He didn't believe, however, that his bill would go up at all in order to pay back the loan(s).

We have people that tell us that meters are a complete waste of money and they are inaccurate. We've installed approximately 35 meters. In July, we found 12 houses that used nearly 1 million gallons of water. One house alone used 240,000 gallons; the previous owner's son tried to blame that on the water company - that my guys installed a meter and broke pipes and refused to fix them. But Boyfriend didn't some looking around and discovered that someone had purposefully set the toilet to run non-stop. Meters have also shown some people just how much they actually use. One guy, who has one of the nicest and greenest yards was shocked to see that in two weeks he had used nearly 30,000 gallons. After that we noticed he cut back a bit.

We have not decided on a rate structure; that will probably happen sometime next year once meters are completed. We've been using a nearby water company's rate structure as an example since they are smaller than us. We've discovered that some people's bills would actually go down; some would stay the same, and yes, some would go up. But we're finding there are people who don't think it's fair to pay for the water that they themselves are using.

While this is just some of the negativity, there is more. Much, much more.

People Amaze Me (And Not Necessarily In A Good Way)

People sometimes just plain amaze me. No. Really, they do. I've worked in customer service for most of my working career and dealing with the people can be quite interesting. Or aggravating. It depends on the situation.

Last weekend I was doing my weekend Pet Nutritional Consultant gig. Saturday was actually quite busy even though we had a massive rain storm move through. Seriously,  it was like monsoon season that day. No one was really expecting the torrential downpours that kept happening all day long. But people kept coming as there is a local rescue group that does pet adoptions in the store I go to as well as the Humane Society. I talked to several people regarding pet food, helped lots of people find products they were looking for and answered lots of questions having nothing to do with pet food. Thank God I worked in pet retail and veterinary offices off and on for years. Comes in handy. I gave away coupons to a few new customers and also a few repeat offenders to keep my customer base happy. The happiest ones are the ones who receive the $10 off the large bags. Lot of "thank you's" happen over that one.

Sunday was its usual slow day; I only spoke to a few people and most of them had no intention getting pet food in any capacity. I gave away maybe three coupons and one of those was a cheat - it was Mom who came into buy cat food for me with a $10 off coupon. Bad, I know. But I figure I only buy cat food about every 6 months as I buy the 16lb bag and keep it in an airtight container for my one cat. Much cheaper that way. So, really, one coupon that I hadn't given out yet that day.

And the reason why I hadn't given one out that day is because I actually encountered people who brushed me off when I offered them a coupon.

I will let that sink for a moment.

People actually brushed me off when I approached them with coupons. Seriously. How sad is that?! People acted like I was bothering them, offering them a few bucks off their pet food. It. Was. Amazing. I felt like a schmuck for offering them coupons. One couple that accepted a coupon had absolutely no enthusiasm for getting $10 off their large bag of food. None. Whatsoever. Blew me away. 

I'm pretty sure I didn't look menacing or rude or anything. And I don't think my tone was bad.

"Hi there, would you like a $10 off coupon for the bag of food in your cart?" or "Hi, how about a coupon for $2 off the small bag of food for your cat?" or "I have a coupon for buy one get one free on those cans you have there."

I would have hugged someone who gave me $10 off a $45 dollar bag of food. And these people acted like I was a thorn in their side. Sheesh.

I am now in my second week at my new full-time job - which I am still getting used to this idea that I spend an actual 40 hours a week at. In the office there is a total of 5 of us gals - the Office Manager, and three other gals. Each of us has our own duties, but over time cross training allows others to be able to assist if and when they can. Right now I'm just learning the basics and I feel like a dunce. But that's what comes with a new job in an industry that I've never worked in. Also, what's nice is that I'm no longer the only newbie; T started on Monday. It's nice to not be alone.

Anyway, one of the gals, B, sits at a desk that is directly behind mine (which I despise having someone sit directly behind me). T sits to the left and behind me and L sits to the left of T. The OM has her own office (lucky her). OM and L have been very nice with my pestering them with questions and trying to remember "journals" and "schedules" and account numbers and rules and how to do things. It's a lot to take in. 

I have yet to ask B any questions. Not because I don't think she can answer any of them, but because I don't know what to make of her yet. She has yet to say a single word to me. Not a single one. She talks to OM and L, but not much if anything to T (at least not yet). I'm pretty sure it's a personality thing, so I'm not taking it personally. 

The other day some papers fell off B's desk - meaning they fell right behind my chair. I spun around and picked them up for her and put them back on her desk. Not even a thank you. She didn't even look at me. Seriously. Later, she sneezed and I said, "Bless you" and nothing. (Although, L and T also said "bless you" and she didn't say anything to them either). No thank you, excuse me, nothing. I was slightly offended by the lack of words coming out of her mouth for those, especially with the paper pick up. But I'm letting it roll off my shoulder.

She doesn't visit with anyone a lot, but still asks L how her weekend was. And maybe the OM. But not myself or T. Like I said, I'm pretty sure it's a personality thing.

The good thing is that last Friday as I was getting ready to leave, OM told me that I was doing well, asking good questions and she appreciated me keeping myself busy and helping L with "busy work" (like filing, faxing, etc.). Hopefully she'll still feel that way by the end of this week. ;)

And starting Friday, I will be doing dealer trades by myself (had a bit of a panic moment). L has been teaching me, but there are  a lot of steps and it's easy to mess up. I've only done a few with L looking over my shoulder, but starting Friday she'll be out of town til next week. I can ask my OM for assistance. Can't ask B as she's never done the dealer trades. Hopefully I don't royally fuck up any dealer trades and I am hoping that the sales guys don't do a lot of them over the weekend. But I've been doing the deposit all on my own this week and haven't completely screwed that up (yet). Learning the dealer trades and learning how to work on clearing my cash sales "schedule" (reconcile anything outstanding). 

Wish me luck.

Crazy Week

First up is a Posey update: She's doing wonderfully! The vet had my mom increase the amount of food she was getting at each feeding. He said he wanted her to have a "Buddah belly". My mom has been doing middle of the night feedings, which she hasn't done since I was a baby. Posey has Libby's old carrier, a heating pad, rice socks that get heated up, and already uses the itty-bitty litter box my mom keeps in the back of the carrier. Posey also believes that Mom is her mother and is quite attached to her.

I got to meet Posey on Friday evening, as my parents came up for a quick visit this past weekend. She's just itty-bitty and completely adorable.

Libby is being a good "big sister" to Posey. She likes to lick the remnants of Posey's food of her face after Mom is done feeding her. Libby wants to play with her, but Posey is still too little for that. But so far, Libby hasn't pulled a jealousy act.

The last week at work has been pretty crazy. Last Friday alone we had four puppies test positive for Parvo. If you don't know about Parvo, it affects dogs - usually puppies because they don't have a strong immune system yet. It's a pretty ugly deal, lots of vomiting and diarreah. And it can get expensive to treat, usually $300 is a safe bet. On Friday there were two puppies brought in by two different people, who had gotten their puppies from the same litter. Both girls were devastated and in tears. In the end they took the puppies back to where they got them, and gave them back. Later in the afternoon, a local large animal only vet called and talked to Dr. J saying that the owners of the puppies wanted the whole litter euthanized. Since she really only deals with large animals and is also still new at the vet thing, she wanted Dr. J's advice. He advised her to not do it.

Later the owners of the puppies called our office, requesting the litter be euthanized. Dr. J wound up doing that. It broke the heart of all of us in the office. A litter of 8 Labrador puppies.

You might be asking where the puppies got infected. Their own backyard. If those pups contracted the virus having never been anywhere other than their own home, that means those people have the virus in their house and yard. The virus can live in the soil. Anything that comes into contact with the virus must be washed or bleached. If those people wind up with another litter, I can almost guarantee that those pups will also contract the virus. Not to mention the 3-5 day incubation period for the virus; meaning those puppies had it well before they were given to new homes. You might also be asking why Dr. J agreed to euthanize the litter. In reality, it was the most humane thing to do. Upon reviewing these people's account, they have a bill over $2000. They paid $100 on it this May. And it took a year for them to pay that. Treating those pups could easily have cost those people another $1000. Which, according to their billing history, they won't pay anyway. The other option was to try and see if those people would treat those pups at home themselves. We weren't convinced they wouldn't do something inhumane. It was a sad day.

Then there was the guy who, three months after his burro was vaccinated and wormed, contested his bill. His claim? That he nor his wife asked that the burro be vaccinated or wormed. They only needed the vet to administer sedation so the farrier could work on his feet. The owner of said burro was out there with the vet and he couldn't have said anything then? Dr. J spent nearly half an hour with this guy on the phone. The guy was basically insinuating that Dr. J had just gone ahead and given the vaccines and worming paste without consent to "run up the bill". Dr. J actually gives out more discounts than the other doctors. I found the day he went out there in my appointment book and someone had told me to take vaccines and worming paste because I wrote it in by the appointment - each vaccine they wanted and which worming paste. In the end, Dr. J told our office manager to take off the vaccines and the worming paste the bill. *sigh*

Yesterday (Monday), we had to deal with crazy. Actually, I didn't, E did. I sat there and remained quiet as I didn't want to create a worse situation. If E had needed any serious back-up, I would have piped up. As it was, the customer was creating enough drama. A gal had called and talked to E, warning her this crazy gal was going to be coming in. Crazy came in, with her Chihuahua wrapped up in a blanket, saying it had been attacked by a neighbor's Rottweiler. Crazy also stated that Gal was going to pay for it, and that it needed to go on her tab. E called Gal (the gal that had called to warn E that Crazy was coming in) to verify payment. While on the phone, E asked me to pull Crazy's file. I did and opened it noticing the "Written Off" paper in her file. I pointed it out to E who was getting off the phone. E told Crazy that Gal had agreed to pay only a portion of the vet cost, not all of it and it wasn't to go on her tab. E then told her that she could call the Humane Society to see if they had funds available for an "emergency loan contract" - where the person agrees to pay the Humane Society so much a month until the bill is paid in full. We couldn't reach the gal that runs it at the time. Crazy was adamant that her dog receive medical attention. E told her that we had taken her to court (collections) due to lack of payment on her account. Crazy then said that she could take us to court because "they" (meaning the vets) had given her puppies in a ziploc baggy and one of them was still alive. E politely told her that until she pays off her account, we are not allowed to do any work for her. Crazy stormed out.

We hollered at Dr. R to chat with him about what just happened. Upon reviewing this woman's file, the doctors had removed dead puppies out of a bitch that had been in labor for two days. The bitch wound up with a pyometra (puss in the uterus), therefore all the puppies were in fact, dead. When we told Dr. R about her accusing them of giving her live puppies back to her in a ziploc baggy, he could only shake his head.

We hate to turn people away like that. Our doctors would rather try to help. But considering how much money the average vet's office writes off as "bad debt", it becomes a money issue. Amazingly there are people who never pay on a $20 bill. Some accounts are for several hundred dollars. But the amazing ones are small amounts that for whatever reason, people refuse to pay. Everything the vet uses and does costs money. And the clinic I work for is about one third the price of clinics in bigger cities. Our doctors are still good at trying to help people out, giving discounts on things or not charging for certain services rendered. Our doctors know that our area is full of people who barely scrape by.

I'm hoping the next week won't be so crazy. But considering it's still Parvo season, I'm not holding my breath!