Connecticut Light and Power is truly the worst, most dangerous organization I have ever dealt with. Their ineptitude and self-righteous pursuit of their mixed-up policies parts so severely from any semblance of a rational approach to running a core utility that they are actually endangering the lives of their begrudging customers. Connecticut Light and Power is the preeminent example of the failure of state-enforced monopolies and the best example I could ask for to highlight the potential benefits of real customer choice.
I signed up for Connecticut Light and Power service because it is the only option available in my apartment complex. During this lengthy initial phone conversation (their website, obviously, did not work), I was asked for my social security number. Now that I've witnessed the utter lack of ability of CLP's employees and management, my initial hesitation at handing over my social security number was fully warranted. I was told that I could proceed with a driver's license number. Why I could possibly need to prove my identity to a power company is fully beyond me. I want only to pay for services rendered and would think that my payment would be verification enough that I actually want the services rendered. They were willing to provide service for almost a month without identity verification, so, since payment is tantamount to identity verification, had they continued service through my first bill, my identity would have been verified at negligible additional cost (in fact, they would save the fees they pay to actually verify identities).
Anyway, after providing my driver's license, in accordance with their policy, I was informed that they "couldn't verify" my driver's license number, whatever that means, and that I would need to mail in a notarized form that attested that I was, in fact, who I claimed to be. Presumably, the notary, looking at the same driver's license number that I had just furnished to them, would be able to "verify" my identity.
Well, like many people moving into a new apartment, I had quite a few errands to run and things to take care of and, somehow, this ridiculous request slipped to the back of my mind.
A bit less than a month later, I came home to find that my power had been shut off WITHOUT A SINGLE WARNING NOTICE, PHONE CALL, OR EMAIL. Even though someone had physically come to my apartment, they hadn't even had the decency to leave a handwritten note. Suddenly I remembered the ridiculous request of a month previous. Since I work for a living, I didn't get home until around 8:00 or 9:00, when I called CLP and explained the situation to their oh-so-helpful call staff. The first such robot responded that I should call back tomorrow during their business hours to talk to someone properly qualified to verify identities to CLP's exacting standards--neither they nor their manager could possibly help me. I protested that, as a diabetic, my insulin needed to be refrigerated to remain effective and was told that there was nothing that could be done--while they certainly had someone available earlier in the day to make a special trip out to my apartment to shut off the power, they had no such technician available now to turn it back on, BUT, even that was moot because, once again, this robot insisted that she did not have the authority to turn back on the electricity of a diabetic who couldn't prove he was who he said he was.
I hung up and tried again. I got much further with the second robot who, presumably, skipped the final stage of her training lobotomy. After I explained the medical situation, she informed me that she could make ONE AND ONLY ONE medical exception during the lifetime of my service. If I cared to exercise that get out of jail free card this time, she could see if any technician was available to restore power and if, out of the kindness of this unnamed hero's heart, he deemed me worthy of his help, this diabetic would not have his life-saving medicine forcibly spoiled by the ineptitude and callousness of Connecticut Light and Power.
Thankfully, that lone, unnamed hero was up to the task, came over, and restored my power by 11:00. That was the sole bright point in an otherwise horrific dealing with Connecticut Light and Power.
Had I been on a respirator or in need of another powered medical apparatus, Connecticut Light and Power would have killed me yesterday and they don't give a damn.
I urge anyone in Connecticut, suffering under their forced patronage of Connecticut Light and Power to follow me to http://www.energizect.com/compare-energy-suppliers/compare-supplier-options and switch to any other electric supplier so they can, at the very least, minimize their payment directly to the de read more
