Just been reconnected after the storm

[UndercoverElephant]

National Grid are shit. They disable the email notification system, forcing everybody to use an "emergency" phone number it was impossible to get through on. Eventually my mother in law in Bognor got through on our behalf, after 2 days on hold. 200 phone calls. 20 hours waiting. After 3 days they introduced a queueing system which went backwards, so you first get "you're 5th in the queue" and then 7th and then 13th.

[adam2]

Sorry to hear that, being a long standing member of these forums, you are probably better prepared than most.
If a significant area, more than say about 100 properties, is blacked out then I would not worry trying to report this, it is a reasonable assumption that they already know about the fault.
In the case of a fault only affecting a small number of customers, then reporting this is more important as they may be unaware.

There are many steps that can be taken to improve reliability of local power distribution, but I suspect that increasing frequency/severity of extreme weather events will swamp any improvements made.

You may wish to consider a UPS system, with extended run time battery for future failures. Mine runs for at least 24 hours, longer with strict economy.

I have had numerous short power cuts and a very variable voltage. The slow response to power cuts in the West country was the main story on tonight's local TV news.

[UndercoverElephant]

Sorry to hear that, being a long standing member of these forums, you are probably better prepared than most.
If a significant area, more than say about 100 properties, is blacked out then I would not worry trying to report this, it is a reasonable assumption that they already know about the fault.
In the case of a fault only affecting a small number of customers, then reporting this is more important as they may be unaware.

The fault was at the top of a pole on our own property. Snapped wire. 10 minute job. We were the only people affected by this damage.

We will upgrade our system when we've got the means to do so.

[adam2]

"mr brightside" post_id=339621 time=1734072929 user_id=3731]
https://bax.tools/en/total-%CE%BA%CE%B1 ... ith4101%29

[adam2]

Mr. brightside, in attempting to quote your post, I have c0cked it up, Very sorry. Please consider reposting.

[BritDownUnder]

I have found the distribution companies in Australia to be quite good when our wire broke off, or more correctly was hit by a truck, It was a live wire laying on a suburban street ready to kill someone - even Old Bill turned out to watch over it while the linesmen arrived. They probably prioritize connections to the greatest number of people first. I am a shareholder in National Grid and they pay good dividends.

[UndercoverElephant]

National Grid are refusing to say whether they will accept compensation for the time people could not notify them. They keep dodging the question. I can only presume they are indeed going to try to rip off tens of thousands of customers by claiming they sat in the dark for 4 days having chosen not to notify them.

If I don't get an answer by tomorrow lunchtime, I am starting a government petition to force them to pay up.

[BritDownUnder]

If I don't get an answer by tomorrow lunchtime, I am starting a government petition to force them to pay up.

I am sure they are quaking in their boots at the prospect of such a petition.

[UndercoverElephant]

If I don't get an answer by tomorrow lunchtime, I am starting a government petition to force them to pay up.

I am sure they are quaking in their boots at the prospect of such a petition.

I am usually polite on this forum, but you can F--k right off. DO NOT TALK DOWN TO ME FROM A POSITION OF IGNORANCE. DO NOT TREAT ME LIKE I AM A FOOL. You do not understand the situation. Just one of many things you don't understand. Your general level of ignorance doesn't usually bother me, but I will not be patronised by you.

The reputational damage they will suffer if they try to deprive tens of thousands of people of hundreds of pounds of compensation, based on a clear conflict of interest, is very significant. People are already angry that it took 4 days to get through to them, but most people currently believe they will be properly compensated. When they discover that National Grid are planning on claiming they sat in the dark for 4 days, having chosen not to contact them, the anger will be uncontainable and there will be consequences. It's absolutely outrageous.

[BritDownUnder]

Maybe you should wake up and smell the coffee and see that there is a collapse in the works and prepare accordingly and not expect you as a very unprofitable, end-of-line customer and single consumer to get priority over multiple customers in towns fed from a single line that is broken. Power companies will connect the greatest amount of customers first and get to the isolated ones last. There might come a time when the power does not come back on.

I suggest you get a Tesla battery and PV system installed very soon. I look forward to your account of it being installed on this very enlightening forum.

[adam2]

There should be NO towns or other urban areas supplied via a single power line.
All but the smallest settlements have at least two routes for electricity supply. Most of the recent failures affected relatively small numbers of customers, but so many such failures occurred that the total numbers cut off were substantial.
In a few cases, large areas WERE cut off, due to simultaneous failures of duplicated routes.

And yes, power companies do give priority to faults affecting multiple customers, they are under continual pressure to reduce "lost customer minutes" So a fault affecting 100 customers will almost always get priority over a single customer.

[UndercoverElephant]

Maybe you should wake up and smell the coffee and see that there is a collapse in the works

This has nothing to do with collapse. It is a cynical, immoral and probably illegal attempt by a large company to save its shareholders money. National Grid didn't disable their email system because it was overwhelmed. Not for 5 days. That will not stand up in a court.

You do not understand the situation. You don't understand what happened, why it happened, or what the public response is going to be when they find out. Most of the people who will be effected currently have no idea what National Grid are planning to do.

They will start to find out on Monday, when I start the official government petition. You don't understand that either. Those petitions are very effective if they are for the right cause. "Right cause" means something enough people will sign for, and which it is in the government's own interest to engage with. This is a perfect example. It goes right to the heart of what the British consider to be "fair play", and it will suit the government to do something to get National Grid back under control and prevent this ever happening again.

[UndercoverElephant]

Most of the recent failures affected relatively small numbers of customers, but so many such failures occurred that the total numbers cut off were substantial.

Exactly. So it was in the financial interest of the National Grid to ensure it was as hard as possible for those people to notify them, in order to save themselves compensation money. This is deeply immoral and probably illegal. It also makes victims as of the weakest, most isolated, most vulnerable individuals.

I don't think they will get away with this, and I will do everything I can to raise awareness of the situation on Monday if I still don't get a reply.

[adam2]

I agree that these recent failures are not related to collapse unless VERY distantly. Lack of preventative maintenance, lack of enough staff to rectify faults promptly, and lack of call centre staff.

[UndercoverElephant]

I agree that these recent failures are not related to collapse unless VERY distantly. Lack of preventative maintenance, lack of enough staff to rectify faults promptly, and lack of call centre staff.

Why pay call centre staff to take calls which will incur you compensation costs? Turkeys do not vote for Christmas.