Not One Single Drop Of Helpfulness

Our subdivision provides water to residents via several wells. During a cold snap in Texas, our subdivision lost water pressure late one night, so I called the provider/contractor to ask them if they could fix the problem. Apparently, I reached an answering service rather than the provider/contractor, since it was after regular working hours.

I dialed the phone and waited a long time for somebody to answer. Finally, I got a recorded message and music. Lots of music. Terrible selection. More music…

Eventually, somebody answered.

Me: “I am in [Subdivision], and we have no water pressure. Can you get somebody out here to check the pumps?”

Service: “Where are you?”

Me: “[Subdivision], [zip code], near [City, State].”

Service: “We have no outage for that area.”

Me: “We are a subdivision of [number] residents. Has nobody called you with the same complaint?”

Service: “Yes, we have several calls from that area.”

Me: “Is that enough to report an outage?”

Service: “Wait a moment.”

About five or ten minutes of agonizing music…

Service: “The technician says it is frozen pipes.”

Me: “Last year, we had temperatures of four degrees Fahrenheit for a day and a half, and the pipes did not freeze. The outside temperature is now twenty degrees Fahrenheit, and it has been at that temperature for only a few hours. I really doubt the underground pipes froze that quickly. The technician is located seventy-five miles from here, in a completely different area, so they cannot state that our pipes are frozen. Can you get somebody out here to check?”

Service: “The technician says the pipes are frozen, and there is no need to go there. There is no reported water outage.” *Click*

I called several neighbors. They all had the same problem and had already called or promised to call the water company.

Twelve or more hours later, the tech arrived to investigate the problem. It was NOT frozen pipes. Apparently, a circuit breaker tripped at the pump station. Meanwhile, external water bibs that were left “on drip” froze, since there was no pressure to let them drip, and the water stagnated in the bibs. And, during the outage, we had no drinking, shower, or “flush” water.

During the outage, I volunteered to let people use my drippy nose as a substitute for their drippy faucets, but nobody took me up on that offer.