Power Outage
underwhelming
response
We are not seats or eyeballs or end users or consumers.
We are human beings -- and our reach exceeds your grasp.
Deal with it.
The Cluetrain Manifesto
They may be Y2K compliant, but where's their juice?On
Sunday, September 19, 1999, a normal "monsoon" summer
storm swept through An electrical transformer in an alley behind Arcadia Farms Bakery, just east of Goldwater Boulevard and just north of Main Street, was apparently struck by lightening. Although the wind did down power lines and poles, my outage appears to be more organizational dysfunction than storm damage. Whom do you call when the electric utility is not at home?Believing in APS, I did not make my first call to APS until 11 that night, 10 hours after the outage began. Oops -- I was brusquely told APS was not currently making any commitments. My next call about 3 a.m. (it was a muggy, sleep-impairing night) elicited the news that my problem (I surmise now the burned transformer ) was the next on the list. Current commitment was for 9 a.m. restoration. I called again at 7 a.m. and was assured the current commitment was 9 a.m. Did they really know the problem?My next call was about 9:30 a.m. Oops -- no commitment and no explanation. Oops -- I later learned that an APS truck had hit the utility pole bearing this transformer. Two poles strapped together from their repair still exist on the site. Within the next hour or so (21 hours after the outage began), I became increasingly concerned that APS was not on target. I could find no crews working in my neighborhood. Tools to react to an error?I expressed to Customer Service (always providing information to confirm my account identity) my concern that their diagnosis was wrong. I jumped through their hoops. The transformer in question is about two blocks from the outage area. The previous night, I had determined that the outage affected only my block of 126 apartments, except for four apartments in my complex that never lost power at all and some outside lighting on another complex. Oops -- I'm not an electrical engineer, but this appeared like a "phase" outage to me. Was the transformer really the problem? I'm in the donut holeI also know that APS often has the "donut hole" service area in downtown districts. Another company has the surrounding residential portion. My apartment is on the cusp. Oops -- throughout the day, APS said erroneously the outage was in an area adjacent to the actual outage. I brought to their attention that there was no outage in the area they described. Oops -- they seemed to lack the tools or systems to absorb this information. Troubleshooter arrivesSeveral more calls later (including those of a neighbor a supervisor mentioned to me and whom I then encountered on the street) finally got recognition that our outage still existed. Oops, this news was also hard for them to absorb. A troubleshooter arrived on scene at nearly 7 p.m. Oops, charitably, I must report the troubleshooter expressed anger when I smiled and looked him in the eye. He also tried obfuscation about how long the repair would take. Oops, even he must have known at that point there was a foul up. Was he concerned more about me as a human being, or his own ass on the corporate line? Power was on in 10 minutes. Organizational dynamicsMy health and safety depend on APS to perform its duties professionally. Oops, their inability to self-correct shows a corporate culture I can't live with. After all, I can't flick their switch myself. Often, organizational development requires outside forces to effect positive change. Departments within an organization are unlikely to admit their own failings unless top management sets the standard for customer concern. Why am I doing this?I believe the company and its people are generally outstanding. Most of the people I spoke with on the phone were concerned and caring. Oops, only one "unplugged" her headset from my call. (Oops, it may have been a supervisor.) |
I know APS can do better than this.But actually,
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the Scottsdale area.
Wind damage was evident by the many trees felled within a few
blocks of my apartment.
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& RadarDan