Unitil gets icy reception - Sentinel & Enterprise

Just sayin wrote:

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She was in a meeting in support of a possible new business coming in and it looks good. She can't be everywhere at the same time.

Thanks for the update Jason. What happened to SF?

Im a firm believer in getting what one pays for.

In the case of unitil, there service is moderate to say the best, but for the amount we pay we should be getting excellent service.

I would be more then happy with the service if it were a third the price.

Wong Fan Club wrote:

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Thanks for the update Jason. What happened to SF?

Send him an email and ask him. You know how to reach him.

I think the most frustrating thing is that despite all the petitions we've signed, protests held, and testimony to state officials, I don't think anybody thinks Unitil is going to be held to any accountability at all. I also think Unitil knows this and that is why they are so flip at all these so called hearings. They don't think anyone can touch them and unfortunately when this is all said and done they're probably right.

The best thing they (Unitil) can say is: "We're going out of buisness."

It's been said that unitil has to be proven negligent,and we have proven and yes business continues as usual. The restoration charge resulting from the ice storm was very costly for two months. I also had to pay an electrician $350 to attach my meter to my house, my husband out of work for two weeks.The tension of just not knowing!!
Getting hopes up that maybe tommorrow.
One other measure they need to take for the short time that they may be in town(Ive been saying my prayers)Do not show up un announced, Ive had numerous occasions, one being a knock on the door wanting to know why my bill was so low. He needed to go into my cellar, then outside to my meter adjusted it, I had to ask what he was doing. He said the numbers didn't match seabrooks. The next month I phoned them to ask why my bill was so high, and do you know they had to credit me after I demand my meter be read monthly. Now what was that man at my meter doing exactly. Oh I could go on about them moving my meter from the cellar to the outside of my home, the no show when I was aware they were coming and I took time off from work. The reason I was aware they were coming this one time was the letter I recieved stating I needed to call in a timely manner or my services would be terminated. The following 4 visits with no idea they were coming.After moving the meter, it didnt work correctly, waited three months for the part and again un announced I see a man in my yard on the side of my house. Scared the heck out of me.
UNITIL Please pack your bags, I have a feeling your taking the next flight out!!!!!!!

Angry Resident wrote:

I'd be interested in knowing what UNITIL's tree trimming budget has been over the last 10 years. I'm willing to bet it hasn't been much.
There is another issue that hasn't been fully looked at...conductors. UNITIL's system has many miles of old, bared single strand copper conductor for primaries. There are usually positioned on the crossarms on insulators. This construction is antiquated and fails easily during ice storms because the conductor can not carry much weight. UNITIL, at one time, did start upgrading primaries to coated aluminum, multi-strand and eliminated crossarms.(Electric Ave in Fitchburg near the intersection of South St. is an example of this construction. Had more of their system been upgrade I'm sure that would have been mush less damage to this storm.

...The company responded to insufficient budgets by changing clearance standards and vegetation management cycles instead of adding money, Mr. Brown testified. On vegetation management, he said, Unitil spent $361,290 in 2006,$352,823 in 2007 and $330,195 in 2008.

Great article in the Telegram: http://www.telegram.com/article/20090327/NEWS...

Thanks for the link, Tiffany. Interesting reading.

The AG's office is doing a good job picking apart Unitil's flaws; however, they are not asking for its operating license to be pulled like they should be. This company is a threat to the health and safety of the people of Massachusetts. We are lucky no one died in the last storm from downed power lines they didn't mark (thank you town employees for your help there saving our lives) and due to extended power outages/no heat. The next time around we might not be so lucky. We need to get Unitil out of the state before they kill someone with their negligence!

The arroGantz remains astounding!What about Dr. Robert V. Antonucci,FSC pres and Unitil director/major shareholder,where's he in all this?Why don't more people call him out on revitalizing Fitchburg failing due to Unitil's high rates and criminal business practices?What'd he get his doctorate in anyways? Jackassery? Douchebaggery?
Public dissent is not going to fade away until Unitil is gone! And what could the dissent of over 28,500 pissed off,arms bearing people erupt into I wonder?Maybe we'll see during the next major outage...

AaronA wrote:

What about Dr. Robert V. Antonucci,FSC pres and Unitil director/major shareholder,where's he in all this?What'd he get his doctorate in anyways?

Doctorate in education from BU.

And then, amazingly, his underlings at FSC (a college, NOT a university accredited to issue doctoral degrees) gave him an honorary doctorate which he was lame enough to accept.

J_in _Ward _1 wrote:

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Doctorate in education from BU.
And then, amazingly, his underlings at FSC (a college, NOT a university accredited to issue doctoral degrees) gave him an honorary doctorate which he was lame enough to accept.

The Massachusetts Board of Education grants priviliges to colleges to issue honorary degrees. MWCC did the same thing at last year's commencement exercises for the first time (and they are only Associates and professional certificates). It's lame, but it is a common practice.