PSE&G isn’t going to win any PR awards in Baristaville. First, they hacked at 18 old-growth trees on Gray Street, pissing off residents in both Glen Ridge and Montclair. Then they stood tough at a meeting of the Glen Ridge Borough Council, telling that residents could basically take it or leave it. And although the power company said last week it would halt work on the project until it could hold a meeting with officials and residents of Montclair, the leader of the opposition, Brad Thatcher, advised residents in the south end of Glen Ridge, where PSE&G plans to go next, to waste no time organizing.
Does the power company really think an automated phone message is going to do the trick?
A Glen Ridge resident of Stephen Street, which is just a block south of Gray Street, passed on an automated telephone message from PSE&G that she received on Friday.
Hello. This is PSE&G with an important message about the recent loss of electric power in your area. We apologize for the inconvenience and the service interruption. The outage was caused by tree [INAUDIBLE] with an overhead electrical wire. PSE&G continues to upgrade our equipment to ensure reliable electric service. In fact, PSE&G has been recognized for the last nine years as the most reliable electric utility in the region. Please be aware that you can conduct your PSE&G business online through the “My Account” self-service feature. You can report and receive power outage information, schedule a service appointment, view and pay your bill and more. Register for “My Account” at PSEG.com.
Meanwhile this Stephen Street resident tells us that power outages in the neighborhood are so common that the first piece of neighborly advice she got when she moved in was to buy a generator.
“When I first heard the message it seemed like a PR attempt by PSEG to curry favor with those of us who do not live on Gray Street that would benefit from the work they are doing in the area,” she said.
Listen to the PSE&G phone message here, and tell us if you can make out the inaudible word that stumped me in transcription.
Photo, via Flickr, from the Kibbe Museum.
I think she’s saying “tree contact “
The lights flashed again at 11pm last night, but alas, the power did not go out. Purchased a generator on Sunday. I’m not taking any chances of my french drain failing due to PSEG. Plus, it is not a bad thing to save the fridge items. Lets see how my $295 Champion generator works.
I agree, it sounds like “contact.” That tree must be taking Zumba classes for many years!