Meralco sucks, big time
Posted on 04-28-10 · The Mommy Journals Tags: At homeLast week, on Thursday morning, there was a knock on the front door. There was a truck (a Meralco subcontractor, I suppose, because the truck bore no Meralco logo) and we were informed that the transformer on the post right in front of our garden would be replaced with a larger one. Power would be turned off for about an hour while work was being done. An hour without power sounded negligible if it meant getting an upgrade. So, we were happy. We were even chatting with the crew.
After 45 minutes of waiting, I got restless. I asked the guy installing the new transformer if it meant we won’t get any more power outages (our area is NOT included among those experiencing rotating brownouts) and he said yes. Oh, good.
At 6.00 a.m. today, Speedy and I went out for our morning walk around the subdivision. A few minutes later, I heard someone shouting, “Brownout!” The moment we got back to the house, the first thing I did was to call up the Meralco hotline. The feedback after 30 minutes — there was an “emergency line trouble” and there was no assurance what time power would be restored.
With the horrendous rates that Meralco exacts on us consumers, and considering that power distribution has been a Meralco monopoly for like a hundred years (no, I am not kidding), and considering the recent hike in power rates, and — even more importantly — considering that power cost in this country is the highest in Asia, you’d think that Meralco should have sufficiently upgraded all of its facilities over the years (and not just the houses and cars and lifestyles of its executives). Oh, but shit, we still hear about “emergency line trouble” too often.
The phrase “emergency line trouble” is Meralco’s stock response to describe any cause that results in power outage. When we were living in another part of Antipolo, when the winds blew stronger than usual (no, I’m not talking about typhoons), power would go out. Like effing clockwork. And that was “emergency line trouble”. When a transformer blew up, it was “emergency line trouble”.
When Ondoy hit last year and Meralco turned off the power in areas submerged in floods, we had no power too although there were never any floods in our neighborhood. When I called up the Meralco hotline and asked why we still didn’t have power two days after the rains had stopped, I was told it was — you guessed it — “emergency line trouble”. It turned out that Meralco thought ALL OF ANTIPOLO was deep in floods and turned off power in the ENTIRE AREA. Duh.
In short, if the cause is dilapidated equipment, it’s “emergency line trouble”. If it’s human error, it’s still “emergency line trouble”. And we all have to BEAR WITH THE LAME EXPLANATIONS because — you guessed it again — Meralco has a monopoly on power supply. So, so, sooooo effing Third World crap but — get this — with First World power rates.
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Hi Ms. Connie, am a follower of your blog and I really share most of your sentiments here. Believe me, your area is luckier since hindi affected ng rotating brownouts and Antipolo. Kami dito sa Marikina eh hindi na nagco-computer pag umaga kasi bigla bigla nawawalan ng kuryente. In fact, hindi pa uso ang rotating brownout, eh nagkaka random power interruptions na kami.
I used to work in a call center and the reason why I quit is because customer service peeps are like shock absorbers and they sometimes have no idea how bad the customer’s/subscriber’s problem is until they get to hear awful words they can’t swallow. And we’re only provided a script that we repeatedly tell to our customers whenever there’s a problem.
Anyway, Ms. Connie, I’d like to ask for some tips on how to effectively complain to management about poor service. My mom kasi was a victim of irrational, unacceptable, inappropriate and uncivilized treatment from a clerk of an airline company. She was calling to confirm my dad’s flight and the woman on the other line was treating her like shit. I pity my mom because she was almost 60 and not really used to fighting or shouting. I saw her took Stresstabs and medication for high blood after the phone call which she only does when she’s subject to a great amount of stress.
Siguro kung ako lang ang kausap nun, baka nakipagtuos ako ng murahan. What I want lang is to have that lady (if she can be considered one) reprimanded and make her regret her barbaric gestures. Now, I’m thinking of sending an email to the International office of the airline but am quite apprehensive na baka hindi makarating sa proper authorities. If dun kasi kami ulit tatawag sa Manila office eh ang hirap maka-contact and baka pagtakpan lang nila. We’ll just wait for our dad’s departure before we raise the issue kasi baka mag hokus-pokus pa siya and magka-problem sa flight ng dad ko.
I hope you can give me advice. I’m not asking for legal advice naman. I read kasi your previous posts where you lament about poor service and all, so I thought maybe your moves work or at least get to the people concerned.
Advanced thank you. (^_^)
Go for publicity. If there’s one thing that businesses are afraid of, it’s bad press. Compose a “Letter to the Editor”, include all the details (don’t forget the time when the call was made and the name of the person on the phone, if you know it) and send it to ALL newspapers.
I never thought of that. I’ll consider that, will ask my friends who work in the papers to help me with this. And I hope they publish it even if the company advertises on their publications. Yun nga pala ginawa niyo nung sa school ng daughter niyo as what you wrote in your previous entry. I hope to put an end to rude customer service one person at a time.
Thank you very much for your help. (^_^)
Actually, the article about the school had nothing to do with how they treated my daughter. It was about a graduation program.
dagdagan ko init ng ulo mo ha…sabi ng isa kong friend na opisyal sa ERC, yung mga lugar kung saan nakatira ang mga big bosses ng meralco (forbes park lang naaalala ko na nabanggit e) e never nakakaranas ng brownout – even at the height of ondoy…so pwede at kaya naman pala kung gusto nila =| grrrr…
pero with the coming automated elections, mukhang laying the predicate sila para sa election day nationwide brownout
you couldn’t have said it better ms. connie! indeed it’s really stupid that a third world country like ours has to pay first world rates while i imagine those */&^%$ executives or bosses are living it up in their airconditioned mansions. bwiset! my two kids have atopic dermatitis so our aircon has to be turned on almost the whole day. sometimes i think about people or children who may have the same condition but cannot afford the luxury of having the aircon turned on. how do they cope? and don’t those *&^&%$# b–t-rds ever think of that?
Lee, I heard that too.
browneyedgirl, you know, humidity here in Antipolo is worse than in the city. And at midday, it really feels suffocating. So we turn on the aircon. IN ONE ROOM ONLY. After a month, the bill has almost doubled. So, we dropped the habit of using the aircon during the day. Then, I got sick. Then, Alex got sick. Like we had a choice. Aircon again. Dunno know if we’ll feel even more sick when we get the next billing statement.
Hmph. I was ranting to my husband why this tropical country of ours, blessed with sunshine 99% of the year, has never pushed for solar power – and he reminded me that the power utility is a monopoly. *headdesk*
It makes a body just want to cry: in Israel, I understand the use of solar panels is mandatory, and when I visited mainland China there were solar panels to be seen on nearly every building roof – and when you think of the amount of roofs that went up in Shanghai alone…!
Cheap solar power as an adjunct to traditional energy would be a wonderful thing. I’ve heard the “experimental” solar power stations in some parts of the country are going great guns; can’t wait for someone with the power to kick butt, big-time to get this country jump-started on the use of solar energy.
Truly, we need another player in the power distribution business. Or perhaps we really need to seriously look into renewable energy sources and decrease our dependence on oil imports for power generation.
I’m glad I left Meralco long, long time ago.
How about using a portable gas operated generator for emergency? Some units have enough guts to power an air fan, an air-conditioner and/or refrigerator.
hi ms. connie. what a very timely article. i just called up meralco last monday to request for an inspection because my parents & i really suspect there are illegal connections in our neighborhood. ang proseso pala nyan, meralco would have to coordinate pa with the local police if and when they finally make an inspection schedule.
a friend of mine told me that in their previous neighborhood, yung mga neighbors nya na may illegal connections would tap into the meralco post during the weekends. merong marunong na aakyat ng poste at syang magta-tap nung linya. she said, kaya pala kapag weekends eh sabay-sabay daw yung mga kapitbahay nya na naglalaba using their washing machines, iron clothes, todo a/c, etc. etc. hanep!!!
Guess who pays for the losses incurred by Meralco because of rampant thievery a.k.a. jumpers?
I think even the repair of posts that are destroyed by typhoons and earthquakes are also shouldered by the consumers. Even the electricity consumed by jumpers are part of what’s billed to legit subscribers.
According to my mom who used to work in Napocor, there was this law that was signed during the 90′s that obliges the government corporation to purchase even excessive energy production from IPPs that are later on passed to consumers.
Actually, it’s not just electricity that’s insanely high here, pati medicines are quite expensive in RP compared to other countries.
I can’t imagine those in the C.D.E brackets cope with such high prices nowadays.
“I think even the repair of posts that are destroyed by typhoons and earthquakes are also shouldered by the consumers.”
YES. As part of operating expenses.
“Even the electricity consumed by jumpers are part of what’s billed to legit subscribers.”
YES. It’s called “systems loss.” It’s an item in the monthly billing statement.
“there was this law that was signed during the 90’s that obliges the government corporation to purchase even excessive energy production from IPPs that are later on passed to consumers.”
Yes, time of Fidel Ramos. And the terms are lop-sided. As in even when the power supply normalizes and the IPPs are no longer obliged to supply power, the government still pays. Government pays with taxpayers’ money.
oooh.. i always wondered what systems loss and all that meant… now i know. now i’m all the more convinced that meralco does suck!
Hi Ms. Connie! nakakabawas ng inis ng malaman kong hindi ako nag iisa dito sa walang kwentang serbisyo ng MERALCO. Their management should open their internet and read all these messages and hinaing ng kanilang consumer because of their super duper lowesssstttt poor service system! Magbago na sana sila!!!!!
akala ko magbababa n ng singil sa bill meralco grbe tmaas p bill ko, my bill b4 is 2300 to 2600 only tpos bigla tinaas nyo ng 4005 then nging 3400 tpos nging 3600 grbe kau mgkron lng kau ng katapat lilipat n ko dmi charges pinapasa nyo sa customer nyo antindi nyo….sweldo k sa bill lng ng krynte npu2nta phrap kau sa taong bayan