I know it's been a while, but I have something I need to get off my chest.
Recently, a house in my town quite literally blew up. No one was seriously injured. The cause was a gas leak which was entirely the fault of the gas company who had connected two lines that shouldn't have been. This has apparently been causing several gas leaks around town and cut of heating for roughly 2,000 people.
For the past few days we have been seeing evidence of this. Gas company trucks have been all over the place. Representatives have come knocking on our door. It's been all over the local news as well.
Today, however, things took a turn for the outrageous. Andrew had just come home from dropping me off at the gym. He found gas company trucks all over the area and a police car near our home. Andrew went up and asked the officer if everything was OK. The officer explained that he and the gas company workers has just been in our house. Apparently, the gas company was going around the neightborhood and checking for leaks. If no one answered the door, they simplyy had the policeman pop the lock and came right in!
There are any number of things wrong here. Aside from the obvious violation of our privacy, there's the matter of our animals' safety. We often let the rabbits run around the kitchen while we aren't home because we keep both doors to it closed and they can't get into trouble. The gas company workers could not know this and the rabbits could easily have bolted out the front door as the workers went in and out. They did not lock the door upon leaving, meaning anyone who observed what was happening and decided to illegally enter our home for less legitimate purposes could have gained access without any trouble. To top it off, they did not leave a note explaining that they had been in our home. If Andrew hadn't come by when they were leaving, we would have just come home to an unlocked door and no explanation.
And what is they absolute best part of this story? WE DON'T HAVE GAS HEAT. As far as we know, this house has long been heated by oil and before that, coal. There is a gas line in our driveway, but we have no idea why it's there. And those gas company guys who came by our house before. We told them we didn't have gas. Twice. On two separate days. You would think they would have made some record of our answer the first time, but no. Andrew tried to explain this to the people who were in our home, but they still insisted on inspecting the house until they had confirmed that there was, surprise, no gas.
What really frustrates me about this is that I'm essentially left with no recourse. If this were a company that I was actually getting service from, I could just call them and say "This is unacceptable and I will be taking my business elsewhere!" But as it is, a company with which I have no financial relationship entered my home without my consent, my prior knowledge, or as far as I can tell, good cause. I did call up the gas company, but I don't know what good it will do. What I do know is that I actually fell less safe after this whole ordeal.
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3 comments:
As much headache as it would be, you should contact your lawyer & see if you can file an illegal search against the company (and for that point, the police). I know that for safety's sake they need to check places, but the fact that you've explained twice that you don't use gas doesn't mean the cops can get in your house. It's like there's a bomb that blows up & the police start searching houses just to see if you have a bomb in your house too.
He's right. Normally I wouldn't advocate going down the legal route unless necessary, but that the experience made you feel less safe is significant. Companies need to know they have to pay attention to what they are told, especially when it comes to your personal rights. I'm not saying to sue them, but filing something against the company will be a mark against them.
Well, I took the easiest legal option I could and posted on a free Ask-A-Lawyer service online. The gist of the response that I got is that public safety cioncerns outweigh my right to privacy and for some reason the fact that we don't have an account with this company and never have is irrelevant. So legal recourse is out. I have considered going to the local media, but I doubt they're going to be particularly interested in the story since no damage was done to the house or anything in it. Calling the gas company and complaining seems to be the most I can do and so far, I haven't heard anything back.
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