Tuesday, December 05, 2006
The Ghost of Erik Sten
I got a letter today from the Portland Office of Management and Finance. It was obviously a form letter but it was the content that threw me. It started:
Dear rickyragg,
Welcome to the City of Portland. The Portland Water Bureau and Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services provide you with high quality drinking water and efficient sewer service.
Now what, you may wonder, is strange about that? Well, I've lived at the same address, in the City of Portland, for over 21 years. I've paid the Water Bureau for high quality drinking water for all those years. I've NEVER had sewer service, efficient or otherwise, for that same period. I'm on a septic system.
I called the Utilities Customer Services and asked Laura about the letter, but she was as mystified as I was about it. After confirming some information (account number, etc.) Laura said she would talk to her supervisor about it and call me back; probably tomorrow.
I have to wonder what caused their computerized billing system (if that's what it was) to kick out this letter. I also wonder how many others got letters like it and what it cost the City to mail them out. I mostly wonder who's responsible for the ghost in the machine. I thought Randy Leonard has the Water Bureau now.
I'll keep you posted.
¶ 4:26 PM
I got a letter today from the Portland Office of Management and Finance. It was obviously a form letter but it was the content that threw me. It started:
Dear rickyragg,
Welcome to the City of Portland. The Portland Water Bureau and Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services provide you with high quality drinking water and efficient sewer service.
Now what, you may wonder, is strange about that? Well, I've lived at the same address, in the City of Portland, for over 21 years. I've paid the Water Bureau for high quality drinking water for all those years. I've NEVER had sewer service, efficient or otherwise, for that same period. I'm on a septic system.
I called the Utilities Customer Services and asked Laura about the letter, but she was as mystified as I was about it. After confirming some information (account number, etc.) Laura said she would talk to her supervisor about it and call me back; probably tomorrow.
I have to wonder what caused their computerized billing system (if that's what it was) to kick out this letter. I also wonder how many others got letters like it and what it cost the City to mail them out. I mostly wonder who's responsible for the ghost in the machine. I thought Randy Leonard has the Water Bureau now.
I'll keep you posted.
¶ 4:26 PM
