A belated Christmas wish to everyone and to hoping that everyone did have a merry enough Christmas. All helped by the provision of much needed electricity by the one and only power supply company in Singapore. Reminds me of a particular board game. Anway, if it weren't for them being able to provide ample power then the festive periods would quickly look like one of those scenes from a a post-technology apocalyptic movie.
And their service has been excellent if recent record is any indication. There was only one massive blackout of note in the past decade. And any smaller interruptions have been extremely rare. I guess this is the only feasible means in which we would be able to measure the quality of their service. It's not like there are varying grades of electricity that they could supply us with. And customer service, well, that's debatable and entirely subjective because as far as I am concerned, it mostly the customer in customer service that hinders the actual service.
There were also murmurings that nearly crescendo-ed to cries of profiteering when this sole power provider decided on increasing tariffs to cover the then rising cost of fossil fuels. But these same rumblings of concern turned mute when this power provider decided instead to reduce tariffs in response to a decline in oil prices. I didn't expect loud boisterous cheering but I didn't expect complete silence either. Guess people get confused when this concept of the whole world out to get them being false rises up as a sudden realization.
But I digress...... Not quite what I wanted to talk about here.
My uncle, the one who has diabetes and had a leg amputated has moved out of my home here and is staying solo in Selegie. And if you don't already know, Selegie is one of those old housing estates that have just gone ancient. Sure there was a facilities upgrade not so many years ago but we all know it's not the outside that counts. Just like a human being, it's what you put in and remains that makes up what you are. And for an old estate that houses a majority of seniors, my uncle included, I guess the label of ancient isn't too far off.
The issue here isn't my uncle as he is quite capable of being independent, should he choose to be apart from a deficit in his vision that prohibits his near sightedness but otherwise he's fine. The slight issue here is that he was asked to submit the utilities meter readings online beginning from this coming January. I guess they assumed that everyone has internet connection these days. Not a problem, other than a) His eyesight prevents him from reading the meter and b) there's no computer there, let alone internet access. Which would mean that someone from my family would have to go there each month on the 11th to read the meter and then submit it online back home. Problem solved, great right? Not really.
What happened to all the meter readers that go from house to house, read your meters for a few months then tabulate an estimate for you to pay each month? What happened to the integrated electronic tracking systems that is able to ascertain exactly how much you use each month, though albeit slightly backdated in its information delivery?
I know that times are bad and companies are trying to cut cost but still, this is a bit much getting the customers to do the work for the service provider especially when they have ways and means of tracking who uses how much. And a bit much when the customer has vision impairment and is computer illiterate. A good thing my uncle has my family who is able to help out. What of those that do not? And whom all hail from similarly primordial estates and are just trying to make their way in life as independently as possible given the physical and mental inhibitors these people would most probably have.
Maybe that's something they could hopefully, look into and work at. Either way, seems like I'll be making more frequent visits to my uncle from next month on.
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