What the Blog

A commodity is something for which there is demand, but which is supplied without qualitative differentiation across a market. It is a product that is the same no matter who produces it, such as petroleum, notebook paper, or milk. The price can fluctuate daily based on global supply and demand.

Apparently water is a commodity, not a necessity. I found this out the hard way today. We moved into our super nice condo not quite a month ago. I was informed that the electric & gas had to be switched prior to move in, which is understandable, I was informed that trash & lawn service is included in the rent, and was under the impression water was as well. Its not. Yesterday afternoon roomie comes home from work and realizes the water is turned off (I tune everything out when I'm working so it would not surprise me if it had been off for hours with out me knowing). I call the water company, she calls the landlord. I am told "they were updating meters with digital meters and maybe the worker didn't set yours to on again, we will send someone out to get it back on right away", she is told "I don't know whats going on, the water is in your name isn't it?"

Less than an hour later water restorer guy shows up at the door, I'm back in my room working, so I do not have the pleasure of speaking with this dipshit (I met this guy today, and when I get to that point in the story you will all realize why I have called him this). He asks if the water is working, tells Kallay we need to get the service setup in our names, and tells her that he will have someone out here at 8am the following (today) morning to switch the service to our names. She tells me this, I'm good with it and thats that.....or so I thought.

8am this morning, I am outside with my Bella, while she does her business, I of course have completely forgotten about water guy and water service because I am thinking about work things & cleaning the house & taking a shower. 3pm this afternoon, I go to fill the waterbowl for Bella, we have no water at all. WTF, no one showed up at my door to talk about service or switch service, NO showed up at my door telling me that they were shutting the water off AGAIN, without notice for the second day in a row, nope, just no water at all. Now I'm pissed cause I have to deal with this shit, and I call up to the water company and get some woman on the phone who informs me, we would never tell you that someone would come out to your house to setup service, and you have to come in and fill out the application (for what? what if you dont get approved?) and pay the 100 deposit, and the 35 service charge and the 30 restoral charge. Um I was unaware that service that is not in my name was going to be cutoff if it was not in my name by today and unaware that I am now responsible for a 30 fee because of that. Miss Evil Bitch on the telly from the horrible water company, I do not get paid until Friday, I do not have 165 to give you today to turn on service I was unaware needed to be in my name. Can I come down there fill out the paper work and give you a card to debit my account on Friday? Nope, you have to pay it today or you can't have service today.

See the delima? See the contridiction? Water is a commodity, not a neccessity anymore. I get Kallay on the phone, get a check from her (she has money thank god), go down there and fill out the applicaiton, pay the 165.00 and have an account, now here is where its really fucked up. That dipshit guy who came out last night to restore us, argued with me and told me he told Kallay there would be a deposit & service fee and that I would have to be out there by 8am if we didnt want to lose service again (bullshit we would have discussed the money situation of this, had he said that), I tried to tell him this but of course its a he said she said and since he works for the company and I don't I'm automatically wrong. Now heres the other fucked up deal, I opened a water account, in my name & kallays name, I was NOT asked to provide identification, I was NOT asked to provide my social security number, but they charged me a deposit anyways....I also paid for the deposit with a counter check that Kallay had from her bank that was signed by her and filled out by me, without her being present and they accepted it no questions. So it is nice to know that people could potentially setup a fake utility account with your name if they are willing to pay the 135 or can pay for an account with a check that is not their own with the new utility company. People do this kind of shit all the time, its call identity theft. Its something that just makes me wonder, because i know its not right and I am almost positive that they are supposed to verify your identity when you open accounts & when you give a check for services.

Anyways, I will be calling the PUC & the BBB about their shitty service and refusal to bill/hold a deposit for 3 fucking days for me to get paid, because, like I said, I thought water was a neccessity, but I guess its now a commodity.