Nancy Young wrote:
> flitterbit wrote:
>> Christine Dabney wrote:
>
>>> Mine too. An old man just died somewhere in NYC or NJ cause his
>>> house was barely heated, if that.
>
>> If you're referring to the one I'm thinking of, the electric company
>> put some kind of current-restricting device on his meter because he
>> was apparently about $1,000 in arrears in paying his electrical bill.
>> The article I read alleges that no one at the utility explained to
>> him how this works, with the result that he continued to use
>> electricity as he always had, reached the limit, and the whole works
>> shut down, leaving him without heat. The poor guy was found wearing
>> multiple layers of
>> clothing and covered in as many blankets as he owned, but it wasn't
>> enough.
>
> That was in Michigan. Poor guy. That was a sad story.
>
> nancy
>
>
Sad indeed, especially since it seems there was no one in this poor
man's life to watch out for him or take charge of his affairs.

While I understand utility companies' need to be paid, it strikes me as
irresponsible that the power company didn't educate this guy about the
device they were installing. Whether or not they'll be deemed negligent
remains to be seen.