To Whom It May Concern:
As a 45-year employee of NV Energy and the predecessor owners of the current company, I am concerned about several issues involved in recent announcements and cuts in service and employees by the company. As outlined in an advertisement in our local newspaper this week, the elimination of rural Nevada electric line crews, the closing of rural customer service offices and other matters are having and will have a significant impact on myself, my friends and neighbors in central Nevada.
A major concern is the response time which crews will have in being called out for major incidents such as power outages. With a local crew, response time was a matter of minutes throughout the large local service area. As proposed changes are implemented, response to such incidents will be from four to six hours and perhaps more as crews are summoned from northern Nevada.
The company’s promotion of “customer service” is in contrast to the impact which closure of rural offices has had throughout the state. This has been a nuisance, if not a major problem, for local customers who wish to talk to a company representative. And it has been especially hard on senior citizens with limited means to have their complaints addressed. This was not the case when an office was maintained in Tonopah.
Much of my time when I was employed by local electric suppliers it was a pleasure to go to work each day. But recent and proposed cuts involving employees and retirees make a mockery of the dedicated service which we, as employees, provided to our employer.
Virtually all business customers, large and small, will be affected by these changes. From the largest customers like Round Mountain Gold to small, one-person businesses, all will suffer the negative impacts of these actions. Additionally, the central Nevada test site, farmers in outlying areas, law enforcement, health care, ambulance service and other public and private entities will see reduced service and will suffer severe negative impacts when power outages stretch into several hours as far-away crews are rounded up and respond.
With a service area stretching nearly across the state, the former local employees faced a daunting task in servicing customers from Silver peak to Goldfield to Round Mountain and along state Route 376 to U.S. Highway 50 and along U.S. Highway 6 to the east. All of these customers have received reduced service by actions already taken and even less and poorer service will be provided when other company changes are implemented.
Both as a former employee well versed in company service and as a customer who expects the best from its electric provider, I find the changes which have been made and which are proposed to be objectionable and unacceptable. The company’s faithful customers face many, many pitfalls in today’s economy and reduced service by their electrical provider should not be heaped upon today’s other challenges.
Very truly yours,
Richard E. Tisue