Is this legal?

Okay...leaving all the worries out...the snake is fine. Heats were all okay, humidity stayed decent, etc.....

Now...onto my problem. Where my burm stays is at a friends house. Well in December she got herself a boyfriend and moved in with him. Long story short she shut her gas, cable, etc off, leaving only electric on due to the snake. well they decided to move back to her house. They call the gas company to come out and check the meter...the girls that came to check the meter walked into her basement, saw the cage...and asked what was in it. when my friend told them it was a 15ft snake the gas company SPLIT, and refused to walk back into the house.

so now, in order for my friend to get her gas turned back on, my snake has to be out of the basement. Now by burms cage is 6' x 4' Thats frickin huge and in no way can I take it out of the basement (easily). And instead of giving a specific time when they'll be there...they tell her from 12-4. So now...my fricking snake has to be moved for hours....and Im not quite sure how Im gunna quite do that....

just wondering if anyone else has ever encountered anything like this?

As long as you are not in violation of any laws or ordinances, the company should be obligated to continue working. Offer to accompany them to ease their nerves, and make sure the cage is secure, and show them that.

Thats the kicker of it. They walked by the cage, and were in front of the meter that they needed to be at to turn it on. I wasnt there so I dunno exactly how it happened but yeah, they were in the basement...walked by the cage to the meter...THEN realized they had a problem with it.


Sorry shoulda clarified that

I realized what happened. They should have just sucked it up and gotten it over with, but now that it is after the fact, they should still be obliged to do the work with or without the snake being there. I think as a courtesy, knowing that some people will be nervous/afraid of our hobby, you should offer to have someone there who is comfortable with the snake to ....

Show the worker that the snake cannot escape.
If they get over their fears, let them touch it etc to perhaps calm their nerves.
Offer to take it upstairs/in another room for a quick handling session while they do their work.

All very good and valid points....

The viv is very easily seen as safe. It has two doors with huge locks, etc. The light was on, they could clearly see she was asleep/not going anywhere....

taking the snake "upstairs" isnt an option, with them knowing about it. According to them the snake can NOT be IN the house when they are there.

I completely understand that snakes, especially a 15ft Burm is not exactly "comforting" to those not herp friendly...but seriously? Lets say I keep pet pirahnas (sp?). Are they not going to come in my house because my fish are in their tank, even though they can, and will, attack humans and eat them?

That's pretty funny since the enclosure is secure. Maybe they'll get some discounts on the next gas bill since the guy was being unprofessional :rofl:... I doubt it though

Right!...Its just annoying.

How high up the chain of command have to talked to with the gas company? Personally, I think this is bs. I agree with Evan, this is very unprofessional, and if I were the gas company I would be thanking my lucky stars that they almost certainly have a monopoly in the area.

If you have not taken the issue far up the line yet, I would do that first. Be clear and concise on the fact that while the snake may be a bit intimidating, it is perfectly secure, and that it is a rediculous demand for the snake to be out of the house. This is in lines with a similar worker/meterman/whatever refusing to enter a house with a vicious dog. Understandable...but not when the dog is restrained in a crate, locked room etc...this is the same ordreal, but is exacerbated by the stigma of the public's view on large snakes.

Well going up on the chain is my next step as we havent contacted anybody above the general operator or whatever. Not that we havent tried...but apparently the higher you try to go up on the chain, the longer you have to wait. My friend sat on the phone, on hold, for a half hour the other day, and thats just because she asked to speak to a supervisor

Semantics can be important with this kind of stuff. Try asking for a district manager, local manager or regional supervisor, etc... If you are up to it, do some research to find the name of the person you need to talk to, and ask for them specifically when you call. Oftentimes the lowly operators are freaked out that you know their supervisor by name and won't hesitate to put you through.

You've done this before, I take it? LOL....Sounds like a plan. Thanks for the help and I will definately try that method

Something like that...

I have had my Xbox 360 repaired 6 times, my computer 3 times, attempted to have been jerked around by Comcast (which led to 6months free HBO + extended cable :D)....but most of all...dealing with health insurance companies and my rediculously incompetent campus health system. I have had waaaaay to much experience with having to deal with supervisors, etc for my ripe age of 20.

Lol...jk, almost forgot my age there....getting too old too fast :)

The gas company has every right to demand you remove a potentially dangerous animal before the worker comes back in. To them your snake is dangerous, just like a snarling rottweiler or a caged bear.
If you have a transport cage/bag etc.. then why not pack her up as if you're shipping her, and remove her either from the premises, or put her upsstairs somewhere out of the way? It wouldn't be for very long, and people ship giants without harm to them.
It's a little inconvienant, but let's face it, not everyone wants to be reassured a 15 foot snake is harmless. Working with people instead of demanding they accept your pet is a much easier way to go.

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Originally Posted by ThyTempest

I realized what happened. They should have just sucked it up and gotten it over with, but now that it is after the fact, they should still be obliged to do the work with or without the snake being there. I think as a courtesy, knowing that some people will be nervous/afraid of our hobby, you should offer to have someone there who is comfortable with the snake to ....

Show the worker that the snake cannot escape.
If they get over their fears, let them touch it etc to perhaps calm their nerves.
Offer to take it upstairs/in another room for a quick handling session while they do their work.

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I highly doubt that they would want to touch it.

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

The gas company has every right to demand you remove a potentially dangerous animal before the worker comes back in. To them your snake is dangerous, just like a snarling rottweiler or a caged bear.
If you have a transport cage/bag etc.. then why not pack her up as if you're shipping her, and remove her either from the premises, or put her upstairs somewhere out of the way? It wouldn't be for very long, and people ship giants without harm to them.
It's a little inconveniant, but let's face it, not everyone wants to be reassured a 15 foot snake is harmless. Working with people instead of demanding they accept your pet is a much easier way to go.

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I have already said something along these lines, but we all know that the safest place (for the workers) for the snake to be is in its enclosure. If you have a vicious/defensive dog, a company that has a monopoly cannot refuse service until you actually get rid of the dog, it just has to be contained so that the workers have no risk of being bitten, etc. This is the same ordeal...the snake is in a locked cage, how much more could they ask for before it gets to be ridiculous



Oh yeah...:rolleyes:

Kind of had the same situation over here not long ago only it was with frickin' corn snakes!

Pipes froze up and we had to call a plumber to repair one of the broken lines. He was hear for a good hour and a half. After all was done he asked what we kept in all the tanks. We told him corn snakes and freaked out! Said that if he had known that from the beginning he would've never worked on our pipes. Obviously nothing happened. None of my snakes were out and all locked up and secure(besides, what is a corn snake going to do to you?!)but he's already made it known that he will not work in our house again.

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Originally Posted by MinLynn

Kind of had the same situation over here not long ago only it was with frickin' corn snakes!

Pipes froze up and we had to call a plumber to repair one of the broken lines. He was hear for a good hour and a half. After all was done he asked what we kept in all the tanks. We told him corn snakes and freaked out! Said that if he had known that from the beginning he would've never worked on our pipes. Obviously nothing happened. None of my snakes were out and all locked up and secure(besides, what is a corn snake going to do to you?!)but he's already made it known that he will not work in our house again.

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Lol....run from the "ankle biter" corn snake!!!

I'd have hated to see his reaction if I had the Ball at that time! I mean my Voldemort is a 5 footer but Come on! Personally, I think if you own any type of business or work for any type of business that works in peoples' homes, you have to know that some of these people are going to own pets. As long as those pets are contained you shouldn't have anything to say about it. Hell, I even contain my cats when someone has to work in my house just in case someone isn't fond of cats. Just a courtesy I do. Either way, though, it's their job!

Lucky for me our cable provider had no problem hooking up a foot from my rack. They did ask what was inside, opened a few tubs about an inch or so just to peek in. I think I've got more green tree enthusiast. :) They actually hated snakes, but were still curious. As much as I am against lying, sometimes it is best. Box the snake up, move him into a bed room and put a space heater in it. Tell them your vet graciously agreed to hold the 'beast' until repairs were finished.

Well...as of today they will go down there, with the snake in the cage...as long as someone is there "to be sure" whatever.


Wolfy: Actually yeah it would be "long" I ork 12 hour shifts, and with them coming tomorrow, my shift is 7a-7p. Nobody else will handle the snake (nor will the snake, easily, let anyone else handle her. They were coming between 12-4. No way I could be there that entire time to remove her. So she woulda sat in a tote/bag/whatever for 12+ hours with no heat, no room, no water, etc. The gas company apparently dont have to work weekends, and kids are involved. So the sooner the heat is on the better. It was all just a big cluster...

we'll see tomorrow when they come if the snake being there is still a problem

I was gonna say wrap a sheet around it or cover it somehow and say its a storage trunk or tank. People arent afraid of what they dont know. I never take my snakes out where any neighbor could see. it only take one irrational chicken to start a big stink.

Fear is a funny thing especially when its an irrational fear.

My daughter was at her in laws with her kids and they were playing with large stuffed animal snakes toys I bought them at a reptile show. Her mother in law was shocked and disgusted that she would let them play with what she considers the devil (Um, its a cute stuffed animal). She would love my snake room:D. Hard to have an intelligent conversation with that mindset.

just take the snake upstairs. there's no way they can know it's in the house unless you tell them it is. just make sure he's pooped first :P

What a hassle. I would have done like Raul said - tossed a sheet over the entire cage, put some books or other stuff on it and I bet they would have never known it wasn't just a storage table or some sort of thing. I've done it myself.

I actually live in the same community as Ikon and can attest that our local gas company is absolutely ridiculous. They are the only deal in town so can basically make any rule they like. Our first rental here we had booked gas, electric, phone, the usual deal. Everyone shows up on time except the gas company. I wait and I wait. Now it's springtime and it's darn cold at night still and I have children in the house. Eventually I go outside and see a note on the door that they are not doing the service and to contact the office. Now I was there all day, no knock at the door, no ring on the doorbell.

I call the company and they state that "someone" tampered with the gas meter and until I can "prove" I didn't do it they are not hooking up the gas! I about freaked! How can I prove a negative? I had to have our landlady fax them a copy of our lease and speak to them in person to verify we were NOT the previous tenants who apparently had their gas cut off for non-payment and then messed with the meter at some point. This all took until the next day.

So I phone to ask when they are returning and get this........they aren't! Nope I have to wait for the next time they are booking appointments in my neighbourhood which isn't for almost 2 more weeks!!!! Did they care that they left us without heat - nope. Did they care that for 2 weeks I had to heat water for baths like some lady on a pioneer farm? Cook without my gas stove? Laundry with only cold water? Not one bit and I went up the chain in that company for days on end spending hours on the phone.

At present we rent a home that has heat included. The ONLY way I'll ever pay one cent to the rotten gas company in Toledo is if there is absolutely no other heating choice. :mad:

(sorry for the rant but I'm not at all surprised they acted like idiots with you Jeremy over that snake...they are idiots with a monolopy on gas service here!)

P.S. Just to add salt to the wound. Since we'd just moved to Toledo, OH from northern Michigan and had never been a customer of theirs before and even with this disgusting customer service - we had to give them a hefty security deposit. GRRRRRR

hey joanna... i work at a large bank and just filed a bunch of claims for a toledo resident who has autopayments to her gas company there. apparently for the last two years they've been taking $400-500 a month out of her account even though her bills are only half that.
i wonder how many other people have problems with them??

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Originally Posted by Colin Vestrand

hey joanna... i work at a large bank and just filed a bunch of claims for a toledo resident who has autopayments to her gas company there. apparently for the last two years they've been taking $400-500 a month out of her account even though her bills are only half that.
i wonder how many other people have problems with them??

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Oh from what I here they are Satan in this town, Colin. They run the only game though so if you want to be warm, you dance to their tune. When we moved from our previous rental (where we had the move-in issue with them) I searched until I could find a rental that heated other than gas because I was so thoroughly disgusted with their attitude. I have never in my life spoken with such callous, rude "customer service" reps in my life! I would never allow those idiots access to my bank account.

I hope you get them charged with bank fraud or whatever you can do Colin. They most certainly deserve it!

I remember years ago I had an issue with AOL accessing my account for more than their allotted amount (stupid me to use AOL). My bank manager had me tell them in writing that they either had the money back in my account in 48 hours or he would have the paperwork for fraud on his desk for me to sign against them. They ponied up fast and I never dealt with them again. I'm glad you are helping that lady to get her money back.

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Hey joanna... I work at a large bank and just filed a bunch of claims for a toledo resident who has autopayments to her gas company there. apparently for the last two years they've been taking $400-500 a month out of her account even though her bills are only half that.
i wonder how many other people have problems with them??

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Funny you mentioned that...thats exactly why she let her gas get shut off. With NOBODY living in the house, and her house kept at 65, her bills were like $200...and with her not living there she found it ridiculous. They swore up and down however that they came out and read the meter blah blah blah...

But Jo is right. Our gas AND electric around here are monopolized. Its atrocious the way they get away with this crap...


and in an update. The guy came out today, walked right to the basement, checked all the pipes...turned it on...THEN says "Hey...whats in the box?" He was told...and proceeded to ask if he could see. The light turned on..and he said "Oh sweet!"...then proceeded to ask everything about it...what it was, how big, what it ate, etc. SUPER cool guy....

whatever I guess, LOL.

I hate to say this but I suspect because Toledo has a very high percentage of our citizens on public assistance that this company has been pulling this for years here. Why shouldn't they when the government (aka us!) are footing their jacked up bills.

From what I hear, first legal day they can around here, they start flipping off people's gas without notice. I know they have a right to be paid but it's like they are vultures waiting for something to die. :mad:

Totally OT but Jeremy we want to see that baby of yours! Or at least pictures!

well, jo... shouldn't have left GOD's country (aka northern michigan). :)

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Originally Posted by Colin Vestrand

well, jo... shouldn't have left GOD's country (aka northern michigan). :)

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That's where god hangs out??? Another reason to stay away from northern mich. :-P

I much prefer heathen country.

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

That's where god hangs out??? Another reason to stay away from northern mich. :-P

I much prefer heathen country.

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Your missing out, it's a wild wonderland up there!

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Originally Posted by Colin Vestrand

well, jo... shouldn't have left GOD's country (aka northern michigan). :)

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I tell you Colin there are days I wonder why I ever encouraged the family to move down here. Toledo has so many "issues" that it's a very discouraged city with, in my opinion, the worst mayor in charge of it.

On the upside though, our family loves the museum, the zoo, etc. Poor young Michael was 5 when we moved here and had never been to a zoo. I may be a bad mommy but no way, no how was I stuffing 4 kids into a car to drive a good 8 or so hours round trip to look at a monkey. Sorry but there's not been a monkey born cute enough to put me through that LOL

As long as you're still a wings fan Jo I think I can forgive it...

what? HIGHLY unprofessional! I've recently spoken with an employee of the local gas company here in long beach, and he told me that the only reason they are not permitted to do work is when there are activities going on in the house that may affect the employees health or job. (I.E. marijuana smoking in the house, because they have biweekly drugtest) that was the only example he gave me, but based on that i'm sure that pets are not one of their stipulations

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Originally Posted by Sanova

what? HIGHLY unprofessional! I've recently spoken with an employee of the local gas company here in long beach, and he told me that the only reason they are not permitted to do work is when there are activities going on in the house that may affect the employees health or job. (I.E. marijuana smoking in the house, because they have biweekly drugtest) that was the only example he gave me, but based on that i'm sure that pets are not one of their stipulations

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heh heh heh, looky here, the new guy's trying to compare ANYWHERE in the world to So. Cal.

LOL

No, really though, you can't judge much of anything if your decision is based on what goes out here. We are a separate world and economy here.

It's cute that you think you can though.

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Originally Posted by V1L3 DiaL3cT

As long as you're still a wings fan Jo I think I can forgive it...

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Married to my husband Mike, could I be anything else LOL

A little off the topic now, but are we talking about Semco?

Before I moved up to Lansing for school, we were about 40 minutes from either the Indiana or Ohio border, and Semco was our gas company. They were reasonable with shut-offs, especially in our small town, but everything else was a nightmare, much like you all have said in Toledo. Just curious if Semco is big enough/spans all the way to Toledo.

Nope ours is Columbia Gas.

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Originally Posted by wilomn

heh heh heh, looky here, the new guy's trying to compare ANYWHERE in the world to So. Cal.

LOL

No, really though, you can't judge much of anything if your decision is based on what goes out here. We are a separate world and economy here.

It's cute that you think you can though.

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haha! Agreed. I didn't take note of where the OP was from, but aside from that I've lived in more states across the country than just California.

Its cute that you thought you knew though =]

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Originally Posted by Sanova

haha! Agreed. I didn't take note of where the OP was from, but aside from that I've lived in more states across the country than just California.

Its cute that you thought you knew though =]

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Yup, just ask around. One thing they'll ALL tell you is that I'm cute.

Huh guys?

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Originally Posted by wilomn

Yup, just ask around. One thing they'll ALL tell you is that I'm cute.

Huh guys?

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haha awesome, glad you didn't take that the wrong way ^_^

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Totally OT but Jeremy we want to see that baby of yours! Or at least pictures!

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why does Mike wanna see pics? he saw him at the store!! LOL Just kiddin ya. I'll be getting ahold of you shortly. We have plenty of pics online, plus not like you live forever and a day away haha. This coming week is "bad" as its our week with the other kids...and trying to take a 9 year old, two 3 year olds, and a 5 month old ANYWHERE together is hell on wheels, LOL. But I'll definately get hold of you shortly

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Originally Posted by Ikon

why does Mike wanna see pics? he saw him at the store!! LOL Just kiddin ya. I'll be getting ahold of you shortly. We have plenty of pics online, plus not like you live forever and a day away haha. This coming week is "bad" as its our week with the other kids...and trying to take a 9 year old, two 3 year olds, and a 5 month old ANYWHERE together is hell on wheels, LOL. But I'll definately get hold of you shortly

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Good because I want to see that son of yours. I love babies! :banana:

I am retired from a gas utility. In my area and probably Toledo as well, people can't be turned off for non payment during the winter months for humane reasons. There is a large sub culture of renters that move yearly. Each year they don't pay their gas through the winter or their rent. Their gas can't be turned off so they are safe there and it takes 3-6 months to evict someone for not paying rent if they fight it. They move each year owing money and put the rent and utilities in someone else's name at the next place. Siblings in such families generally all have different surnames so this helps them to do this.This fiscal year there has been over $100,000,000 in unpaid gas bills in SE Michigan mostly from within the City of Detroit and service has been provided at a loss there (Detroit)for 30 years or more. This is the reason that all customers good and bad are treated as potential thieves. The people in customer service don't understand the work that is being performed at a house and this is another big problem. When you are dealing with customer service on the phone they don't understand what you are telling them and they don't know what they are talking about when they tell you something. There are more situations that employees face than can be covered by a rule book and they are instructed to leave a job any time they feel unsafe. They should have just sent you out somebody different but she probably put in her remarks when she executed her job that a giant snake was in the basement and conditions were unsafe. A customer service person that doesn't know how to think would just tell you that you have to get it out of the basement. I'm not trying to make excuses or justify anything, just trying to clarify why things are as they are. Also to save money most companies are only reading the meter no more than every other month and estimating the rest of the time. They estimate based on last years usage for the same time period. If your meter reader calls in sick on the day that your meter should be read, they will estimate again. That's where the high bills come from.

Thanks for the background there, Dale. I do understand how, especially in Toledo, good customers end up paying for the dregs of society that rip off the utilities on a regular basis. I've been told, quite casually how easy it is for instance to run your cable tv illegally here in Toledo. Drives me nuts! This is why cable tv is so expensive here for those of us that don't like to steal things. :mad:

Unfortunately for me, my first experience with the local gas company was so extremely bad that I'll never want to do business with them again unless forced to. Any company that would leave a family with children with no heat or hot water, when it was abundantly clear we had NOT caused the meter damage (hell we had just moved from northern Michigan) is not a company that I want to deal with. In our case, I went up the chain well above the call taker and got the same "we don't care" attitude. I think it comes from them being the only game in town and knowing you have no choice but to deal with them.

Pretty hilarious. The "manly" workers come in, see a snake, and zoom, they are gone. Just shows the amount of fear humans have of snakes.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Thanks for the background there, Dale. I do understand how, especially in Toledo, good customers end up paying for the dregs of society that rip off the utilities on a regular basis. I've been told, quite casually how easy it is for instance to run your cable tv illegally here in Toledo. Drives me nuts! This is why cable tv is so expensive here for those of us that don't like to steal things. :mad:

Unfortunately for me, my first experience with the local gas company was so extremely bad that I'll never want to do business with them again unless forced to. Any company that would leave a family with children with no heat or hot water, when it was abundantly clear we had NOT caused the meter damage (hell we had just moved from northern Michigan) is not a company that I want to deal with. In our case, I went up the chain well above the call taker and got the same "we don't care" attitude. I think it comes from them being the only game in town and knowing you have no choice but to deal with them.

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These days bean counters at the top set the policies based strictly on profit and loss and customer service no longer is a high priority. Many good customers are treated badly and left with a bad taste in their mouth. Many of the mid to lower management take the attitude that the customers need to be showed who is in control. Computers that are in vehicles make it easy for lazy employees to get out of work by not doing anything and just executing the work on the screen such as "meter tampered with. Need further investigation before completing on order" and then hanging a card on the door to prove that they were there and sneak away without knocking. Policemen, Utility Companies and many others have these computers in their vehicles. Once you learn the system it is easy to work the computer and show good productivity while doing nothing all day. If you are ever at a restaurant and see a guy repeatedly going out to his vehicle and coming back inside,this is what he is doing.He's not showing himself as being at lunch.