[Durham INC] Help with another water billing problem

[Barry Ragin]

"My other advice to the young couple would be for at least one of them 
to enroll in the Durham City/County College. I'm pretty sure they would 
have handled this differently had they already been through that 
program, and I would hope (but am not sure) that they would have gotten 
a quicker resolution."

I'm not completely certain about this, but i strongly suspect that the 
notion an ordinary citizen needs to take a 10 week, 25 hour seminar, 
which is only offered once a year to no more than 30 citizens (10 of 
whom are either young people or Partners Against Crime activists) in 
order to more effectively handle what seems to be a simple billing 
problem with a city agency is a uniquely Durham perspective.

Barry Ragin

On 2/27/11 9:34 AM, Free Spirit wrote:
> The point at which it is appropriate to take an issue outside the system is
> not the point at which you have "tried very hard," but the point at which
> you have exhausted all appropriate avenues for resolution within the system.
> Not to criticize the couple, but from the account given, they tried very
> hard by going back and back to the water department, hoping for a different
> result.   I hope that the folks at WRAL would have wisely given them the
> same advice they are getting here...to pursue the matter with the City
> Manager's office and City Council...and then, if that doesn't work, to bring
> their story to Five.
>
> My other advice to the young couple would be for at least one of them to
> enroll in the Durham City/County College.  I'm pretty sure they would have
> handled this differently had they already been through that program, and I
> would hope (but am not sure) that they would have gotten a quicker
> resolution.
>
> As for the amusing boom!, if I'm following the thread correctly, Melissa
> posted the plea for assistance very late on Monday night.  This was the
> third response, at 9:45 the next morning.  Nine more responses were posted
> to the listserv by the end of the day.  Had the appropriate people been
> given a reasonable amount of time to respond without threat of negativity
> publicity, then I would have learned something about the responsiveness of
> my City government (not just the water department) to this type of problem
> without threat of negative publicity.  As it is, I was deprived of that
> education, and that does not amuse me.
>
> For those who are in a position to follow up usefully on this situation, I
> hope you will not limit your efforts to resolving this one problem, but will
> also follow up to find out why the erroneous bill was issued in the first
> place and why the couple's efforts to resolve the matter directly with the
> water department failed, evaluate the process based on that information,
> and, if it appears that there are any needless tripping points, that you
> will make an effort to follow through on process improvements, so that
> others might not have to go through the same experience again.
>
> As for an apology, I'm not a big fan of apologies.  Nor defenses (not to be
> confused with explanations, which I adore).  I think the world would benefit
> enormously from fewer apologies and defenses, and a lot more forward-looking
> living and learning.
>
> Julie Omohundro
> Durham, North Carolina
> freespirit0623 at earthlink.net
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> I don't apologize for suggesting that they bring in the heavy artillery
> .
> .
> If Melissa's story is correct, the people involved have tried very hard to
> get the problem addressed and they have gotten nowhere.
> .
> .
> But one thing is amusing: put this on the INC listserv with suggestions that
> the couple contact Tom Bonfield or WRAL, and, boom!
>
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