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August 9, 2007

Con Ed Placing Wake-Up Calls to Brooklynites

conedcalls2.jpgOur parents always taught us that it was bad manners to phone anyone's home after ten o'clock in the evening. Evidently, Con Ed didn't get the memo. As part of its effort to encourage energy conservation in the wake of yesterday's power grid failure in Brooklyn, the utility barraged residents of Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Bed Stuy and Clinton with automated phone messages. We got five, but the volume wasn't the problem. It was the timing. The first call came in to our cell phone at 3:14 in the afternoon. Then at 10:36 at night our home line rang. That was followed by three more calls to our cellphone, two at 11:12 and one at 11:22. Where's Emily Post when we need her! Anyone else get a late-night call?
Turn Down the Juice Brooklyn [NY Post]




Posted by Brownstoner at 9:35 AM | Comments (21)
Categories: Quality of Life

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Comments

I got a call on my home phone at around 10:40 last night. It's bad enough to answer the phone and hear a recording, but it's completely intrusive at that time of night. Is anyone from ConEd listening?

Posted by: waverly at August 9, 2007 9:59 AM

Thanks for posting this - I hope ConEd is listening and becomes aware of how unacceptable this is.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2007 10:11 AM

Yes, I got one at 10:40 PM and I was thinking the same exact thing! My mother's iron clad rule - never call anyone after 10!

Posted by: donatella at August 9, 2007 10:42 AM

conEd, LISTENING? not while there's golf to be golfed.

Posted by: suzy at August 9, 2007 10:49 AM

...or steam pipes to neglect!

Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2007 10:52 AM

I got one around 10:45, and have absolutely no problem with it. I'm GLAD they're communicating with customers. I got my first call earlier in the afternoon.

If you don't want to hear a ringing phone late at night, then turn your ringers down or off.

Posted by: cando at August 9, 2007 11:18 AM

I gues con ed is "damned if they do and damned if they don't".... they have alienated so many of their customers through the years, I suppose whatever they do is a day late and a dollar short.

Posted by: bren at August 9, 2007 11:24 AM

11:18,
if you turn your ringers off and there's a real emergcy, what then? these calls shoul have been placed anhour or two earlier. no excuses.

Posted by: anon at August 9, 2007 11:31 AM

I didn't get a call (no landline) but even though I would have been very annoyed by such a call, I have to agree with bren in that Con Ed is probably damned if they do and damned if they don't. i bet if there had been a power outage, this thread with be MUCH longer with complaints.

Posted by: anon at August 9, 2007 11:59 AM

My cellphone rang at 10:40ish, it took me a few seconds to understand what the recording was even saying, because it was timed poorly and started before I answered.

Posted by: amanda at August 9, 2007 12:08 PM

Yes, I got a call at 10:35 pm. I was asleep. I wouldn't have remembered that this happened, but for this blurb on the blog!!!!!! Thank you.

Posted by: anon at August 9, 2007 12:10 PM

Anyone who was unhappy about receiving calls at night should email ConEd and tell them the circumstances and why it was problematic. The only way they will stop is if they get enough complaints or if they accidently call the house of an elected official whose young children were awoken from sleep at night.

customerservice@coned.com

Posted by: Anon at August 9, 2007 12:35 PM

I didn't receive a single call from them! Maybe my 212 cell number kept them fooled...

Posted by: lesterhead at August 9, 2007 12:44 PM

I received a call at 10:38 on my cellphone. It was an 800 number and at first I wasnt going to answer, but my curiosity got the better of me and Topchef was in or about to break for a commercial. I want to know how they got my cellphone number or was it just random calling.

Posted by: marjorie at August 9, 2007 2:07 PM

why would anyone be giving coned his cellphone #?
And I didn't get a call -were they only calling ClintonHill?

Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2007 2:08 PM

Power outages are emergencies. I am glad ConEd is warning customers in hopes of avoiding them. The phone calls offered suggestions as to how to save a bit of electricity as well as number to call in case of loss of power. I am sure the calls are made only if the threat of outage is real.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2007 2:36 PM

If they call me that late I will turn up my AC. Fuck Con Ed. They are a disgrace. Will they do anything to compensate the businesses ruined by their steam pipe collapse? Criminal scum is what they are.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2007 3:26 PM

2:36--i agree. and if people weren't such pigs with their energy use, maybe such calls wouldn't need to be made.

Posted by: anon at August 9, 2007 3:36 PM

c'mon 3:36 --only pigs are people that drive big SUVs. Oversized brownstones with central A/C, huge subzero fridges, waterfall shower heads, etc are essential and birthrights.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2007 3:53 PM


NO, 3:36. The criminals who run CON ED are the pigs, operating with rank impunity and without accountability. This utility is responsible for ELECTROCUTING people and dogs who were merely walking the streets, seriously injuring several people with their recent steam explosion (which by the way they can't explain) and stonewalling, ducking, dodging, bobbing and weaving whenever concerned citizens and legislators request some damn ANSWERS. THEY SUCK AT THEIR JOB, plain and simple. ANYONE ELSE WHO PERFORMED IN THAT MANNER WOULD BE FIRED. 3:26 is right on the money. I suspect 3:36 is actually that longtime Con Ed apologist, Mayor Mike "Anyways" Bloomberg.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2007 4:46 PM

ConEd may be all of those bad things, but they are a monopoly. No one else provides electricity and we can not live without it. We really do not want a power outage. Think of the elderly folks on the 20th floor of their public housing or any other housing without elevator. Think of all of us without any lights or air conditioning. Do not conserve for ConEd, do it for the people.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2007 5:23 PM

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