NIE staff deserve thanks, but customers must have compensation - Allister
01 April 2010
Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister:-
"The extent to which parts of North Antrim suffered in the recent snow and ice storms was quite horrendous. The protracted loss of electricity by many imposed great hardship, especially for the elderly and many in the farming community.
"Whereas, NIE staff were dedicated and persistent in working to restore power, the length of time some customers have been off continues to be a cause for concern. In due course the Regulator should report on the issue and meantime NIE should announce that their compensation scheme will be activated. Everyone understands that with this scale of loss of lines and poles instant restoration of suypply is not possible, but those customers affected must have necessary compensation.
"One area where NIE could and must improve their service is in having more real people to talk to customers on the phone and to ensure information imparted is accurate. It greatly adds to the frustration of the customer if all they get is a recorded message or information which turns out to be inaccurate."
