To the editor:
The electric utilities often face criticism for their response to power outages. I wanted to share my recent experience with readers.
On the Saturday afternoon before Christmas, during the coldest weekend of the season and with a major snowstorm pending, power to my neighborhood was interrupted. After calling National Grid's automated power outage line, I was resigned to waiting hours for power to be restored.
To my pleasant surprise, a National Grid crew was on my street within 30 minutes and power was fully restored one hour after the outage began. A squirrel had managed to damage some equipment, which needed to be replaced with the help of a second crew.
Once power was restored, I received a call from National Grid reporting the problem resolved. All in all, a very positive customer service experience.
The squirrel did not survive.
KEN RAPIK
North Andover
