Customer Service... A Lost Art?

In-Person Utility Payments May End

Lakeland Electric is on the verge of pulling the plug on walk-in and drive-through payments at its downtown headquarters. See today's Ledger article and read more here.

I can't even begin to describe how frustrated I was after reading this article. I do utilize this service, not because I pay my bill at the last minute (well, maybe sometimes) but more because the price of a stamp has gotten so outrageous and I can walk to Lakeland Electric to pay my bill when I take the kids to Explorations V and save myself 42 cents... every little bit helps! What upsets me is that I won't see any savings on my utility bill even though they will be saving $363,000 a year by eliminating any form of face-to-face customer service. What upsets me is that I will still be paying over $300 a month for basic needs of electricity and water while roasting inside my house because we can't afford to have the air conditioner set on anything lower than 79. What upsets me is the number of people who could end up unemployed because of this decision. What upsets me is that Lakeland Electric has no competition and, hence, no worries. Times they are a changin'!