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Angry Lunenburg Unitil Customers Want Company Gone

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Dec 30, 2008 10:39 am US/Eastern

Angry Lunenburg Unitil Customers Want Company Gone

Reporting
Christina Hager
LUNENBURG, N.H. (WBZ) ― Many residents who spent weeks without power say they're done dealing with Unitil. They've even started a petition to get rid of the electric company.

Now, town officials are looking into ways to make it happen.

Lunenburg is still feeling the effects of the ice storm some two-and-a-half weeks after it hit. That's why over in Town Hall a special meeting was held Monday night to discuss what it would take to switch electric companies.

Art Ragusa learned to survive while he and his family were without power for nearly two weeks by utilizing the frozen pond at the back of his house. "A couple of days without power I can understand, but 12 days is a little much."

The Ragusas were among the few but furious who filed into Lunenburg Town Hall – some will utility bills in hand.

Their complaints pointed at the company now under fire for what some call an unacceptably slow response getting customers' lights back on after the now infamous ice storm. "I live in a two bedroom apartment," said one resident. "Everything's electric, and I roughed it out the whole time – the 10 days without power. Now I have to pay $262 for a half a month with no electricity?"

As he speaks, a movement is underway at the front of the hall. Nearly 300 signatures fill a petition to do away with Unitil – something locals had talked about a decade ago after a similar ice storm. "A lot of promises were made by Unitil. Changes would happen. About the only thing that happened was that they put a voicemail system on their phone line, so now it's even more frustrating to call," said an angry customer.

With the survivor skills of some now tested twice, residents say they don't want to wait for the next storm.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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