Oncor Customers Complain About Slow Repairs

Two Oncor Electric Delivery customers say they are frustrated with the company's inaccurate repair times.

Sandy Henley said Oncor took more than seven hours to make repairs after the power went out in her Interlochen neighborhood in North Arlington on Wednesday.

"I'm outraged," she said. "I'm very frustrated, as well as every neighbor out here."

Henley's neighborhood again lost power Saturday at 11:30 p.m. Oncor told her it would be back on at 2 a.m., but she was still waiting at 4 p.m. Sunday.

"First of all, let me say, I'm sorry that this customer has had a difficult time," Oncor spokeswoman Megan Wright said. "Our estimated time of restoration is just that -- an estimate."

Fort Worth resident Mary Bruce said she had a similar experience. Her power was out more than 12 hours this weekend after rainstorms went through.

"I was frustrated," she said.

She said Oncor's recorded message said repairs would be finished in hours.

"All I wanted was answers, because I needed to know what I was going to do," she said.

Bruce cares for her 90-year-old former husband, Lawrence.

"It was terrible," he said. The A/C was out. When you call in, they ought to know when they can come and fix it. It wasn't just about us, but this whole neighborhood."

Wright said there's a priority list of hospitals and emergency centers that come first on a weekend with storms.

Henley and Bruce both called NBC 5 this weekend about the repair delays.

"I do think by calling NBC that maybe had some influence," Henley said.

"My theory is, it was the phone call Channel 5 made, because I was getting nowhere when I made calls, and I just needed some good honest information," Bruce said.

Wright said Oncor officials would call Henley and Bruce.

"We pride ourselves on our customer service," she said. "We've started programs in the last few years to help customers," she said.

Oncor has also a website where customers can write in any complaints.

"We want to work with our customers, and if they think that we've done a poor job, we want opportunity to talk to them and see how we can improve," Wright said.

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