Victory in shock bill upset
FOR once David beat Goliath — if David was 84 years old and Goliath was Ergon.
The power company waived a call-out fee after the intercession of a city local MP and a state minister this week.
Oliver Innocente, 84, of Westcourt, was charged $300.66 for an Ergon call-out after line work on Buchan St in April caused his fuse box safety switch to trip.
Mr Innocente, a retired carpenter, JP and cane cutter on a fixed income, was at a loss about what some would consider an exorbitant fee when technicians took less than a minute to locate and solve the problem.
“I thought about how they could do that to a person who worked for nearly 50 years and paid his taxes and never took the dole for a week in his life in Australia,” Mr Innocente said. “I couldn’t sleep for nights. ” His ‘paisano’ from Fruili- Venezia in Italy, Giovanni Bomben, asked member for Cairns Michael Healy for help when his friend faced disconnection this month.
Mr Healy’s office sent a letter to Minister for Natural Resources Mines and Energy Dr Anthony Lynham to intercede on Mr Innocente’s behalf.
“The bill has caused a lot of distress for my constituent and because of his limited English and his advanced age, I would like to request this account be forgiven,” the letter, dated July 2, said.
Hours later, Mr Bomben and Mr Innocente were informed that the account was excused.
A spokesman for Ergon said Mr Innocente was advised of the fee and had accepted the charges before the call-out.
Mr Lynham and Mr Healy were asked for comment.
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