Is SWGas in YOUR Yard? (cul-de-sac, how much, houses)
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How often is SWGas and their contractors in your yard? Do they let you know and ask your permission?
Yes, I know it's an easement. And I understand in the case of a gas leak, they have to do what they have to do. And they have the legal right to do it. They can access the easement. But according to their own website, they are supposed to ask for permission in non-emergency situations. https://www.swgas.com/en/safety#identify-employee
HOW TO IDENTIFY AN EMPLOYEE
If someone just shows up at your door to perform services you haven’t requested, please don’t let them into your home. Instead, whether or not you’re a Southwest Gas customer, call us immediately at 877-860-6020, 24 hours a day, seven days a week to verify their identity. If they’re Southwest Gas employees, they’ll gladly wait outside while you make the call.
Company and Contract Personnel:
Wear an identification badge that includes their name, picture, and company logo
Generally come to a home only when service is requested
Identify themselves and the purpose of their visit
Enter your home only at your request
Additionally, most Southwest Gas employees drive marked company vehicles and wear a company uniform with our logo.
This morning I was rousted out of bed by the sounds of heavy equipment, no big deal because I knew contractors for SWGas were doing work in my neighborhood. They were doing maintenance and replacing gas lines in the street. I let my dogs out for their morning constitutional and all hell broke lose. My yard is very private, the gate has 2 padlocks and the fence is high. Normally it is very safe to just let them out the patio door.
I knew something was wrong right away and I ran outside. There was a ladder from the neighbor's yard going over to mine and my gate was hanging by one hinge, padlocks still attached. There was a bunch of equipment and people in my yard. And of course the dogs were completely freaked out and ran out the gate.
The street was full of heavy equipment and noise so the dogs were scared and just kept on running. All the construction workers were laughing their butts off at the sight of 2 old people in not much more than their underwear trying to catch dogs. We got 2 quickly but had to chase after the 3rd for about 40 minutes. He was terrified!
After the dogs were safe I went out and took pictures of the gate and my yard while my SO called SWGas. I also took pictures of some of the trucks and their license plates. The first person my SO talked to hung up on him. The next one took what they called a Construction Complaint and said they would respond in 5 business days. Great. I have no idea if my gate can be fixed to contain the dogs. So why couldn't they give me even 1 day's notice they needed to be in my yard? This is BIG construction and they knew well in advance. And why can't they knock on the door and announce themselves?
Now it's after 2pm and they are still in my backyard digging. I will admit it does my heart good to see them digging in a large empty flowerbed full of dog poop. I have been shoveling poop there for years hoping to eventually improve the dirt so I can plant something.
And this is the 4th time this or something similar has happened. The other 3 times, it was people with methane detectors checking for leaks. Maintenance, not an emergency. They went to all the houses on my street. My Spanish isn't fluent but what I understood was that they were told to just jump/climb over the fences and not to ever knock on the doors or ask to enter. They told me they were afraid of being shot by a homeowner or bitten by dogs. And I am sure this is going to happen if it hasn't already. I was angry they jumped my gate but I am also concerned that SWGas cares so little for their safety. Always contractors, never their own employees. And always very young Hispanic men who spoke NO English. Makes me wonder how much they are paid and if they are here legally.
I would knock on the door before jumping a gate. Isn't that what a reasonable person would do? And unless it was a real emergency I wouldn't be damaging your property either. Does this happen in your back yard?
If this happened to me, I'd post about it on Nextdoor. Darcy Spears (of "Dirty Dining" fame and Channel 13 chief investigative reporter) lives in an adjacent neighborhood and is always asking people posting on ND if they are willing to go on camera with their complaints. Could be bad publicity for SW Gas.
How often is SWGas and their contractors in your yard? Do they let you know and ask your permission?
Yes, I know it's an easement. And I understand in the case of a gas leak, they have to do what they have to do. And they have the legal right to do it. They can access the easement. But according to their own website, they are supposed to ask for permission in non-emergency situations. https://www.swgas.com/en/safety#identify-employee
HOW TO IDENTIFY AN EMPLOYEE
If someone just shows up at your door to perform services you haven’t requested, please don’t let them into your home. Instead, whether or not you’re a Southwest Gas customer, call us immediately at 877-860-6020, 24 hours a day, seven days a week to verify their identity. If they’re Southwest Gas employees, they’ll gladly wait outside while you make the call.
Company and Contract Personnel:
Wear an identification badge that includes their name, picture, and company logo
Generally come to a home only when service is requested
Identify themselves and the purpose of their visit
Enter your home only at your request
Additionally, most Southwest Gas employees drive marked company vehicles and wear a company uniform with our logo.
This morning I was rousted out of bed by the sounds of heavy equipment, no big deal because I knew contractors for SWGas were doing work in my neighborhood. They were doing maintenance and replacing gas lines in the street. I let my dogs out for their morning constitutional and all hell broke lose. My yard is very private, the gate has 2 padlocks and the fence is high. Normally it is very safe to just let them out the patio door.
I knew something was wrong right away and I ran outside. There was a ladder from the neighbor's yard going over to mine and my gate was hanging by one hinge, padlocks still attached. There was a bunch of equipment and people in my yard. And of course the dogs were completely freaked out and ran out the gate.
The street was full of heavy equipment and noise so the dogs were scared and just kept on running. All the construction workers were laughing their butts off at the sight of 2 old people in not much more than their underwear trying to catch dogs. We got 2 quickly but had to chase after the 3rd for about 40 minutes. He was terrified!
After the dogs were safe I went out and took pictures of the gate and my yard while my SO called SWGas. I also took pictures of some of the trucks and their license plates. The first person my SO talked to hung up on him. The next one took what they called a Construction Complaint and said they would respond in 5 business days. Great. I have no idea if my gate can be fixed to contain the dogs. So why couldn't they give me even 1 day's notice they needed to be in my yard? This is BIG construction and they knew well in advance. And why can't they knock on the door and announce themselves?
Now it's after 2pm and they are still in my backyard digging. I will admit it does my heart good to see them digging in a large empty flowerbed full of dog poop. I have been shoveling poop there for years hoping to eventually improve the dirt so I can plant something.
And this is the 4th time this or something similar has happened. The other 3 times, it was people with methane detectors checking for leaks. Maintenance, not an emergency. They went to all the houses on my street. My Spanish isn't fluent but what I understood was that they were told to just jump/climb over the fences and not to ever knock on the doors or ask to enter. They told me they were afraid of being shot by a homeowner or bitten by dogs. And I am sure this is going to happen if it hasn't already. I was angry they jumped my gate but I am also concerned that SWGas cares so little for their safety. Always contractors, never their own employees. And always very young Hispanic men who spoke NO English. Makes me wonder how much they are paid and if they are here legally.
I would knock on the door before jumping a gate. Isn't that what a reasonable person would do? And unless it was a real emergency I wouldn't be damaging your property either. Does this happen in your back yard?
I work for a utility (not SW Gas)
1. Your situation is very unusual. We have to ask/receive permission.
2. Most utility work is done by contractors.
If this happened to me, I'd post about it on Nextdoor. Darcy Spears (of "Dirty Dining" fame and Channel 13 chief investigative reporter) lives in an adjacent neighborhood and is always asking people posting on ND if they are willing to go on camera with their complaints. Could be bad publicity for SW Gas.
Good idea! I belong to my neighborhood group so I posted there.
I would simply order them off the property and trespass them. Call the cops if they do not leave. Or get out a garden house and spray them down. They likely have a right to work on the easement but they likely have to give notice and have no right to remove or compromise a locked gate without permission.
And there are wonderful arguments about whether the easement gives them the right to come over a wall or compromise a gate.
What I expect is actually going on is a game being played by the gas company and the contractor. It takes time and energy to get permission and can probably take days or weeks if they have to go legal. So they bust in and then will beg forgiveness if the owner comes at them.
Around here the property owner would likely tell them to leave while carrying arms. I don't recommend that though I think it is legal but it leads to situations where some one gets hurt.
They have been doing a lot of work in my neighborhood and my post on Nextdoor is getting replies. Other people have had their gates broken and property damage as well. One guy said his gate was broken and he emailed them and asked them to fix it. He got no response and he ended up fixing it himself.
9pm and they are just now finishing up. And my dog who was missing for 40 minutes has a hurt paw. I am hoping it's just from running on hot pavement.
Last edited by yellowsnow; 06-01-2017 at 10:20 PM..
Sorry to hear about your troubles, dogs on the loose is never a good thing . glad you got them back. I think and I emphasize "think" that you and I are Neighbors well live in the same general vicinity(my nearest cross streets are Flamingo and Mountain Vista ). I got a notice in the mail from Southwest Gas notifying me about the construction and it's time frame. I got a note on my door or garage every time the subcontractors (Arizona Pipeline among others) needed me to open the gate for access on such-and-such date, not park in the street on this day or that day. They are replacing all of the natural gas pipes in this area, Main's,& all the way up to the meter. I live in the bottom of a cul-de-sac with all this going on ,Machinery ,digging ,backhoes ,the iron plates, more digging, Paving, and let's just say it has been a challenge for the past month. But it has been more than a month since this project was started, I can't imagine how this blindsided you. If I am way off base then please please disregard this, but the men and women working on my streets always very courteous when they saw that I needed out of my driveway in the morning or into my driveway later that morning because I forgot something or the afternoon when I was coming home they always obliged me best they could and the guys liad the pipe did very minimal damage to my yard . it's kind of interesting actually they don't trench it, they guide a conduit underground remotely when I say guide I mean steer from point A to point B and then they dig point B and connect your meter.
Again sorry about your troubles, but I have been rolling with the punches of this Construction and so far and pleased with professionalism of the crews.
Sorry to hear about your troubles, dogs on the loose is never a good thing . glad you got them back. I think and I emphasize "think" that you and I are Neighbors well live in the same general vicinity(my nearest cross streets are Flamingo and Mountain Vista ). I got a notice in the mail from Southwest Gas notifying me about the construction and it's time frame. I got a note on my door or garage every time the subcontractors (Arizona Pipeline among others) needed me to open the gate for access on such-and-such date, not park in the street on this day or that day. They are replacing all of the natural gas pipes in this area, Main's,& all the way up to the meter. I live in the bottom of a cul-de-sac with all this going on ,Machinery ,digging ,backhoes ,the iron plates, more digging, Paving, and let's just say it has been a challenge for the past month. But it has been more than a month since this project was started, I can't imagine how this blindsided you. If I am way off base then please please disregard this, but the men and women working on my streets always very courteous when they saw that I needed out of my driveway in the morning or into my driveway later that morning because I forgot something or the afternoon when I was coming home they always obliged me best they could and the guys liad the pipe did very minimal damage to my yard . it's kind of interesting actually they don't trench it, they guide a conduit underground remotely when I say guide I mean steer from point A to point B and then they dig point B and connect your meter.
Again sorry about your troubles, but I have been rolling with the punches of this Construction and so far and pleased with professionalism of the crews.
Yes, we must be neighbors. I got the notice in the mail that was sent out months ago but that's it. Never a note on my garage door/door and they never told or asked me to give them access to the yard. And the sub was Arizona Pipeline.
I am hoping the worst of it is over now at least in my tiny area. They replaced all the meters and lines in my cul de sac in 1 day. I would feel much differently about this whole process if they hadn't taken down my gate and let the dogs out.
Yes, we must be neighbors. I got the notice in the mail that was sent out months ago but that's it. Never a note on my garage door/door and they never told or asked me to give them access to the yard. And the sub was Arizona Pipeline.
I am hoping the worst of it is over now at least in my tiny area. They replaced all the meters and lines in my cul de sac in 1 day. I would feel much differently about this whole process if they hadn't taken down my gate and let the dogs out.
The repaving was pretty bad in the fact that I had zero access to my driveway for most of the day (thank goodness I was able to "borrow" my neighbor's driveway otherwise I might have had to park at CVS �� ) but it only lasted a day. They haven't patched concrete yet I imagine that's going to be a mess.
Do complain to swg, but you might get better results calling az Pipeline directly. Take lots of photos document document document. I took lots of photos of my yard before work started because right when I moved in Nevada Powers Subs npl destroyed my yard replacing the line from the street to my meter. I learned my lesson.
Last edited by hank702; 06-03-2017 at 09:36 AM..
Reason: Added link
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