Oh, what a week it’s been. At this rate, it feels like we’ll reach Storm Zachary by the end of February.
Our originally planned closure has been delayed, unfortunately, so we’re open as normal this week.
A little rant, if I may…
Some background to why we were planning to close on Wednesday:
As many of you know, Hartley Farm has seen a fair few changes over the years. About five years ago, we identified the need to upgrade certain infrastructure to meet the demands of today’s business.
At the top of that list was our electricity supply. The system that Dad proudly installed in the 1970s was state-of-the-art at the time, future-proofed for what he thought would be generations. But as the farm has grown, we’ve well and truly outgrown it.
So, back in 2019, we started discussions with our local energy supplier (who shall remain nameless) to explore the costs and work involved in upgrading our supply. This upgrade was crucial to future-proof the farm, enabling us to invest in sustainability initiatives like additional solar generation, battery storage and EV charging stations.
The initial quote was a hefty investment, but the timeline seemed manageable, so we began making plans.
Then COVID happened.
Once we’d navigated the initial shocks and aftershocks of the pandemic, we reopened the project and reached out to our energy supplier again.
“No problem, sir. We’ll update the quote and get back to you,” they said.
Months later, the updated quote arrived – an eye-watering 160% increase on what was already a significant figure. Competitive quotes? Out of the question – there’s only one company that can do the work, and we were already talking to them.
With no alternatives and an increasingly urgent need to upgrade, we reluctantly accepted.
“Thank you for accepting our quote, Mr Bowles. On top of this, we’ll just need you to cover all legal fees to secure the necessary permissions before we can begin the work.”
“But you’ve been maintaining our supply on this land for nearly a century without issue. Don’t you already have the permissions?”
“Ah, yes, but this is a new agreement. The process should be simple, costing around £1,500 and taking a week or two.”
Six months later, legal fees had increased by over 550%. After what felt like endless emails, we finally had a resolution. The date for our new supply to be installed was set for 29th January.
Then came Storm Eoyin.
“Sorry, Mr Bowles, all our engineers have been deployed to Ireland to repair storm damage. We’ve had to cancel your job, and we don’t know when it will be rescheduled. But don’t worry – we’ll keep your payment safe in the meantime.”
And so, here we are. It’s almost comical – if I didn’t laugh, I’d explode. Sadly, this isn’t an uncommon story. Peers who’ve been through similar experiences warned me about these monopolistic practices. It’s astonishing how businesses like this operate. I feel that when customers aren’t handed to you on a plate, you value and appreciate them so much more and work hard to deliver the best experience possible for them.
The end is in sight, though. Soon, we’ll finally realise our vision of greater self-sufficiency, powering Hartley with more solar energy. (Although, in true form, the same company has already informed us that we can’t export any surplus power because their infrastructure isn’t ready yet – despite this being part of the agreement we invested so heavily in.)
It’s a tough world out there for small businesses right now. The queue of people informing us of rising costs seems endless, and all we can do is take it on the chin.
I hope you’ve all stayed safe after the latest storm. Our thoughts are with those who’ve suffered far greater losses than us over the weekend.
Keep smiling, and have a great week!