Ray thanks a LOT mate!.
All I can say over this whole thing is:
Thanks a heap Mr Bradford, look where this has got us.
There seems to be a LOT of nastiness around the internet this morning on NZ sites regarding the actions of Mercury Energy and in particular thier contractor that performed the actual disconnection.
This is wrong.
Mercury Energy is there to supply electricity, that has to be paid for, the contractor is there to operate the electricity system in a safe and economical way.
Let me say this, I lived in a place when I was in Timaru, that had it's power shut off, because one of the guys (flatting situation) that was supposed to pay the power account, with-held the money for his own use.
When the faultsman turned up at the door one Friday afternoon, it came as a real sort of surprise, I can tell you!.
But seriously, power disconnection is a
last resort after months of non-payment, there are usually 2 warning letters, at least 2 phone calls from your power company and then a final notice, is served, telling you WHEN the power will be disconnected, (usually within 2 days of the final warning).
So, it's not like the family in this case wouldn't have known the power was going to be cut off.
Finally, I would like to ask this question:
Why is a person that is dependant on oxygen to survive, not in hospital?. 
