Government minister beats workers with pistol

How to complain, Armenian style

By Lester Haines • Get more from this author

Posted in Bootnotes, 9th January 2006 15:54 GMT

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Armenian culture minister Ovik Oveyan was inexplicably sacked last week after steaming into the main offices of the country's Armenskiye Electroseti electricity company and pistol whipping two workers.

The reason? A power cut to his apartment in the capital Yerevan had prompted Oveyan to call Armenskiye Electroseti and demand satisfaction, Baku Today reports. When none was forthcoming he gathered up an assault team comprising his son and two mates and went to sort it out in person.

The two employees who copped some quick pistol-round-the-head action required hospital treatment, but the intervention worked - power was restored half an hour later. Sadly, though, when Armenia's prez Robert Kocharian got wind of the outrage he gave Oveyan the boot for behaviour "inappropriate" for a culture minister.

No doubt Reg readers will join us is sending Oveyan our very best wishes and thanking him for demonstrating a highly-satisfactory method for dealing with inadequate customer service callcentre operatives. Second-rate UK companies take note. ®

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