Claiming Damages from Your Local Utility

I'd start by looking up the Public Utilities Commission in your state.
Welcome back.

Sorry to hear about your adventures.

milo

I had a similar number of computer explosions due to the Electric Companies Stupidities.

In Aviation they actually know when parts and bolts and stuff wears out, and replace things according to their "hours". Time Before Overall is an important phrase.

In my case about Three Transformers wore out within a couple of months in the neighborhood, power was lost, and then when reconnected great surges fried whatever wasn't on a surge protector.

I suggested they ought to know same as in Aviation operations when to replace stuff, and do temporary bridge circuits when switching transformers out.

They would not cover my exploded computer.

They had written into the regulatory laws governing their operations in the State of NC codicils that held them harmless from damages due to their negligence.

(Of course they had legislators help.)] I was cranked enough to call and complain, and did receive written evidence of laws which allow companies like Duke Power, and possibly Progress to operate in haphazard ways.

It is unlikely you will find that there is any recourse legally for you to recover damages due to the Power Companies backwardness.

From what I can tell they have fixed the laws so that stupidity and mediocrity and half assed is encouraged to maintain higher profits.

When it is pointed out that the reason the US is so vulnerable as far as energy is concerned because the Grid is a 1930s Grid, and therefore we need Atomic Energy Plants, your experience is some of the scum pond evidence of why.

Hell you could probably find 23 CR4 members to hire to straighten it all out, but why should Progress or Duke power do such a thing when its fine by law for them to start fires in your house, and get away with it by law.

GA...

Surprising how many consider a plug equal to a UPS

Dear tcmtech, I shall look through my electric bills to see if they ever said they were unreliable and if I didn't buy accessories, like surge protectors they were likely to blow up things in my home. Truthfully I wasn't aware of the need for surge protection till after my computer got fried. The gangster model of Capitalism is your perfect model from my read of your post. "Pay us or we'll throw rocks thru your window!" It is not my job to be "aware of the age and limitations" of the Grid, anymore than it is my "job" to be aware of the condition of whatever plane I might get on because I bought a ticket.

I know the difference between "Acts of God" and incompetence.

I have a right to demand good service from both the individual I might pay to do something for me, or the power provider I give my money too.

Philosophically as a realist I have a pistol and a shotgun in my home for "protection". I am not above protecting myself. I do now have surge protection for my computer.

However for you to say my electric service provider has a "right" to provide inferior service, and I am the irresponsible party, is flat out insulting, if not stupid on your part.

Further, I may not be the greatest electrician in the world, but I have given people power, and would not argue if I blew stuff up, and they fired me.

As I have learned the hard way myself and have came to understand that no matter what anyone says about reliability, or accountability it simply comes down to the fact that anything that involves other humans operating it, maintaining it, or making decisions about how it kept up is going to fail or worse at some point in time and I am going to have to deal with the consequences of it. I take a defensive approach to my life not an I am entitled to have my way approach.

Maybe your company doesn't say much to its customers about line problems and what not but ours does and takes a positive and active approach to letting its customers know that no matter what they do there is always the potential for bad things to happen. Nature or human error either way they still say to prevent damage use proper protection devices.

Your computer manufacturer will have the same statements about using protection devices in its manual as does every electrical and electronics device you have bought new in the last 20 years.

I have my computers on good quality UPS's and I have a set of industrial MOV's the size of door knobs mounted in my Main disconnect panel for my farm and smaller units in my house panel and shop panel. I also have two ten foot ground rods on my shop, two on my house and one on my wind generator. Plus the utility company's two at the main disconnect.

Maybe I am a bit over done on the protection but I know what nature and accidents caused by people can do. So far in the ten years I have lived here since I built my place I have had two confirmed lightning strikes within 100 feet of my house (split trees!) and had zero damage from them! I have also endured several underground line burn outs within two blocks of my place on the main line that feeds me and 4 other homes. Plus the main lines that feed my branch have gotten struck by lightning countless times. Of us 5 on this branch feed I am the only one that has had zero equipment damage in the last ten years.

I am not saying you shouldn't complain to them but for what its worth I seriously doubt they will even raise an eye brow over it. Public utility electrical systems are by design going to cause or transmit power spikes from time to time regardless of how well they are maintained.

If their over all service is that poor perhaps you should consider going off grid. At least then when your stuff blows up you know who and what caused it. And you will at least have the reflection in the mirror to complain to and blame!

And as stated in my first post. NEVER NEVER assume other people should be responsible for your stuff. Its yours and only you have to deal with the loss if it gets damaged. Lack of personal diligence is half of the reason your stuff got burned up. They may have caused the spike but you had done nothing to prevent it from getting to your equipment.

Assuming they are responsible for your stuff would also mean that you should be responsible for their stuff. So get off your butt and get your step ladder and check book out and start upgrading your local system.

After you pay for replacing the first set of transformers on your block you will likely see why the utilities don't do it until something fails. That equipment is very expensive. If you think a 50 foot 12 gauge extension cord is expensive try purchasing 100 miles of 2/0 overhead line once. Or even 1 mile of 25 KV rated 1/0 cable.

If you think the utilities should just automatically replace everything after so many running hours like they do on aircraft our electric rates would be dollars per KWh not cents per KWh.

We get what we pay for.

Thanks tcmtech for your even response.

In reconsideration I thought I had gotten a bit rude.

Still I do feel that Electric Service Providers, at least in the State and locality I live in could do a better job.

Just because they don't have to pay for damages, doesn't mean others don't, which is what I might call an "off book" expense.

P.S. Personally I feel that they ought to provide home and apartment surge protection as part of their service, as apparently some do.

I never considered your comments rude. But rather the typical comments of someone who's stuff got damaged and is coming to terms with the fact that some of it was owner negligence as well as utility company induced damage.

I do service work for a living and I see people get upset all the time when expensive or much needed devices break down. Almost everyone I do work for at first is looking to blame someone for it happening. But after they calm down and reason out the how and why something failed its usually a joint effort as to why it happened. Life's lessons learned the hard way. They bruise the ego and rough up the pride but ultimately you learn or repeat!

Swallowing pride and accepting ones own cheapness can take more effort with some people than others. And yes I mean cheapness not conservativeness. A conservative person is more like what I try to be. I don't waste my resources but I don't buy junk that will break right away either. I need my stuff to justifiably last and thus take the added precautions within reason to make it do so. I get good quality equipment and also use good quality protection systems to make it last. My over kill surge protection devices and stuff are surplus items removed from industrial equipment. They are high end but very low cost if you know where to look!

It may be worth your time and money to do a little online shopping for some good used protection devices as well!

You paid for it once why risk paying for it again!

Starting about 1998 the US dept of energy has sent yearly mailings in the envelope the electric comes in advising attention to these issues.

Sometimes it pays to read what would otherwise be deemed junk mail

I know how having equipment fail can ruin your day but this subject can be avoided if you would follow the provided link to info necessary for the level of protection you require.

Acquire the equipment necessary to protect yourself that's the best way to prevent repeat occurrences. Uninterpretable power supply manufacturers provide a level of protection and guarantee a replace or flat rate dollar amount replacement about $25000.

Don't depend on what can be had at big box mart...

I had the same thing happen to me. Only in my case we get a very short power loss everyday near 7 am. This in in nw oregon. I lost a computer before I wised up and got a really good ups system. I have since lost a washer to having the electronics detroyed. Who would have thought I need to put the washer on a ups. Now everything is turned off every morning until after the surge protector chirps letting us know the daily changeover has happened.

Our local utility has the same outrageous protection. they can screw up all they want and still no fault falls on them.

For your computer system a good UPS system will protect it from power surges and dips. And save you from a lot of computer pain. I maintain a business on my system and cannot afford a system failure. Living in the lightning capital of the US, ie; Florida, I have a full system of power line protection and generator backup.

Also, the local utility provides a surge arrestor for the meter base, where the power enters my house. This is provided for a small charge. The utility provides a warranty on my household electrical appliances, when using their system.

I have tried to sue the utility, in a previous life, and my lawyer said I was wasting my money.... he was right.

I too have a provided surge arrestor from my utility company and it does have a rather large amount of protection reimbursement. Quite frankly if they blew everything out in my house it would provide enough funding to replace every electrical item I own.

It doesn't even begin to cover the loss of information but that is also why I invested in a UPS that cost me about $200.00.

I have more problem with surges from lightening strikes coming in on my phone lines than anything. I have lost 4 phones and one modem from lightening on the phone circuit but oddly enough it has been only on the digital devices and not the old plug in style analogue phones. Just my expensive wireless phones. Lesson learned though, I now have surge protection for that as well.

and it was not lightening,

though tmctech sums it up.

even though your sure its the service, too bad..... could be from lightening. if you have insurance, turn it in, see what happens.