Hello I have a question about electric company's and if they pay for
damages that were caused by them.
We have had trouble for a while now, and called our electric company
three times to check out what is wrong with our home. They said no
problem on the pole, call an electrition. Lights going dim then so
bright the light bulbs blow. It has been 4months now and 3
electritions later. Last night everything that we own got zapped and
now is no longer working. Our home nearly cought on fire. We called
Ameren UE and they sent someone out tonight to look at the pole. They
found out that it WAS their fault. The transformer had a loose ground
or neutral and the guy fixed it. Now my question is this, are they
responsible for all the damages? The only thing I have that works, is
this computer and one lamp. (They were unpluged thank goodness!) I
have been told that Ameren should have to pay for replacements but I am
sure they wont want to since it is going to be very high. (I have about
$6500.00 added up so far.) Any one ever have to deal with this? Please
give me some advice. Thanks!

tamrad11 wrote:
Hello I have a question about electric company's and if they pay for
damages that were caused by them.
We have had trouble for a while now, and called our electric company
three times to check out what is wrong with our home. They said no
problem on the pole, call an electrition. Lights going dim then so
bright the light bulbs blow. It has been 4months now and 3
electritions later. Last night everything that we own got zapped and
now is no longer working. Our home nearly cought on fire. We called
Ameren UE and they sent someone out tonight to look at the pole. They
found out that it WAS their fault. The transformer had a loose ground
or neutral and the guy fixed it. Now my question is this, are they
responsible for all the damages? The only thing I have that works, is
this computer and one lamp. (They were unpluged thank goodness!) I
have been told that Ameren should have to pay for replacements but I am
sure they wont want to since it is going to be very high. (I have about
$6500.00 added up so far.) Any one ever have to deal with this? Please
give me some advice. Thanks!

Before going too overboard I would tell them that you have made up a
list of the items and ask if they would kindly pay for them tomorrow
morning. They might say yes and save you the trouble of whatever else
you were going to do.

Hope this helps,
William Deans

Don't know what to do. That is problem. LOL I am just devistated. I am
just getting back on my feet and now this! I have no fridge no tv no
microwave or stove and my water softner is now not working. ($3000.)
right there. I tried to turn on the furnace and it is burnt up also,
with winter comming. Sorry for the soap box. Just frustrated!!! I
will call them in the morning and see what they say. Thanks

On 19 Nov 2006 21:58:36 -0800, "tamrad11"
wrote:

Don't know what to do. That is problem. LOL I am just devistated. I am
just getting back on my feet and now this! I have no fridge no tv no
microwave or stove and my water softner is now not working. ($3000.)
right there. I tried to turn on the furnace and it is burnt up also,
with winter comming. Sorry for the soap box. Just frustrated!!! I
will call them in the morning and see what they say. Thanks


Make sure you get and save paperwork on everything. Gather up
receipts for your damaged stuff if you have them. Most likely you
will need to see a lawyer. See if they'll work on contingency.

If you have iron-clad proof that power company caused your problem you
should have a case.

Beachcomber

tamrad11 wrote:
Hello I have a question about electric company's and if they pay for
damages that were caused by them.
We have had trouble for a while now, and called our electric company
three times to check out what is wrong with our home. They said no
problem on the pole, call an electrition. Lights going dim then so
bright the light bulbs blow. It has been 4months now and 3
electritions later. Last night everything that we own got zapped and
now is no longer working. Our home nearly cought on fire. We called
Ameren UE and they sent someone out tonight to look at the pole. They
found out that it WAS their fault. The transformer had a loose ground
or neutral and the guy fixed it. Now my question is this, are they
responsible for all the damages? The only thing I have that works, is
this computer and one lamp. (They were unpluged thank goodness!) I
have been told that Ameren should have to pay for replacements but I am
sure they wont want to since it is going to be very high. (I have about
$6500.00 added up so far.) Any one ever have to deal with this? Please
give me some advice. Thanks!

Run, do not walk to your local plaintiffs' law firm.

tamrad11 wrote:
Hello I have a question about electric company's and if they pay for
damages that were caused by them.
We have had trouble for a while now, and called our electric company
three times to check out what is wrong with our home. They said no
problem on the pole, call an electrition. Lights going dim then so
bright the light bulbs blow. It has been 4months now and 3
electritions later. Last night everything that we own got zapped and
now is no longer working. Our home nearly cought on fire. We called
Ameren UE and they sent someone out tonight to look at the pole. They
found out that it WAS their fault. The transformer had a loose ground
or neutral and the guy fixed it. Now my question is this, are they
responsible for all the damages? The only thing I have that works, is
this computer and one lamp. (They were unpluged thank goodness!) I
have been told that Ameren should have to pay for replacements but I am
sure they wont want to since it is going to be very high. (I have about
$6500.00 added up so far.) Any one ever have to deal with this? Please
give me some advice. Thanks!

Call your insurance company right away. They will go after the utility
for you, since otherwise, they will have to pay the claim. Insurance
companies hate to pay, especially if there is someone else with deep
pockets who is actually at fault.

tamrad11 wrote:
Hello I have a question about electric company's and if they pay for
damages that were caused by them...

I would suggest calling your own insurance company first. They will be
on your side and may well take care of everything for you, including
replacement and repair. They will then go to the electric company and
recoup their money and you can avoid all that trouble.

Second choice would be to go to the electric company. See what they say
about your damage. They may step up and take care of everything for you.

Last consult a local attorney. The laws are different from place to
place. You may need to contact the attorney and if either the insurance
company or the electric company seem to be delaying or avoiding
responsibility, then don't delay contacting the attorney.

Do keep written records of everything and start calling now.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

Joseph Meehan wrote:
. . . .

Do keep written records of everything and start calling now.


--
Joseph Meehan

To re-emphasise what Joseph Meehan said:

Keep a log or logbook of some sort next to the phone and write a short
summary of every single phone call, the date, and the persons
contacted. Add a summary of every letter sent, the date and the
addressee. Make a copy of every letter sent.

Your problem could be resolved instantly by the electric company or
your home owners insurance; or drag on for months. I am near the end
of a "drag on" situation and it really gets confusing trying to keep
track of everything.

-Jason

After you have resolved the financial problems, have a whole house surge
protector installed. This might have prevented the problem in the first
place.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')

I agree with going to your insurance company. They are the place to start.
When my neutral wire corroded in half, (underground) my company willingly
paid for my vcr and tv. Nothing else was hurt.

--
Steve Barker

"tamrad11" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello I have a question about electric company's and if they pay for
damages that were caused by them.
We have had trouble for a while now, and called our electric company
three times to check out what is wrong with our home. They said no
problem on the pole, call an electrition. Lights going dim then so
bright the light bulbs blow. It has been 4months now and 3
electritions later. Last night everything that we own got zapped and
now is no longer working. Our home nearly cought on fire. We called
Ameren UE and they sent someone out tonight to look at the pole. They
found out that it WAS their fault. The transformer had a loose ground
or neutral and the guy fixed it. Now my question is this, are they
responsible for all the damages? The only thing I have that works, is
this computer and one lamp. (They were unpluged thank goodness!) I
have been told that Ameren should have to pay for replacements but I am
sure they wont want to since it is going to be very high. (I have about
$6500.00 added up so far.) Any one ever have to deal with this? Please
give me some advice. Thanks!

Not likely in the case of an open neutral. It would have probably just
fried the surge protector also.

--
Steve Barker


"---MIKE---" wrote in message
...
After you have resolved the financial problems, have a whole house surge
protector installed. This might have prevented the problem in the first
place.


---MIKE---
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire
(44° 15' N - Elevation 1580')

if you don't have homeowners insurance, your next best leverage may be
dealing with the PSC (public service commission).


Bill

"tamrad11" wrote in message
oups.com...
Don't know what to do. That is problem. LOL I am just devistated. I am
just getting back on my feet and now this! I have no fridge no tv no
microwave or stove and my water softner is now not working. ($3000.)
right there. I tried to turn on the furnace and it is burnt up also,
with winter comming. Sorry for the soap box. Just frustrated!!! I
will call them in the morning and see what they say. Thanks

tamrad11 wrote:
Hello I have a question about electric company's and if they pay for
damages that were caused by them.
We have had trouble for a while now, and called our electric company
three times to check out what is wrong with our home. They said no
problem on the pole, call an electrition. Lights going dim then so
bright the light bulbs blow. It has been 4months now and 3
electritions later. Last night everything that we own got zapped and
now is no longer working. Our home nearly cought on fire. We called
Ameren UE and they sent someone out tonight to look at the pole. They
found out that it WAS their fault. The transformer had a loose ground
or neutral and the guy fixed it. Now my question is this, are they
responsible for all the damages? The only thing I have that works, is
this computer and one lamp. (They were unpluged thank goodness!) I
have been told that Ameren should have to pay for replacements but I am
sure they wont want to since it is going to be very high. (I have about
$6500.00 added up so far.) Any one ever have to deal with this? Please
give me some advice. Thanks!

I had a similar situation some years back. Turns out, the problem was
an intermittent neutral connection in the wiring coming from the pole
to
the service entry. With electrician/utility, make sure to use the
phrase
"faulty neutral." Various power-supplies got zapped, fortunately for us
not many, and the utility covered repairs.

Such a problem is _very_dangerous_, as I guessed when the tv cable
got hot to the touch from providing a low-rated neutral connection from
the panel.

I'd call the utility immediately, mention "faulty neutral", and tell
them
about the wild voltage swings and destruction, and threat to safety.
Do tell them what you say above about steps you've taken, to no
avail.

Then call lawyer, consumer advocate, whomever, if they don't
immediately
offer satisfaction. Meaning: fix the problem, and cover the damage.

Seems, quite often, the source is connection with aluminum cable
getting oxidized.

Disconnect all significant loads until they fix it. But you knew that.

J

tamrad11 wrote:
Hello I have a question about electric company's and if they pay for
damages that were caused by them.
We have had trouble for a while now, and called our electric company
three times to check out what is wrong with our home. They said no
problem on the pole, call an electrition. Lights going dim then so
bright the light bulbs blow. It has been 4months now and 3
electritions later. Last night everything that we own got zapped and
now is no longer working. Our home nearly cought on fire. We called
Ameren UE and they sent someone out tonight to look at the pole. They
found out that it WAS their fault. The transformer had a loose ground
or neutral and the guy fixed it. Now my question is this, are they
responsible for all the damages? The only thing I have that works, is
this computer and one lamp. (They were unpluged thank goodness!) I
have been told that Ameren should have to pay for replacements but I am
sure they wont want to since it is going to be very high. (I have about
$6500.00 added up so far.) Any one ever have to deal with this? Please
give me some advice. Thanks!

Hi,
Do you have enigbhors who has same damage? All by yourself?

Hi,
Do you have enigbhors who has same damage? All by yourself?

I am the only one on the transformer. The electric company did fix the
Loose Neutral last night and told me he was going to note it in his
report that this was "their fault" do to a neutral not being tight on
the transformer. He also told me we were lucky our house didn't burn
up during the 4-6 months we have been dealing with this. I have had
so much trouble. And the bad thing is we threw away some of the things
like a microwave satelight receiver and nice coffee maker stereo
and I don't know how many light bulbs. All our surge protectors are
melted and the home is about 35-45 years old so I have been told that
the wires will prob have to be changed out now doto them getting to hot
last night. We had sparks comming out of the outlets at one point
before we shut off the breaker outside. Funny thing is none of the
circuts blew or fuses. We checked them today and all are fine. WEIRD!
I just hope that the Electric company will fix what got broke becouse
there is no way I could do it on my own. I am going to take off work
tomarow and call the Insurance company and electric company. Hope I
have Good news. I will let you all know what happens. Thanks for the
advice I love this group! Tam

I recently posted something about my stove igniter burning out after a power
failure.
My electric company, ComEd would not pay for the damage and an appeal to them
got nowhere. They are only responsible for 'negligence' issues. If we have
more than normal rates of power outages in my neighborhood, can't that be
construed as
negligence? I don't think surge protection would have made a difference, in my
case.
Maybe I should contact my insurance company, but for $165 in damages, it may not

be worth it.

Sherwin D.

tamrad11 wrote:

Hello I have a question about electric company's and if they pay for
damages that were caused by them.
We have had trouble for a while now, and called our electric company
three times to check out what is wrong with our home. They said no
problem on the pole, call an electrition. Lights going dim then so
bright the light bulbs blow. It has been 4months now and 3
electritions later. Last night everything that we own got zapped and
now is no longer working. Our home nearly cought on fire. We called
Ameren UE and they sent someone out tonight to look at the pole. They
found out that it WAS their fault. The transformer had a loose ground
or neutral and the guy fixed it. Now my question is this, are they
responsible for all the damages? The only thing I have that works, is
this computer and one lamp. (They were unpluged thank goodness!) I
have been told that Ameren should have to pay for replacements but I am
sure they wont want to since it is going to be very high. (I have about
$6500.00 added up so far.) Any one ever have to deal with this? Please
give me some advice. Thanks!

Hell yeah you should make them pay for all the destroyed equipment and
also the 3 electrician visits. You have to get a lawyer because I'm
sure they won't pay anything otherwise. Also make sure the lawyer
doesn't rip you off and take too much of the settlement. Whoever said
there was nothing wrong with your pole should be fired.

like a microwave satelight receiver and nice coffee maker stereo
and I don't know how many light bulbs. All our surge protectors are
melted and the home is about 35-45 years old so I have been told that
the wires will prob have to be changed out now doto them getting to hot
last night. We had sparks comming out of the outlets at one point
before we shut off the breaker outside. Funny thing is none of the
circuts blew or fuses. We checked them today and all are fine. WEIRD!

It's not really all that weird that the circut breakers didn't blow.
They don't (within limits) care what voltage you put through them,
they only care about the amperage. And it's not
obvious to me, (although it may be true anyway) that you should
have to replace the in-wall wiring, since as I understand it,
that ought to be good up to 600V. You DO want to open
every plug, switch, and junction box and look for scorching
though. With any luck at all, all the damage will be
within the devices, and you can leave the wires in place.

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 00:43:09 -0600, sherwindu
wrote:

I recently posted something about my stove igniter burning out after a power
failure.
My electric company, ComEd would not pay for the damage and an appeal to them
got nowhere. They are only responsible for 'negligence' issues. If we have
more than normal rates of power outages in my neighborhood, can't that be
construed as
negligence? I don't think surge protection would have made a difference, in my
case.
Maybe I should contact my insurance company, but for $165 in damages, it may not

be worth it.


Sometimes power companies try to exploit a customer's lack of
technical knowledge. I've seen cases where the customer has
complained that surges have caused damage to expensive consumer
electronics. The utility denied responsibility.

When the customer complained repeatedly, the power company said "Oh
no... not us... our power is clean" and claimed that the argument was
in their favor because the slow-acting paper strip-chart recorders
that they installed to monitor line voltage showed nothing abnormal.
The point is that many potentially damaging situations would not
necessarily show up on a strip chart recorder.

They are responsible for providing power and a service drop according
to nationally recognized standards for safety, and a workmanlike
installation from transformer to the demarcation point of your service
entrance. An open or loose neutral at the power company transformer
can cause serious damage, injury, or death to a customer and should be
a liability issue on the part of the utility.

You will probably not have much luck winning claims for storm damage,
lighting induced power surges or just plain old power outages unless
you can prove negligence, wiring errors on the part of the utility
(known to happen), or that they somehow used sub-standard equipment.

Beachcomber

tamrad11 wrote:
I am the only one on the transformer. The electric company did fix the
Loose Neutral last night and told me he was going to note it in his
report that this was "their fault" do to a neutral not being tight on
the transformer. He also told me we were lucky our house didn't burn
up during the 4-6 months we have been dealing with this. ...

Just another reason why a home's earthing electrode also is essential.
Some say the lights work fine; therefore earthing electrode is
sufficient. Wrong. One home had broken its earth ground connection.
Only when their neutral wire failed at the transformer, then house
obtained an electrical connection through utility gas line.
Fortunately no one was home when gaskets finally failed and gas meter
exploded. Earth ground does something useful only during rare and
potentially catastrophic events. Earthing (so often missing in older
homes) is that important.

Yes, the problem is their fault. I would also quantify how much
incandescent bulbs were brightening and dimming. That quantified
'intensity change' suggests how far voltage was changing. As others
have noted, they are required to keep voltage in a narrow (ballpark 5%)
range so that your appliances never see a ballpark 10% voltage
variation. Damage to appliances from poor voltage variation is their
fault. But make written testimony that can put a quantitative number
to that variation. Not because that testimony is required. That
quantified change is supporting evidence to why appliance shop says
appliance was damaged and how long the problem existed (in conjuction
with a history of previous calls).

In most every case, that lineman's report is sufficient for them to
admit fault. Date of your first utility service call would strengthen
you case for damage reinbursement.