So, I was one of thousands of Carolinians (both North and South) who went without power for three days in late December as a result of an ice storm. (No, I am not upset about the amount of time it took to restore the power, I wasn't thrilled at the time but I got my power back before a lot of people so who am I to complain.) Here's the thing, as a result of the power outage I had to throw out between $50 and $75 worth of food that spoiled during that period. Luckily for me, this loss will not break the bank unlike many of my neighbors. One of the girls at work said that Duke would cover the replacement cost if you filed a claim so I went to their website. She was misinformed.
It is obviously not Duke Power's fault that my co-worker was misinformed, however, Duke says that they don't pay (or give bill credit) for spoiled food caused by a power loss caused by an act of God (i.e. the ice storm) and to file a claim with your insurance company. By the time I pay the deductable to the insurance company I might as well just go buy the food.
So, why am I so annoyed with Duke? Answer: in my humble opinion, the power loss was not truly caused by an act of God. Yes, we had an ice storm, which the power company cannot control, but I believe that part of their general maintenance for their power lines should be to make sure that there are no tree limbs etc. hanging right over the power lines in the hopes of preventing major outages like this. Yes, I know that even if all the branches had been cleared that the lines may have snapped anyway the extra weight of the ice causes it too.
If it's not Duke's responsiblity then it should be someone like the local city or county crews to keep the lines clear of overhanging tree branches. Why not reduce the risk? And, though I don't know exactly what it would cost to implement such a program I do think it would benefit power companies in the long run. Why? Duke Power not only lost thousands of dollars during the outage period (after all customer's get charged by the kwh so if the power's not on they're not being charged) but they had to spend a lot of money on overtime and contracting work to one of the GA companies to help them get the power going again. Surely it would be cost effective in the long term.
Ranting over, I do realize that I have many things to be thankful for this holiday season. I have a home, a good job, family and friends who care about me and enough money to replace the food I lost and still buy presents for all those on my list. Unfortunately, many of my neighbors weren't able to say the same on that last item, which accounts for a lot more of my annoyance than my own inconvenience.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
You put that very well. I'd write Duke about it.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
don't hate me, but I work for a power company (not Duke, and not for profit). So my perspective is a little different...
It is considered an act of God, because the outages are not something that would happen during normal circumstances. Just like a hail storm that damages a roof, or wind blowing a tree into a house. Our lines are supposed to be designed to handle certain situation, but there is ALWAYS something that goes wrong. A tree we weren't allowed to trim, a tree outside of our right of way that fell through the lines, ice heavier than anticipated, a defect not visible to the naked eye, etc.
I know little places like us don't charge enough to keep the system in perfect condition, we just do the best we can with what we have. And we have FAR fewer lines to patrol than an outfit like Duke, and patrols don't always turn up problems, either. There's no sure-fire way of protecting against everything.
That said, Duke is for profit, and hence an EEEE-vil electric company If they cared, they would direct more profits to maintenance!
I do feel bad for people when things like this happen, but as an individual there's nothing I can do. Any claims that come in go to our insurance agency, and since we don't guarantee 100% availability of power, they chalk it up to "act of God" and don't pay. It's a bad situation, but without raising the rates to horrendous levels, I don't know of a solution.....
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
errm... There's an ice storm, and folks let their food rot in their nice warm houses?
Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
not commenting, for fear of being set on fire...
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
Even if it's the middle of summer, you can still save your food by buying a block of dry ice and putting it in your refrigerator and freezer.
--Mel
Posted by smitty (Member # 8855) on :
well, if you keep the freezer closed, it does tend to last a lot longer as well. I yell at my parents about this too - they will keep looking, to try and catch the exact moment the food goes bad. if they left it alone, it would stay good for another day or so...
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
And here I thought your were going to ranting about the perennial powerhouse that is Duke basketball and the coaching genius that is Coach K.
I'm actually relieved you aren't ranting about them, because I'd have to get my ire up. I am a Duke basketball fanatic and have been since I was in 7th grade.
Sorry about the food, though - it does bite that you had to throw it out. Next time try either dry ice or even putting bags of fresh ice in your freezer every day or so, that helped us in one of our prolonged outages.
Posted by Vasslia Cora (Member # 7981) on :
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
If they cared, they would direct more profits to maintenance! ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
It's a bad situation, but without raising the rates to horrendous levels, I don't know of a solution.....