I have underground power cables in my community. I woke one morning at 4:00AM to popping noises and my house filled with smoke.
All my electrical equipment that requires 120 volts was burning up. I quickly put the main breaker to off and called Progress Energy. They sent a repairman out. He said the white neutral underground line had failed. He hooked the line to my neighbors house as a temporary fix and gave me the number to call to file a claim.
After numerous calls to Progress Energy I was told they are not responsible for the maintenance of their buried lines. They are also not responsible for any damage the failure of THEIR lines cause. They stated it is in their agreement with the state. I then asked them to act in good faith on my behalf. That request was rudely declined.
I am a light sleeper. I travel a lot. My wife and son are heavy sleepers. I asked what would the response be if I was away and my family was killed in a fire their equipment caused. Same answer. Not responsible. The claims people I spoke with were very rude and pompous in declining my claim. I felt perhaps bonuses were in order for saving the company money.
Think about everything you have that plugs into a regular wall socket burning up. It is a major loss. Think about the possibility of not waking and perishing only to have the people who caused the tragedy not held responsible.
I suggest any company with this kind of agreement with the state should have clear warnings of the possibility of death and loss of possessions using their services. It is required on tobacco products.
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