ByClaim Compensation for Losses From an Austin Power Outage
Sometimes, an is more than just an outage. For most people, a power outage means digging out the family supply of flashlights and candles for a few hours. If you weren't home, maybe you didn't notice at all. But sometimes, a power outage can cost you several hundred dollars (even thousands!) due to how the power outage occurred or how long it lasted.
Did you lose income due to being unable to work from your Austin home? Did you experience food loss during a power outage longer than 4 hours? Were you charged for power you did not receive? Did a power surge destroy a valuable piece of equipment? You have options to recoup those losses. DoNotPay can help.
The Consequences of an Extended, Unannounced Power Outage
There are several consequences of an . Some of them are:
| Loss of Income from a Power Outage in Austin | In Austin, thousands of professionals are now working from home all or some of the time. During that time, power is essential for connecting to your online resources, employers, and clients. Your laptop can only run so long on battery power, and your internet router needs the power to convey its high-quality connection.
If the power goes out for too long, you could face hours - even days - of lost income. For entrepreneurs, you might even lose clients who cannot get a hold of you during the outage. You can sue your power for the hundreds to thousands of dollars caused by an extended outage left unrepaired during that time. |
| Food Loss from a Power Outage in Austin | Food loss occurs after only four hours of the power being out. After that time, your fridge has warmed and bacteria may have started to grow in the freezer and fridge foods inside. This can cause hundreds of dollars in lost groceries, and you shouldn't have to soak that financially when the cost was not your own. Many power companies have policies to help reimburse food loss, but you'll have to take on customer service to access them. |
Being Charged for Power During a Power Outage
If you receive your bill in any way other than 100% meter readings, you might even be paying for power you did not receive. A monthly service fee or even estimate-based bills often lead to power charges when you are experiencing an outage.
If you can prove that this has happened - or likely happened - during the last outage, you will need to address the issue directly with your power company and make sure they remove those charges from your bill. Beware, many power companies have a "statute of limitations" anywhere between 30 days to a year to make your complaint.
How a Power Surge Can Damage Your Equipment
Finally, if the power outage begins with a massive power surge down the line, equipment in your home can take permanent damage. In the wrong circumstances, even people can get hurt. If your AC won't come back on or you experience another equipment failure after a power outage, have a technician perform an inspection. You might find a blown capacitor and costly repairs ahead of you.
If so, the power company can often be held responsible for these costs. If they give you trouble or try to under-bid the value of your equipment, try your homeowner's insurance policy or file a damages lawsuit with a small claims court.
How to Recover Your Losses From an Austin Power Outage
There are three ways to recoup these types of losses from an Austin power outage:
- Ask your power company to make it right by calling customer service
- Claim with your homeowner's insurance provider
- Sue the power company through your local small claims court
Contact Your Power Company Customer Service
The first step should always be to call your Austin power company. Let them know that you were negatively affected by the outage and provide whatever proof they ask for (ex: Dates and times, photos, receipts, and repair quotes), and insist that they provide you a remedy for your losses. If necessary, threaten to switch power companies. This can help your phone rep take more drastic actions to keep your business, as they're not always allowed to take actions otherwise.
File a Claim With Your Homeowners Insurance Policy
Your homeowners' policy handles equipment damage and, sometimes, food loss. If your insurance agent is on your side, they'll help you find the policy details that will be most useful to you. If they threaten you with hire rates for filing a claim, beware. Some insurance agents are just out for their stats, and you may need to push back - or file without their help.
Sue Your Power Company for Damages
Finally, if neither of them works - or you have lost wages that are not covered through other means - you may need to sue your power company in the local Small Claims Court to hold them liable for losses. This will require proving your losses and proving the power company either caused or failed to promptly repair the outage that resulted in your damages.
How to Get Compensation for Austin Power Outage Losses With the Help of DoNotPay
Let's face it, if the power company and your insurance aren't being helpful, who has time to fight for hours on the phone or file a small claims lawsuit - no matter how much you want financial satisfaction? Whether your damages were hundreds or thousands of dollars, you don't deserve that kind of hassle for a power outage you didn't cause.
But here's the thing: the power company is counting on you not having the time. Fortunately, DoNotPay does. Let us know what happened and share your documented losses. Then we'll help you take care of the time-consuming, tedious, run-around part of actually recovering income, food, repair, and/or charge costs. You deserve compensation without hassle. We can help.
If you want to get compensation for an outage but don't know where to start, DoNotPay has you covered in 9 easy steps:
- Go to the Outage Refunds product on DoNotPay.
- Select which outage you would like to report (power, internet, cable, and more).
- Select your energy provider and enter your account number.
- Indicate when the outage started and how long it lasted.
- Verify your account information.
- If you want to be reimbursed for losses related to a power outage, choose whether you want to be reimbursed for personal injuries, damaged property, or both.
- Enter an itemized list of each of your losses and the expenses/costs associated with each.
- Upload documents or photographic evidence that proves your losses. Also add the names of any witnesses who can attest to your losses if possible.
- Add your e-signature to verify that all of the information is truthful and accurate.
DoNotPay Can Help With All Sorts Outage-Based Loss
Here at DoNotPay, we know that outages happen to everyone. We can help you with outage-related issues for any power company anywhere in the US.
- DTE Power Outages
- PGE Power Outages
- Power Outage Compensation and Claims
- Spectrum Internet
- Internet Outage Reimbursement
- Oncor Power Outage
What Else Can DoNotPay Do?
Of course, our ability to help isn't limited just to outage loss recovery. Here at DoNotPay, we try to find ways to make your life easier and avoid expenses in any way we can. Have any other hassles we can deal with? Check out a few other convenient services we offer.
- Help with Bills
- File a Complaint
- Customer Services
- Parking Tickets
- Robocall Compensation
- Neighbor Complaints
- Insurance Claims
DoNotPay dedicates its service to make your life easier, more affordable, and less stressful in big and little ways. From making sure bills get to the right hard-to-find office to helping you file small claims lawsuits against bully companies, we're here to help.