Recouping Your Losses From a DTE Power Outage

Detroit is notorious for its older infrastructure as the city is well over 300 years old. And as many of us painfully know, with age we feel that ache in our bones, especially during inclement weather. Detroit's aching bones lie in its ancient power grid that high winds, flooding, and snowstorms bring to its knees on a regular basis. Detroit Edison's power outages cost hundreds of thousands of southeast Michigan consumers lost food, wages and personal items every year. DoNot Pay can help the people of Michigan file a claim for credit against these losses.

Two Places to Check for a DTE Power Outage

First, look out your window. If you have lived in your neighborhood for a while, you know which lights stay on and which ones don't, and at what times. If your power is out and those lights aren't on, chances are there's a wider outage than just your home.

Next (and a decidedly more accurate depiction of where the power is out), go online to the DTE power outage map. It's available on your phone as well as on your computer. Hopefully, your phone's charged or you have battery power available so you can get on the Internet. Follow these steps:

1. Allow your Internet browser to have access to your precise location. It can be a one-time thing or anytime you use the application. You can deny location access, but in that case, you'll get a very general area and will have to manually manipulate the map to get any DTE Energy power outage updates. You can search by:

• Address
• Place
• Location

2. Let's say you're searching for a power outage in Howell, Michigan, plug in an address or zip code. The map will hone in on however specific you ask it to be. In the upper left-hand corner, you will see the legend and status telling you what is happening. Legends indicate that:

• Colors coordinate with the number of customers without power (i.e. purple is 99 or less without power)
• Click or tap on the outage area for restoration details, how long the power has been out, and the reason.

Status tells you:

• Customers without power (percentage)
• Number of customers out
• Number of crews in the field

You can save your location and it will update every few minutes, although the information may not change for a time. In the meantime, your family may suffer significant food, wage, and personal item loss.

DTE will compensate with a small credit if you meet the criteria.

What Do I Have to Do to Get Compensated for an Outage?

There are 3 ways that DTE power outage customers may be eligible for a $25 credit on their electric bill with some caveats:

• Credit under catastrophic conditions
• Credit under normal conditions
• Credit for repetitive power interruptions

Credit Under Catastrophic Conditions

Eligible if DTE fails to restore service within 120 hours of the initial outage and there's a power interruption to at least 10 percent of DTE customers.

Credit Under Normal Conditions

Eligible if DTE fails to restore service within 16 hours under normal conditions.

Credit for Frequent Repetitive Power Interruptions

Eligible if experiencing over 7 power interruptions in a 12-month timeframe.

Documentation Required to Obtain Proof of Credit.

1. Record the date and time of the power outage.
2. Record when you notified DTE of the power outage.
3. Record how you notified the company of the power outage.
4. Record when your service was restored.
5. Then it is up to you to contact DTE to request and follow up your request for service credit due to the power outage. Your recourse for denial of credit is to contact the Michigan Public Service Commission for help.

Getting Your Power, Internet or Utilities Restored

Power outages, especially extended ones, can add up quickly. Here's a snapshot of how much money it can cost from these outages:

• The average cost of spoiled food is $160 per outage.
• Emergency supplies to combat the power outage average is $76.
• A portable generator, $650.
• Opt-in for a hotel room averages $108 per night.
• Lost wages averaged $310
• Property damage, $1916

The expenses may be less or more. The question is can you recoup and how do you hone in on the right customer service department representative to expedite a credit?

Solve the DTE Power Outage With the Help of DoNotPay

DTE serves over 2 million residents in SE Michigan. It has over 10,000 employees overall. It's frustrating and time-consuming to listen to the extensive menu on the phone or sit waiting and wondering how many customers are ahead of you in your credit request online. DoNotPay makes it super easy to get compensation for a power outage:

If you want to get compensation for an outage but don't know where to start, DoNotPay has you covered in 9 easy steps:

1. Go to the Outage Refunds product on DoNotPay.

   

2. Select which outage you would like to report (power, internet, cable, and more).
3. Select your energy provider and enter your account number.
4. Indicate when the outage started and how long it lasted.

5. Verify your account information.

6. 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.

7. Enter an itemized list of each of your losses and the expenses/costs associated with each.

8. Upload documents or photographic evidence that proves your losses. Also, add the names of any witnesses who can attest to your losses if possible.

9. Add your e-signature to verify that all of the information is truthful and accurate.

DoNotPay Designed to Help You Get Your Credit for Your Power Outage Losses

What Else Can DoNotPay Do?

DoNotPay's not just for power outage reimbursement, it can help with:

• Robocall compensation
• Neighbor complaints
• Customer service issues
• Paying bills so you're never late
• Filing insurance claims

DoNotPay is here for any issue that needs to be handled quickly, easily, and successfully.