ByHow to Recover Income Lost to a Storm Power Outage
Storms are bad news for any power grid. Lightning strikes can surge and break power lines. High winds and falling tree branches can outright topple likes and power poles. Substations may blow and local lines may be broken. When this happens, it is the responsibility of your power company to get the power back on as soon as possible.
This is especially important for businesses and at-home professionals who rely on power to be able to do their job and earn wages. The longer the power remains down after a storm, the more unreliable they are. So how can you? Chances are, you'll need to send demand letters to the power company. Don't have the time or funds? DoNotPay can help.
When is the Power Company Liable for Lost Income from a Power Outage?
- When they are responsible for the outage.
- When they fail to reconnect a local outage.
- When they misrepresent reconnection times.
During the Storm
During the storm, the power company is not directly liable for outages. These things happen and brief interruptions during bad weather can take everyone offline. If your power goes out while the wind is still howling, it's likely your power company teams couldn't repair the damage even if they wanted to.
After the Storm
Things change after the storm. The power company is liable for restoring service within their power after the storm is over. A dedicated power company will have repair teams on the road as soon as the wind and rain die down and/or the snowplows clear the roads. Depending on post-storm conditions, the reasonable amount of time to wait after a storm for power to be restored may vary.
Falsely Representing Repair Times
However, you should have the right to change venues after the storm if necessary to continue your work. This means if the power company tells you to sit tight for 30 minutes and it takes them over 3 hours to restore power, they are more likely liable for your work time and wages lost.
How to Cover Your Income Losses from a Power Outage
So how do you ? There are two possible routes you can take depending on your terms of service and your insurance policies.
| Send demand letters to the power company for failure to reconnect | Your first option is to send demand letters to the power company for lost income as a result of their slow repairs or misrepresenting repair times. If you lost several hours or even days of working ability due to their delay, you can send demand letters to in small claims court for the income you would have made. |
| File a business interruption insurance claim | Many businesses and some home professionals also have business interruption insurance. You can then file an insurance claim for loss of income coverage due to a power outage from the storm. Don't let them tell you it's not covered because there was something excluded (like a flood) involved in the outage, or those non-working computers are not "physical" damage. These decisions have been overruled before. |
How DoNotPay Can Help Get Your Income Back After a Storm-Related Power Outage
Don't have time to file a lawsuit or fight with your insurance company? Many people who lose income during a power outage are more focused on earning than they have time for the customer service run-around. Let DoNotPay help you instead.
As an online service, we can tackle both the power company and your insurance provider to make sure you have loss of income coverage for power outage time. Just tell us when, where, and how long the outage lasted and outline how much you could have made if connected during that time. We'll do the rest.
How to Get Compensation for an Outage Using DoNotPay:
If you want to get compensation for an outage but don't know where to start, DoNotPay has you covered in these 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
Lose income to an internet outage instead? Have friends or family with other power providers and outage losses? We can help. DoNotPay can help you tackle losses from any outage type (and company provider) across the US.
- Power Outage Compensation and Claims
- Spectrum Internet
- Internet Outage Reimbursement
- Oncor Power Outage
- DTE Power Outages
- PGE Power Outages
What Else Can DoNotPay Do?
Have other and paperwork hassles you need to deal with? DoNotPay can help. Our services were designed to take on difficult offices, frustrating situations, and unwanted payment charges so you don't have to.
- Robocall Compensation
- Neighbor Complaints
- Insurance Claims
- Help with Bills
- File a Complaint
- Customer Services
- Parking Tickets
DoNotPay was founded on the principles of removing the hassle and saving you unnecessary expenses. How can we make your life easier this year? Explore our many online services to find out.