ByHow to Recover Lost Income or Equipment Damages from a Pacific Power Outage
Pacific Power provides electricity in three states: California, Oregon, and Washington. If you are a customer of Pacific Power it's important to know that while there are no official printed policies, the company is still liable for any damages caused by power surges or loss of income from extended outages. are no joke when they cause you to lose money or break your valuable equipment.
By taking the right steps, you don't have to soak those costs on your own. Don't have time for small claims court or hours on the phone with your insurance provider? DoNotPay can help you reclaim both your time and money after a Pacific Power outage causes income loss or damages.
Power Surges and Damaged Equipment from a Pacific Power Outage
Power outages can happen for many reasons. But when an outage starts with a power surge - a massive amount of power sent down the line - it can do more than blow your breakers. Even with surge protectors in your home, valuable equipment like your AC unit can be damaged and even destroyed in the process.
If Pacific Power is responsible for the damage, they are also liable for the hefty repair or replacement costs as well. There are three ways to get your money from Pacific Power for surge-damaged equipment:
|
File a Complaint with Pacific Power |
Pacific Power may or may not decide to honor its responsibility. If not, you may need to take alternative steps through your insurance provider or small claims court. |
|
File a Homeowner's Insurance Claim |
Homeowner's insurance is there for massive unforeseen disasters just like this. For many policies, you can claim the equipment damage and let the company get their money back through Pacific Power. However, do not let your insurance agent discourage you from filing (they might do this just to maintain their own stats). If the damage is covered, your claim will be approved and it is unlikely that your rates will go up - as this is an event outside your control. |
|
Send Demand Letters To in Small Claims Court |
If you do not get satisfaction from Pacific Power's customer services or your homeowner's insurance policy, you have one more option. You can file a lawsuit through your local Small Claims Court, which will hold Pacific Power liable for the damages and the cost of repair or replacement of your damaged equipment. This is an involved process and you will need to make a strong case, likely in person. |
Food Loss Coverage from an Extended Pacific Power Outage
The power company is also liable for food loss for any unannounced that lasts longer than four hours. After four hours. the USDA recommends that all food in your fridge and freezer be thrown away due to the potential growth of bacteria in a warm fridge. Pacific Power does not advertise a specific policy to reimburse your food loss, but may be willing to offer recovery funds if you contact them.
You may also have food loss coverage of $500 or $1000 through your homeowner's insurance.
To claim food loss, prepare:
- Photos of the inside of your fridge and freezer
- Your last grocery receipt, especially for high-priced items like steak and lobster
- Records of the outage time longer than 4 hours
How to Get Compensation for Lost Income During an Extended Pacific Power Outage
For many people today, an extended power outage doesn't just mean waiting around telling spooky stories by candlelight. If you work from home, extended unannounced time without power can mean disconnection from your employer and/or clients. It can cause you to lose valuable time working with online resources and projects. For many, you can lose significant wages and even business opportunities due to an outage.
When this happens, you can file a Small Claims Court lawsuit against Pacific Power to recoup your losses. You will need detailed proof that:
- The power outage was unannounced
- The outage went on for a damaging amount of time
- The income you typically make during that time
- Any records of lost business or financial consequences due to the outage
How to Recoup Your Pacific Power Outage Losses with the help of DoNotPay
When a power outage causes you financial loss, the remedy can take longer than the outage itself. Whether the solution is long conversations with customer service, with your insurance agent, or in small claims court, you may just not have the time to push the issue and get returns on your losses. This is what Pacific Power is counting on, which is why they don't reach out to offer remedies in the first place.
Fortunately, you don't have to spend any more of your valuable time trying to get back what you lost in the power outage. DoNotPay will do that for you. Tell us about the power outage and share your proof documents on any damages, food loss, or lost income caused by the outage and we'll do the tedious tasks for you.
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 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 Many Outage Losses, All Over the Country
The DoNotPay outage service extends beyond just losses caused by a Pacific Power outage. Whether you lost business due to an internet outage or someone you know is dealing with power outage losses with another provider or in another state, we can help. Here are a few other outage services we provide.
- Internet Outage Reimbursement
- Oncor Power Outage
- Power Outage Compensation and Claims
- Spectrum Internet
- DTE Power Outages
- PGE Power Outages
What else can DoNotPay do?
Can DoNotPay make your life easier in other ways? You Bet! We make it our business to find new and helpful ways to save you time and money by doing the tedious stuff for you. Check out a few other services that can help you avoid the hassle, deal with a difficult government office, and take a few of those extra items off your busy to-do list.
- File a Complaint
- Customer Services
- Robocall Compensation
- Help with Bills
- Neighbor Complaints
- Insurance Claims
- Parking Tickets
Conclusion
DoNotPay is here to help you avoid unnecessary costs in any shape or form they occur. From power outage losses to canceling free trials in the nick of time, let us help you make life a little more affordable and less stressful this year.