  Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3026 Registered: 11-2007 |
My power was off for 14 hours this time. I would not gripe, but this has happened over 500 times in my 18 years here. Thanks to a fax machine that would spit out a power outage report, I would have no idea. DTE sucks ! | ||
Mind_field Member Username: Mind_field Post Number: 931 Registered: 10-2003 |
Well, you don't have to rely on the electric company for your power. Unless you are living in severe poverty, or an apartment, condo, or townhome, there are other ways to produce your own power. | ||
Pam Member Username: Pam Post Number: 4902 Registered: 11-2005 |
This looks helpful. Good luck. http://www.livingoffgrid.org/ | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3028 Registered: 11-2007 |
Thanks Mind_field, all I need is the $5000 cash infusion. | ||
Hamtragedy Member Username: Hamtragedy Post Number: 345 Registered: 10-2007 |
Since Detroit Edison bought out, merged with, absorbed Mich-Con, their service has been absolutely deplorable. It's obvious to me that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. In one instance, I have documented over 30 attempts to have a gas meter installed. I was told to wait at the property several times for a tech who never showed up. I would call back (to a call center in Ohio, of all places), and they would reschedule me for the next no show. This went on for two months. I even got bounced from the Hamtramck Office (since closed) because I told the unfortunate resident incompetent service person so much, (after being extremely calm and diplomatic), that security offered to escort me out. I walked, but not very quietly. So this spring, we turned off the gas at one house because it was on the market, but didn't want to pay the $8.50/mo. service fee. So we go to reconnect it in November, and the woman on the phone tells me there is a new reconnect fee of $35. She even asked me if it was okay, and I told her "no, it's not okay, I'll just call the other gas company and use them. " The silence on the phone was uneasy, but she finally waved the fee. | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 1465 Registered: 11-2003 |
I'd be taking it to council. This is the kind of stuff they love to get upset over. I've never had such outage issues, but I have had issues with irregular power voltage which is very common (and probably explains the 500 "outages"). What happens is that the voltage you get from Edison varies - sometimes as low as 100V from 120V - and if it goes below a certain point, some gear may register it as not getting power because it's not getting enough and count it as an outage, but DTE will say you have constant service. If it were me, I'd be buying a good UPS that has power conditioning for that fax machine and other gear to prevent damage as well as reduce the number of outages. And much less than $5000, although off the grid is cool :-) | ||
Mikem Member Username: Mikem Post Number: 3748 Registered: 10-2003 |
Some how I doubt you've had a power outage every two weeks for the past 18 years. Where do you live, approximately? If it is that bad, start complaining to the MPSC. | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3030 Registered: 11-2007 |
Mikem - Oakland Twp. My power has gone out up to seven times a day. When I Google for power grid information, I get nothing but the minutes of the last executive power lunch. In my first 7 years here, my power went out over 300 times. I have the UPS system and a Radio Shack surge protector for my computer. But several fax machines and phones were fried by DTE. | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3031 Registered: 11-2007 |
quote: Do you think I'm making this up ? | ||
Brandon48202 Member Username: Brandon48202 Post Number: 247 Registered: 12-2004 |
Yet another reason to live in Detroit- reliable electricity! | ||
Mikem Member Username: Mikem Post Number: 3750 Registered: 10-2003 |
Yes, I think you're exaggerating. No matter what you think of Detroit, that's a third world level of service. That's an outage every 12 days, month-after-month, for 18 years. I live in an inner-ring suburb with a local grid built in the 1940s and in the past 18 years I've had less than a half-dozen outages that weren't from storm damage. If it's just your house with the problems you need an electrician. If it's your whole neighborhood and none of you together have solved the problem, then you deserve service that bad. Report every outage, start keeping a disturbance log, get your neighbors involved as well, and start the complaint process with the public service commission. | ||
Mind_field Member Username: Mind_field Post Number: 932 Registered: 10-2003 |
^or you could quit sucking off DTE's teet and become self sufficient. | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3033 Registered: 11-2007 |
"Yes, I think you're exaggerating." Thanks Mikem, do you work for DTE ? I used to think the power was turned off for the expansion of the subdivisions out here. But obviously that is a moot point now. And the service has been better the past few years. You must have gotten your calculator out to prove me wrong. I DO NOT EXAGGERATE. | ||
Ltdave Member Username: Ltdave Post Number: 301 Registered: 09-2006 |
has everything in your house lost power or only certain items? if thats the case then you have a bad feeder coming from the pole (or tap connection) and youre losing one phase. happened to my dad once about 12 years ago. would lose power to about 1/2 the house. one phase had a connection go bad and would drop out... id do what was mentioned by checking with your neighbors too. that is deplorable service if they all have that problem... | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3034 Registered: 11-2007 |
No - the neighborhood goes out. Sometimes the power will be on across the street. And to complain to the Utilities is a lost cause. I've tried. | ||
Ltdave Member Username: Ltdave Post Number: 303 Registered: 09-2006 |
ruth to the rescue... | ||
Jerrytimes Member Username: Jerrytimes Post Number: 158 Registered: 04-2007 |
I can see why someone might think that you are exaggerating. Power being lost that many times is something that you could easily sue over, and if it's been so often over a period of 18 years, you would have no problem winning. I've lived in my home for 3 years, only have had one power outage and it was due to a tree falling and ripping the lines down. | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 9397 Registered: 11-2004 |
I'm liking Ltdave's suggestion here of calling up the media outlets and letting them know of this. It's ridiculous. I don't doubt that it very well could be 500 some outages but only according to your fax machine's power outage notices. I had a fax machine that did the same thing as well- it'd spit out power outage notices regularly but that's because it seemed as though that machine was very susceptible to power drops and not total power failures. We later found out that when someone would fire up the microwave or some other power sucking device on the same circuit, the fax machine would say there was a power outage. I sincerely hope there's some sort of resolution here for you. Not having a good consistent power source these days is not just inconvenient but it's got to be getting pricey replacing faxes and other electronic equipment. Good luck to ya. | ||
Wazootyman Member Username: Wazootyman Post Number: 406 Registered: 02-2006 |
I'd first talk to your neighbors. Make sure it's not an issue internal to your house. If it's a neighborhood-wide problem, they've got to be just as furious. I, too, am suspicious of your numbers - but that's not to say I'm accusing you of lying. A fax machine is far from a reliable power monitor. Do your microwave/stove clocks also reset during these outages? I live on the south side of Livonia. Depending on the street, you'll find homes here built between roughly 1930 and 1960; my block went up in 1951. I moved in here in 2005 - and as far as I know, we've lost power 3 times. Twice due to nasty storms, but they've since hacked the trees away from the lines. One of those times, we had a massive transformer failure down the entire block - bringing down one "leg" of the AC, effectively shutting down half the circuits in each house. Guess those nearly 60 year old transformers finally gave up supplying double the load they were intended to. The next day, DTE trucks lined the streets, replaced every transformer. We had a slight problem with 'flickering' lights a few weeks later, and after confirming that my neighbors had the same problem (you could see it in their porch lights), a number of us called DTE. It was fixed a couple of days later, and we haven't had a problem since. I also know that my parents - who live north of me - have had worse luck when it comes to outages. They're in a neighborhood with a lot of old growth trees, and storms are almost guaranteed to knock them out. It got to the point where the mayor set up an open meeting with DTE and residents to come to a solution. So, I guess my point is - don't take this on yourself. I think that your neighbors and city council should be used as a resource to solve this problem. I'd like to add one thing: contrary to popular belief, there is no inherent surge when power is lost or regained to a home. In fact, transformers tend to sag upon re-loading. Surges from the power company really only occur with massive equipment failure (though rare) and lightning. | ||
East_detroit Member Username: East_detroit Post Number: 2302 Registered: 11-2003 |
We were having a lot of problems with DTE (low voltage conditions every other week) and finally turned to the MPSC and they fixed it up right quick (DTE installed new equipment down the street, including voltage regulators). Funny thing is, I was apparently the only person complaining, even though the whole block was affected. DTE would send someone out and they would either say they couldnt see anything wrong or would "fix" something else. Maybe I was the only one with a UPS that I could generate a report from, but I was persistent. I suggest that you do the same. Take your FAX machine report. | ||
East_detroit Member Username: East_detroit Post Number: 2305 Registered: 11-2003 |
http://www.michigan.gov/mpsc/0 ,1607,7-159-16368_16415---,00. html | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 4092 Registered: 08-2007 |
I don't think Bigb is exaggerating at all. It is entirely possible he has lost power that many times. We live out in Essex County and although DTE has nothing to do with us, I bet we've lost power here just as many times. Maybe not for the long periods of time as Bigb has, but we often get those brief blips in our service. Now during storms, we've gone as long as 12 hours without power. I can accept that. But when there is perfect weather; not a cloud in the sky, and virtually no wind to speak of, the only thing I can contribute an outage to is the act of a bird shitting on a wire somewhere along the line. Now, for an outage to happen during those quiet times, IMO, there is no excuse. I'll be typing something on my computer and out it goes! I've finally learned that if I'm working on something important I need to save it every few lines. Sheesh! | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3037 Registered: 11-2007 |
Thanks Eriedearie, I'm not crazy, but this has got to stop. I shouldn't have to live in a third world country. | ||
Django Member Username: Django Post Number: 2174 Registered: 10-2003 |
Crap, I thought you were comin down to Mazatlan. Seriously, Better Business Bureau is my only suggestion. They are a business correct?? Ive had great luck several times when making complaints against bigger companies like Sprint and ATT. At the very least you should get $$ off your bills. Shoot high too, when or if they ask what you want for compensation. I know you want the prob solved but you shouldnt have to pay for that crap. | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 9402 Registered: 11-2004 |
I think you've got some really good suggestions here, Bigb23- as well as some good hearted support. I really do wish you a quick resolution to this somehow. I don't know how happy I'd be if my power cut out for no reason and without warning. And yes, if I'm working on the computer I should be hitting the SAVE key every few minutes or so, but the problems you describe sound as though they're more than just a minor blip- they really start affecting the quality of life there. Good luck with everything and keep us updated. | ||
Mwilbert Member Username: Mwilbert Post Number: 461 Registered: 11-2007 |
If you wouldn't know it except that your fax machine tells you, you aren't really in 3rd world conditions. I understand why you are upset about a 14 hour outage, but what I don't understand is how often these power outages are actually a problem, as opposed to just a message from your fax machine. | ||
Retroit Member Username: Retroit Post Number: 552 Registered: 04-2008 |
Bigb23, no one should have to suffer as much as you have, but I wonder what sort of complaining you have done other than: "And to complain to the Utilities is a lost cause. I've tried." If I were in your situation, I would have made 500 phone calls, sent 500 e-mails, wrote 500 detailed letters of complaint with every outage documented in full detail with names and employee numbers listed, called "Hall of Shame", "Ruth to the Rescue", "Problem Solvers", and even gotten Steve Wilson on the case, not to mention every government entity I could think of, and consulted a lawyer! | ||
Jiminnm Member Username: Jiminnm Post Number: 1889 Registered: 02-2005 |
Big, have you tried here: http://www.michigan.gov/mpsc/0 ,1607,7-159-16368-38398--,00.h tml I would also suggest dropping a line to Tony Earley, CEO. That frequently gets a response. In the 1980s, a 2-3 block area around where I lived had dozens of outages for no apparent reason. I convinced our home owners assn board to write on behalf of the subdivision, and the problem was eventually resolved. | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 4101 Registered: 08-2007 |
You know Jiminnm - that just might work for our area! I will mention it to our association "mayor" to see if he will write to our electric company supplier. GOOD idea! Every time we have one of those blips - my husband has to reset the remote control channels. All the digital clocks need reset. And the outgoing message for the cordless phone has to be recorded again. Oh, plus the 3 light sensors have to be reset as well. So, you can just imagine all the cussing that goes on! | ||
Ordinary Member Username: Ordinary Post Number: 285 Registered: 06-2006 |
Mind_field, You mentioned twice about getting off the grid but you didn't elaborate. I think it would be pretty tough especially for a city or suburban resident. Pam,the web site you posted said, "running your house or business off of clean energy sources like natural gas and propane, or renewable energy sources like solar, wind and hydro" Now that DTE has taken over MichCon, you would still be supporting them when buying natural gas and most likely propane. As for solar, wind, and hydro, the utilities are going to be the big players in these things also if they aren't already. I think DTE is a mediocre company but sometimes you just can't fight city hall. I'm too busy to put up a windmill or a solar panel. | ||
Wally Member Username: Wally Post Number: 750 Registered: 12-2003 |
quote:Mindfield can't make posts longer than one sentence to explain. He has to pedal his electricity generating bicycle for 15 minutes per 1 minute of computer use, which limits his posts to one sentence. | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3144 Registered: 11-2007 |
Just resurrecting the thread, to say they are installing a secondary primary line right now on my street. The guy says "thats why your power ALWAYS goes out". I hope this will be the fix ! No more sitting in the dark several times a year ? No more brown outs ?  | ||
Retroit Member Username: Retroit Post Number: 675 Registered: 04-2008 |
Tell them to install a primary secondary line, too, while they're at it. | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3145 Registered: 11-2007 |
Oh shit, do they have to turn my power off to connect it ?  | ||
Townonenorth Member Username: Townonenorth Post Number: 641 Registered: 10-2007 |
2 lines,twice the price. | ||
Retroit Member Username: Retroit Post Number: 678 Registered: 04-2008 |
"Oh shit, do they have to turn my power off to connect it ?" It wouldn't be wise to connect wires when one is live. |
