Homeowners still in the dark after electric error
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – Nearly a week after an error killed their power, several homes in Battle Creek are still in the dark.
Dozens of homeowners on Hannah Street claim Consumers Energy fried their appliances by plugging in the wrong type of transformer.
Consumers took responsibility for the error and promised to take care of things, but residents say nothing has happened so far. Residents on Hannah Street say they're exactly where they were a week ago, without appliances and in some cases still without power.
Residents say the past week hasn't been easy. Consumers recently hooked up the wrong transformer, which sent a huge surge of power and wound up frying many residents' appliances.
Consumers has now openly admitted to the accident.
“We have conducted an investigation and we did cause the damages to those appliances on Hannah Street,” said Terry Dedoes, Consumers Energy.
However residents have had little, if any, wiggle room with the company and are still living in the dark.
“I have not one working appliance,” said John Kent.
Kent's freezer is now a cooler, and a friend let him borrow an apartment fridge to get by.
“We have no extra funds,” said Kent. “I don't know what we are going to do.”
Kent says he added up the figures and came to the conclusion that the amount of damage caused by Consumers will cost him about $7,000. He says he hasn't seen one cent.
“We shouldn't have to pay anything out of pocket,” said Kent. “We didn't screw up, they did.”
Consumers says they're working on the claims as fast as they can and will shell out whatever is necessary to replace what the residents lost, but wouldn't go into specifics.
“These are confidential terms and it would be inappropriate to discuss settlements,” said Dedoes.
Newschannel 3 did receive a call from one resident who says that since we were in the neighborhood on Tuesday Consumers has decided to pick up the pace on the claims, and residents could expect a check by the end of the week.
