I wish there were more stars for this…read more
Storytime: When Duke Energy upgraded our electric meter, they broke the base, and we experienced worsening brownouts and then blackouts for a few days.
When we called Duke Energy to come out, they found the meter was sparking (AKA arc'ing), so they shut off part of our power (one "phase"), so half our lights were out and we could not run appliances, although we had heat and could run a cord to a working outlet to our 'fridge.
BUT we had to repair the base (The box your meter sits on either outside or inside your house) at our cost!
(We were able to try and submit a claim, which actually was rejected due to a Duke subcontractor did the work ... also,we found out the base might have been failing for a long time before the meter replacement.)
First, I tried a company in Durham, because they could come out that night. They came out, and gave a $1,200 estimate to: get a permit, parts, replace the meter base. Fine. But, the person the Durham firm sent was scary in many ways ... I thought he might either electrocute himself or damage my house. Clearly he had no idea what he was doing, from watching and talking with him. My "BS detector" was going crazy. I wanted someone else, and told the firm to hold off while I got a second opinion.
Meanwhile, a day wasted with no power in many rooms in the house.
I called all the local electricians and everyone was too busy for weeks!
Then I tried Bonneville. I emailed them at night and got a call in two hours to schedule! I spoke with Brad and he clearly understood the situation and made me much more confident than the other firm.
At Brad's suggestion, I left a key for him to come inside the house so no one had to miss work. At about 10:30 that morning, he called me to tell me he was able to REPAIR the broken meter base, not replace it. He patiently explained EVERYTHING about what happened and why ... literally spent 15 minutes explaining and talking about it. Such an easy experience!
The best part? We were only charged $233 for the repair parts and labor, vs. the $1,200 to replace the meter base.
Advice: Bring your A game to Bonneville. Be ready to clearly explain your problem in an intelligent way, be a good listener, and you will be rewarded by the best service experience possible.
HIGHLY recommended.
Richard Stern, Carrboro NC.