Storm Power cuts - faulty electric hob

WoodyWood

Hey, I had quite a few power cuts on Thursday, some for seconds, 1/2 hour and over two hours when western power had to repair a power line that a tree had fallen on, they did the usual turn on and off test before power was back.
My electric job has now started to not work correctly, not heating correctly, and not turning on at all.
Are western power liable?
Are they responsible to keep vegetation/trees cut back to prevent such issues?
I have contacted them, their claims team say they are not liable but have offered £30 good will. This doesn't cover the initial electrician call out to inspect, the induction hob is a lot more to replace.
Claim or no claim?

spiro

No claim here.

footyguy

WoodyWood wrote: »

Hey, I had quite a few power cuts on Thursday, some for seconds, 1/2 hour and over two hours when western power had to repair a power line that a tree had fallen on, they did the usual turn on and off test before power was back.
My electric job has now started to not work correctly, not heating correctly, and not turning on at all.
Are western power liable?
Are they responsible to keep vegetation/trees cut back to prevent such issues?
I have contacted them, their claims team say they are not liable but have offered £30 good will. This doesn't cover the initial electrician call out to inspect, the induction hob is a lot more to replace.
Claim or no claim?

Wecome to MSE :hello:

What is "the usual turn on and off test before power was back" you refer to? I've never experienced this following a power cut.

I, too, like Western Power and spiro say, cannot see a claim here.

However, if you can find an expert to support you in such a claim, and are willing to pay them accordingly and fight what will probably be an expensive legal battle, then you might possibly win. Also seek independent legal advice before embarking to far on this route.

But I can't really say as the part where you say it "has now started to not work correctly, not heating correctly, and not turning on at all." does not make any sense to me :huh:

Western Power have no responsibilty for other peoples gardening, and indeed if they were to start cutting down other peoples property (without a court order) they probably would face litigation.

Good luck!

(personally, I'd probably just get a new electric hob if the sparky you called out could not fix the old one - less than £100 for a simple 4 plate one, or get the landlord to sort it if you rent )

teddysmum

It would be difficult (impossible ?) to prove that the power cuts caused the malfunction, but , as they were caused by a storm (ie nature) they cannot be blamed on the power company's negligence, so they aren't liable.

System

teddysmum wrote: »

It would be difficult (impossible ?) to prove that the power cuts caused the malfunction, but , as they were caused by a storm (ie nature) they cannot be blamed on the power company's negligence, so they aren't liable.

It's not impossible. My late Mother had her TV repaired at the distribution company's expense after a power surge. Initially, they said 'no' until they started receiving a number of reports of appliance failures from other people living in the same street. That said, I agree that a single event is not going to result in a positive response.

ctdctd

Induction Hob?
These are full of electronics for the induction control so are not just a simple heating element.

It is possible a power surge when the electricity was restored killed it - but unless other devices in the area were affected as well, would be difficult to prove.

Sometimes electronics can get confused with rapid power loss and restore - have you tried switching off the cooker circuit at the fuse box, waiting 5 mins and then switching it on again?

matelodave

The problem with a lot of stuff nowadays is that it doesn't actually turn off - they go into standby mode, which means that they are always connected and thus subject to power surges and spikes on the mains.

Induction hobs are similar, they've got touch buttons which have to be powered for them to work. I was quite surprised at how much power our induction hob consumed when it was "off" so we always turn off the cooker isolator when the cooker isn't in use.

The same with other electronic stuff with touch buttons, we turn it off when not in use. Not only does it save power - not much I'll agree - but it also protects it from mains borne problems. We get quite a few short term power outages.

payandisplay

You will probably find it covered on your house contents policy.

System

payandisplay wrote: »

You will probably find it covered on your house contents policy.

Good in theory, but after the excess payment and the extra premium in the following year, it may not be worth claiming.

minimike2

I am not even sure why they have offered you £30. £30 more than I would have offered in this instance.

WoodyWood

Thanks for replies guys. I've received my £30 cheque, so I'll take it and run :j