Any Dno Guys On Here?

[revjames]

Need some advice

Had a joint go in the street and the resulting transient has fried my washing machine, boiler and (expensive) fridge

A team leader came and said they would pay my insurance excess. But why should I claim on my own insurance and risk higher future premiums?

Whats the normal response of DNO in these circumstances. I have been issued with a job reference number.

 

[pickleye]

Different situation, but...

We had a garage knocked down by a hiab truck delivering me some sand.  The company offered the same - claim on our home insurance and they'd pay the excess.

We point blank refused to inform our insureres and forced them to deal with it.  They weren't happy but I still have a no claims on my household policy and a nice new garage. 

Stick to your guns, its a different situation obviously, but you never know.

 

[sellers]

does sound like a cop out.

Someone else damages your equipment, they claim on their insurance!

 

[Sharpend]

Agree stand your ground and point out that you have had to a) take time of work b) pay out for alternative heating c) cost of collecting food daily as no fridge to store it in, etc. it is through their failings that you have had to endure this duress and you fully expect them to recover all your losses.

It's Ok we'll all pay for it in the end as they'll just increase their prices!

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

Tell them you dont have contents insurance

 

[apprentice87]

Just tell them they have 24 hours to sort it out or you will county court them with immediate effect, Get a few estimates, and then just go to "moneyclaim" online and do it. Do you seriously imagine, that if you, say, dug up their cable with a jcb, they would claim on their insurance????? Get real.. They would just hit you with the bill and sue you, Do the same...

 

[kme]

Have to agree with John here. Its THEIR problem - let THEIR insurance cover it - not yours.

 

[revjames]

well I refused to use my insurance and rang them up to tell them. They immediately told me that they use a company called 'pacifica' to settle multiple failures like this. Why didnt they tell me this last night instead of saying the only thing to do is use my own insurance!

So this afternoon (for some reason) a sparky came and pat tested everything in the house and IR tested all the house wiring. Another spark came and checked out the fridge and washer and diagnosed corcuit boards on both. Parts on order. In the meantime I have been authorised to buy a fridge freezer to use while the main one is being repaired/ waiting for parts. I guess a more modest one than the £1200 one thats broken

No one has the board for the boiler and it could be a few days - I said get a new boiler then - but they wouldnt. They offered to put us up in a hotel but who wants that at Christmas especially as I have family coming down.

Latest is the parts have been ordered and will be emergency couriered and fitted on monday all being well. Will also be claiming for freezer contents that will have to be chucked. Thankfully hadnt done christmas food shop yet!

 

[OnOff]

Surely you'll need to by a few heaters to keep the place warm over the weekend! 

 

[hxsarge]

gotta love claiming on other peoples insurence, rape it... they would...

 

[kelvfoozinda]

I work for DNO's contracting side and occasionally get jobs to repair houses that have been fried.

Went to a row of bungalows once, neutral gone in a joint somewhere. Every third bungalow (on the same phase) had all the earth wiring melted throughout. We re-wired them all, new CU in each, and replaced some shocking wiring one owner had done in his own extension (1.5 t&e feeding sockets in the bath room from the lights for the washing machine that was sat next to the toilet). One of the bungalows had an original bare earth clipped to each ceiling joist in the loft with a large scorch mark under each bit as it had gotten more than a little hot. This was all done free of charge, and as the DNO self insure, they just pay out of their pocket + compensation.

 

[wozz]

Only ever herad good things about dno's when faced with this service.

Just sounds like the first Bloke had no idea.

 

[M107]

A village (Woolton Hill) up the road from me had the same issue as described by Kelvfoozinda, my mates place was rewired foc & some appliances replaced at the same time by SSE...........a new build & he'd only been in a few months.

 

[wozz]

A bit off topic but a DNO guy once said to me they usually know when there has been network issues as sky tv boxes go up the wall before most appliances!

 

[revjames]

My skys OK (which is a nuisance cos it plays up and could have done with a new one) TV etc all fed from a multi adaptor which switches everything off except sky box when you turn TV off so all TV stuff OK. Heating fixed just waiting for parts for washer and fridge now

 

[kelvfoozinda]

Haha, on the sky box subject. I've had a BT vision box in a block of flats show 80A with a clamp meter down the co-ax!

Turned out that there were two incomers into the building. Only one side had the communal TV aerial system plugged into it. The neutral would intermittently drop out on the supply without the TV aerial system, causing all of the neutral current from the second supply to go through this blokes BT box and down the aerial system to the other supply. 

BT had changed two boxes before we were even called. The co-ax had melted into the carpet.

 

[Evans Electric]

Scarey !!!!

 

[binky]

anyone now considering surge protection? Just comtemplating whether SP would protect against all DNO faults???

 

[revjames]

thing is where do you fit it? on every socket and every appliance? could get expensive. thay are a throw away after any surge. is there one that goes in the CU. why should we have to? supply should stay within given paramaters.

 

[Sidewinder]

SPD's are available for installation at the origin of the system.

They are not all throw away after a single incident, but they all have a finite life.

Oh, and YES the supply should stay within the specified parameters, and if not the DNO must be held to task in FULL.