DTE power surge ruins appliances for some residents in Allen Park
ALLEN PARK, Mich (FOX 2) - Dave Lovelock had quite the shock to the system last Friday in Allen Park.
"I heard a pop in my kitchen that sounded like a .45 round and I jumped up off my couch. It freaked me out," he said.
He says he began having problems with several home appliances when a crew was replacing power poles behind his house.
"I looked at my stove. My stove said 'improper wiring.' It’s never said that before," he said. "The front of my fridge just got a puddle of water on it and we noticed that the fridge's motor wasn't running. The fridge was dead.
"We started checking more appliances and my daughter's Xbox transformer got destroyed. Our fridge which is brand new, is about $3,000. That’s destroyed."
Lovelock said he isn't the only one.
"My neighbor over here - I’ve got a list of my phone, but it was his hot tub, garbage disposal, water filtration system, and his AC, which is only three months old," he said.
At least five other neighbors say they have similar problems.
"It’s my fridge, furnace, coffeemaker, some LED lights," said Scott Porter
Lovelock and others say they filled out reimbursement claims with DTE but got denied.
"This wasn’t the typical power surge. They back fed 110 volts," Lovelock said. "I don’t know where else to go, so it was my wife’s idea. She said 'You know what? We’re calling FOX 2. We’re calling the Problem Solvers.'"
Those residents in Allen Park had questions and we had questions, so we went to DTE to see if they could explain.
DTE confirms crews were conducting a planned replacement of power poles in the area when the electric troubles arose.
They sent FOX 2 a statement that says:
"We recognize how difficult and inconvenient an appliance loss is for a customer. We are currently conducting a secondary review of this situation and will be communicating our findings directly to the homeowner."
Neighbors say they’ll be patiently waiting.
"I just want my stuff fixed man," Porter said. "Like be more careful."
