Highland Park man stuck in red tape, waits for DTE surge protection program for help

HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. (FOX 2) -
It's been two weeks since that heavy winter storm knocked out power to some - followed by a power surge that knocked out their appliances. One homeowner who's been waiting on DTE for help.

"My fridge is just totally gone," said Eric Sanford.

Sanford hasn't had a working refrigerator or stove at his Highland Park home since the storm on January 12th - it's been two weeks.

"I was laying in the bed and I heard a big boom - it shook my home," he said. "I went downstairs - clicked on all my breakers, came back up, I had no stove and no refrigerator - it blew my cable box, my internet box.

"It blew all my lights upstairs - it blew the side lights over her - it blew my coffee pot and it blew my $200 mirror with the light around it, in my bathroom."

The power surge caused a lot of damage - and his appliances are only a few years old. He paid close to $1,400 for the refrigerator - and the stove - $1,100.

But Sanford pays for surge protection from DTE - so he had hoped it would repaired by now.

"Since this has happened - I've had to come up with over $1,000 out of pocket - even with me having the surge protection," he said. "I'm on disability - I don't have that type of money - that's bill money I used to do all of this with. So now I'm behind on other stuff."

Part of his cost is because the surge protection program requires the homeowner to get a third-party contractor to verify the damage.

"I had to pay Sears $300 to come and verify that - then I had to get all the paperwork to them - I've done all of that," he said. "And I still have no refrigeration and I still have no stove."

And a DTE representative told him it could take a lot longer.

"Also she said it could take between six and eight weeks - that I may have no refrigeration in my home," he said.

His neighbor also lost their stove because of the surge - everybody is just trying to get by.

"If I want a pop - I have to go buy it - if I want a cold water - I have to go buy it," he said. "I have to buy my dinner, breakfast, lunch - I'm eating peanut butter toast right now because I don't have any way to cook, or any way to store or refrigerate my refrigerated foods."

Sanford says DTE advised him not to fix the refrigerator or stove pending a review of his claim - it's going to cost $1,500 just to make the repairs.

"They claim they will reimburse me that - so we have yet to see," he said.

But there is good news to share here. As FOX 2 was reaching out to DTE to find out when, DTE was calling Sanford - to let him know he will be reimbursed and should be able to make those repairs - next week - instead of six to eight weeks.