| Con Ed Reimbursements for Blackout Food Spoilage | |||
|
| |||
| Netlore Archive: Email flier claims electrical utility Con Ed will reimburse residential power customers in New York up to $350 for food spoilage caused by the August 14 blackout | |||
| |||
Email example contributed by M. Sullivan, 26 Aug 2003:
|
Subject: FW: FW: Blackout - Con Edison If your food spoiled because of the blackout, Con Edison will reimburse you up to $150 without documentation and up to $350 WITH documentation. Mail in the claim form by September 13 (30 days after the blackout began). The form is available in PDF format at: https://m020-w5.coned.com/lawclaims/images/Residential.pdf |
Comments: The reimbursement form linked to in the message above is authentic and Con Edison does have a stated policy (PDF format) of compensating residential customers for food spoilage caused by interruptions in electrical service, but there's just one hitch: such interruptions must be attributable to "malfunctions in the Company's local distribution system," which Con Ed insists the August 14, 2003 blackout, which apparently originated in Ohio, was not.
"The Aug. 14 power disruption in New York City and Westchester was caused by an event hundreds of miles away," the utility said in a statement released August 19. "Under government regulations, Con Edison cannot be held responsible for legal claims stemming from food spoilage and other inconveniences."
Sources and further reading:
You're on Your Own - Con Ed
New York Daily News, 20 August 2003Don't Count on Con Ed Paying You
New York Post, 20 August 2003Rules and Regulations: Liability
(PDF file) Consolidated Edison Co., 20 March 2001
Last updated: 08/26/03
