Tuesday - Nov.1st Protest DTE Energy Shutoffs

[JBMcB]

Kind of like when you did something wrong as a kid & your parents wanted you to "take the time to think about what you did". DTE wants you to take the time to think about not paying your bill on time, no matter what the circumstances were.

IIRC they give you several days notice when they will be cutting your power off. They notify you once the shutoff work order has been placed, just like when you request a reconnect. It's not "flipping a switch," either, there's a shutoff procedure as laid down by OSHA [[I think it's in CFR 29)

[Zacha341]

Well that's interesting as Atlanta, Georgia rarely gets cold enough to literally kill as it does in this area! Does Minnesota, Chicago, Wisconsin or Canada have such an option?

TOTALLY agree as the utilities in GA have an agreement that no cut offs will happen if the projected temp is 32 or below.

[Gistok]

Agreed. Also, if your power gets shut off, it can be done with a flip of a switch. Once you pay up & are eligible to get it back on, they have to submit a "work order" & have to "schedule it". It can take up to 4 days to get this work order scheduled.

Jackie5275.... that flip of a switch is done on your premises. I had some friends who lost their jobs [[now living in Utah)... and as for electric shutoff they have 2 options for electric disconnect.... 1) at the point where you electric meter is at your house. If they cannot get to the meter [[say you have a dog in the yard where the meter is)... then 2) they can shut you off at the electric pole where your electricity comes to your house from. Getting a reconnect for scenario #1 is much faster than a reconnect for scenario #2. In either case no one needs to be home for a reconnect.

For gas shutofffs... they will shut it off at the gas meter, which is almost always in front/side of your house, within easy access. For a gas reconnect, someone MUST be home... so that the Gas representative re-ignites the hot water tank, the stove [[if not electric), and makes sure the furnace pilot light is on.

But for telephone reconnect, I'm not sure if that is done in the central office, or at the local neighborhood phone maintenance box.

[Trumpeteer]

Well that's interesting as Atlanta, Georgia rarely gets cold enough to literally kill as it does in this area! Does Minnesota, Chicago, Wisconsin or Canada have such an option?

Which makes it even more impressive that that type voluntary accomodation is provided by the utilities here.

[hamtown mike]

Grrrr. Barely 10 and I already have my Monday morning hackles up. I've used the phrase before and I will use it again. we are becoming a society of living down to the lowest common denominator. Living down, not helping up. A handout is the worst type of slavery.

[Gistok]

What I often find appalling is that if your gas, electric or phone service is cut off... not only do you have to pay a reconnect fee, but often a deposit... it's bad enough that power was shut off due to financial hardship... but utilities compound the misery by demanding a deposit of $100-$150 just to get it turned back on [[not including reconnect fees!)..

One of the most ridiculous scenarios was written about in the local St. Clair Shores neighborhood paper, where a truant water bill balance caused a city employee to come out to the non-paying house with one of those long gadgets that they stick into your lawn to shut off the underground water intake. Only problem was, it wouldn't shut off [[the mechanism was stuck). The city sent the truant homeowner a notice that if the bill wasn't paid within a week that they would send out a backhoe to dig up the front lawn to turn off the water, and charge the homeowner $250 for the trouble of doing so. Well it seems that the homeowner scraped together the money and paid the past due balance. Only problem was that the next bill arrived in the mail with a disconnect and reconnect charge, even though neither was accomplished at the address... talk about ripping off your own taxpayers!!

[MikeM]

Regarding THAW:

Funding News

The Low Income Energy Efficiency Fund [[LIEEF) is the primary grant used by the utility companies to support customers struggling to pay their bills. This fund represents around $80 million to Michigan residents and it is being threatened to go away due to a recent court claiming the Michigan Public Service Commission [[MPSC) does not have the authority to distribute these dollars. Should this ruling stand, organizations like THAW will find an immediate contraction of financial support for the customers we serve and thousands of homes will be cold this winter. Absent this grant whose term begins October 1st, there is no alternative resource to help families this winter.

Though it is believed the MPSC will take this matter to the Michigan Supreme Court to seek an appeal, the question remains what will people do while this case is being heard? While a legislative fix is possible, it suffers the same issue of time not being on our side before the deep cold sets in.

[lgc22]

Check out Cents for Energy...you can enroll in the program to help out neighbors in need [[http://www.dteenergy.com/residential...ForEnergy.html):

"Cents for Energy is an energy assistance program created by DTE Energy and THAW [[The Heat and Warmth Fund). It provides energy assistance to individuals and families having severe difficulty paying their energy bills.

When you participate in this donation program, you can round up your energy bill payment to the nearest dollar or add up to an additional $10 donation.

All funds collected will be used to assist customers whose income is above federal poverty guidelines, but who still struggle to meet financial obligations. One hundred percent of the funds will be used to help qualified individuals and families retain utility services.

To participate in the Cents for Energy program, your account must be active with no unpaid balance. Each year you will receive confirmation of the total amount donated for the prior year. You may discontinue the program at any time."

[Danny]

My Comrads!


The 99 Percenters had declared a socialist war against the corporate greed of DTE Enengy. We will march carrying our weapons of peace against the greed mongers up to their door step. Let them sent their rich armies. We will not be stopped until mantra is being heard. We will return again if we don't get results. The 99 Percenters has heard the cries of many proletarian families who struggle threw the long cold winters without any heat and lights. Many died from building fires from extreme measures to keep themselves warm. Many heat relief agencies are trying their best to negotiate with DTE Energy, but most representatives are turned away as a result. DTE Energy has slapped their customers with fees, fees and more fees per killowatt hours of electricity and this so called natural gas, [[the cleanest burnging gas) from DTE Energy is raising its rates to very expensive levels. When Thanksgiving and Christmas begin in the proletarian ghettohoods of Detroit and other suburban neighborhoods, many parents may have to choose between getting a good meal, running down to the Christmas Tree see their presents or paying their gas or electric bills. I can see many results that most proletarian families with their children will not see a good Thanksgiving dinner or getting a Christmas present. So my Comrads march to that black tower of Babel and bring those fat pigs down. They are the energy hogs just like Enron suck the energy out of the State of California dry! Go forth my Comrads, our socialist democracy and our liberty awaits us.

[Trumpeteer]

WOW!! Just totally WACK.

[Lowell]

On their way to DTE...

[Det_ard]

Hopefully they each donated $100 or something to THAW in addition to taking their walk.

[Trumpeteer]

Thirty five in the picture including the clown with the bullhorn leveled at "Occupiers" just than a few feet away. "Down with DTE and the MAN" "HUH?"

[guito13]

On their way to DTE...

"Look Ma', Hippies!"

Hopefully they each donated $100 or something to THAW in addition to taking their walk.

Silly Det_ard, Hippies dont have jobs!

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

I hear DTE execs are in panic mode, hunkered down trying to figure out a way to assuage the public outrage. Stay strong, DTE, stay strong.