Some you win, some you LOSE

Status
Not open for further replies.
Ouch!


Consider it tuition???

The POCO here never charges for disconnect/reconnect.


They did charge me about $500 one time when I dropped an overhead triplex service on to a fuse link.:roll:
 
Code:
The POCO here never charges for disconnect/reconnect.
Click to expand...


220/221- POCO usually doesn't charge here for disco/reco. This is actually a scheduled outage- all the lineman does is shut er down at the tranny and then wait in his truck till i'm done. Its expensive mainly because they will only do it on a Sun. so its at overtime service rates. And off course that includes an hr to p/u truck and NO MATERIAL at yard and go back to yard.

I fail to see how the POCO can ask for 100% up front while I can legally only ask for 10% down. Guess they make their own rules.

I feel like I'm being bullied around by the GC. My two main superintendent contacts have left the company and I was only doing the jobs that were out of his area (which is the area I would rather work in anyways) or commercial jobs (mostly the GC owners pet projects, he owns something like 14 commercial buildings). Point is I don't know how much more work I'll be doing for them after this anyways. Of course I don't want to burn any bridges even if that is the case.
 
while its true that education is expensive and invaluable, I've got too much money floating out there owed to me and am looking at too many rising expenses to be willing to pay for that lesson.
 
Last edited:
power companies have changed "big time" on building shutdowns over the last twenty years. used to not cost anything for this type of work. now days they call in a special crew---but if you talk to the representative for this account and tell him/her your actual problem maybe they can cover it with the normal duty crew---re: no special crew. they were payed for the first go around---doen't cost anything to ask!!! and think about adding to every future proposal some type of wording to cover this type "stuff"!!
 
Worst part is when I initially bid it I was looking to make a VERY NICE day's pay. Now....not looking so good.

It seems that if I don't just pay it'll be w/held from my payment anyways. I'm thinking about having them send me a check right now for the final payment on this job and then and only then would i pay the POCO invoice.
 
I would think that the utility should be able to make some kind of adjustment to the charge... I mean the upgrade should make it more likely for the building occupants to buy more power.

I really like the idea of telling the GC that you're ready soon as the check is made out to the POCO for the shut down cost. If you cave in- you'll never get it out of the GC. Get it settled in advance. I, along with everybody else here, took the same courses at UHK. (University of Hard Knocks).

Fight for it- the worst thing that could happen is that you have to pay it all anyway. Otherwise every dollar of the cost shared is a dollar saved, right?

- Greg
 
SmithBuilt said:
I probably would have missed this also. You could have cut the seal and looked. If you fight it and they get another opinion it will probably still be your problem.
Tim
Click to expand...

In my area, you cut a poco seal and you are setting yourself up for 10 grand in fines. I say send the GC/property owner the bill for this charge, cause it is "unforseen" when the utility rules prevent you from "seeing" it.
 
Mac where is your area?

It's never been an issue here. I guess being an electrician they realize you not out to steal power. Or are there reasons for not breaking the seal?

Tim
 
sparky76 said:
220/221- POCO usually doesn't charge here for disco/reco. This is actually a scheduled outage- all the lineman does is shut er down at the tranny and then wait in his truck till i'm done. Its expensive mainly because they will only do it on a Sun. so its at overtime service rates.
Click to expand...

So the power company will only schedule an outage for Sunday. That's really doesn't sound right. The only reason I can think of for not scheduling and outage is that shutting down the transformer will affect other customers.

If you only need a couple of hours this time to finish up see if you can't schedule the outage for say 4 AM or something. What I have had to do hear to schedule an outage is get a form signed by other tenants on the same tranformer to say that the scheduled outage will not affect their business. Then I get there at 3:30 and have generator running and temp. lights rigged by 4:00 and the linemen shut it down. Then work like the devil is affter me for a couple of hours.
 
SmithBuilt said:
Mac where is your area?

It's never been an issue here. I guess being an electrician they realize you not out to steal power. Or are there reasons for not breaking the seal?

Tim
Click to expand...

Oahu, Hawaii. There was some theft of power issues some few years back that as I have heard it from local inspectors had been done with the assistance of electricians. In emergency cases we can cut seals and call for a re-seal afterwards, but it has to be of that nature.
 
I've got too much money floating out there owed to me and am looking at too many rising expenses to be willing to pay for that lesson.
Click to expand...


Ehh....tell em you can't won't do it.

What's the worst that can happen?
 
220/221 said:
What's the worst that can happen?
Click to expand...


You could loose lots of future work. That will have to be a call sparky76 makes. You never know what word of mouth can do for you. You have to make the call as to whether the word is good or bad.
 
I finally was able to get a hold of the POCO planner today. It wasn't the best quality conversation because he was on the road and I tried my best to explain the situation to him. While he was somewhat sympathetic, it seemed like he didn't completely understand the situation and it wasn't the kind of sympathy that translates to saving dollars and cents. Of course he explained to me that they are paying union linemen overtime and that they have a 2hr min. for travel time and that if it doesn't paid then the outage doesn't get done. Its just changing out the meter socket, the bus jumpers have already been upgraded so it should only take an hour and he wrote up as a 6hr outage plus the 2hr out & back time so its possible that part of the cost could be refunded. Bottom line is- it will still be expensive.

Anyway, pride aside- I want hear from the jury. Those of you who are following this thread, was it an honest mistake, or would you have caught it?
Don't be shy.
 
I would like to think I would have caught it but I do stupid careless crap all the time.

The difference is, I usually get away with it or somehow pull it off.
 
I try not to ASS...U....ME anything, but sometimes crap happens.

I would (as I'm sure that you do) feel really bummed out if that happened to me.

Look at it this way....Tomorrow is a new day, and this will pass.

steve
 
Ok I have read this several times now and since you asked?

Should you have know there was a meter socket or even might be one hidden in the sealed section?

If the answer is yes then pony up and buy the lesson.

If the answer is no, take your case to the GC and either ask them to split it with you or take their case to the owner and explain it was an unforeseen condition. Be upfront and honest and hope they don?t think you are scamming them. Maybe some documentation from the POCO about sealed units would be good too.

My experience has been, you lose some, and you win some and if you were working in this gear and had a permit, you should have already cut open the sealed section and been ready?or at least as an owner that is how I might see it.

Take the loss, learn the lesson, move on.
 
Last edited:
I guess a lot depends on just what the actual circumstances are.

If this was something the EC should have caught and didn't, he should be on the hook for it. Incompetence is not an unforeseen circumstance.

I do not generally believe in halfsies. IMO, if you as the EC are 50% guilty of missing something you should have caught up front, you should have caught it up front.
 
4 to 7 odds I would have missed it and I would have authored this thread. I'm in this for the long haul so it doesn't bother me too much too eat it now and then. It builds character as my dad used too say. I've paid a lot of this type of dues over the last 34 years of doing this and, contrary to what others on this forum might tell you, I'm still in business and thriving.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top