Memorandum

To: CEO and President Paul Bowers, Georgia Power Thomas A. Fanning, Robert L. Brown, Jr., Commissioner Chuck Eaton, Commissioner Tim Echols, Commissioner H. Doug Everett, Commissioner Lauren "Bubba" McDonald, Jr., Commissioner Stan Wise and all appropriate parties From: Date: Re: Viola Davis RN BSN 9/2/2013 Georgia Power: How does a homeowner prove negligence?

cc:

Georgia Power: How does a homeowner prove negligence?

We submit this complaint to the President and CEO of Georgia Power in hopes that the corporation can answer the following question, "How does a homeowner prove negligence 7" We had the unfortunate experience of having a major electrical problem after the major storms occurred in June that caused major damage to the main line to our home. After seeking the help of our handy man and electrician, we were informed that repairs could not move forward until we called Georgia Power to make repairs to our electrical line. Georgia Power sent three trucks to our home to repair the main line. We personally witnessed the visit of two trucks with technicians and our neighbor witnessed one large truck on a Saturday morning. Unfortunately, Georgia Power neglected to leave any documentation of these visits. The communication was primarily verbal with Georgia Power employees and contractors. Georgia Power Employees/Contractors informed us of the following verbally: There were major problems with the main line and we need to get our family out of the house. The initial Georgia Power truck was too small and the technician needed to call for a larger truck.

September 2,2013 There was a need to replace the transformer overall damage. There were power surges and did we want to put in a claim? We were told a claim was filed and that someone would be contacting us within 24-48 hours. We had double electricity going through our home due to main line being damaged. The power line was placed in the wrong location. We had no ground and/or neutral throughout our main line. the process due to damage to box and wires due to the

These are several statements made by employees and contractors upon the visits to our home and/or on the telephone. Georgia Power took extended time repairing the main line which caused additional damage to our home. This overall experience was a major health and safety risk to our families. Despite the negative experience, we are blessed that no one was harmed or killed, nor was our home burned to the ground. We have decided to file this complaint because of the length of time Georgia Power took to repair our main line. We had problems with the reason the corporation used to justify denying the, claim and totally ignoring the evidence documented in the claims and damage agent's email. At no time did the employees that handled claims and damages question and/or investigate this issue from our point of view. Once enough evidence was available to totally justify denying the claim, we as homeowners were thrown to the side until we made the claims and damage agent aware of the fact that we had pictures and his ernail statements. I made a statement in my email that said, "We have pictures of the line throughout the process of trying to repair the electrical line after the storm. The fact that it took three calls before the actual repairs were done should prove negligence. However, the fact that Georgia Power refused to provide any documentation what so ever places the homeowner at the mercy of your corporation." The claims and damage agent stated, "What kind of documentation do you

need? ..Ms. Davis, Georgia Power is not one of those Corporations that tries to "short change" or "beat" our customers out of what they are due. If we are at fault, we will make it right, but I must be able to prove it."

September 2, 2013

Would the claims and damage agent be so accommodating if I had not pointed out that I had pictures and a copy of his email stating that one of your contractors stated they cut the line? Would the claims and damage agent ask for my side of the incident if I had not pointed out that we had pictures?

We asked the agents for information on the process because we were confused. However, the agent stated in his email: 1. "This is confusing and I'm trying to get to the bottom of it." 2. "I spoke with out technician that repaired the line to your home and he said it looked like someone go into the wire with a chainsaw." 3. "Someone named Jeff called in and said a tree company cut the line." In another email, the claims and damage agent stated that he was unable to locate the three times we called Georgia Power. However, how do you explain the different Georgia power trucks and contractors coming to our home? The email of the statements above was made August 7, 2013. However, the agent completed his investigation August 16, 2013. He stated that the issue was caused by an Act of Nature; specifically a tree grew into the service that feeds our home and damaged the Neutral line. We continue to ask the following questions: Since the incident occurred after the storm, why didn't the agent come out to our home and assess the full cause of the electrical problem? (We had some tree limbs down from the storm) What happened to the first attempt to repair our main electrical line? What happened to the tree company that was accused of cutting the line? What happened to the other 2-3 technicians that came out to our home and repaired the lines? How many technicians worked on the main line throughout the process?

Why were we informed that the repairs were complete initially; however, we were later ordered to leave our home again? What caused the line to appear to be "cut with a chainsaw"?

September 2,2013

We agree with the email dated August 16th that this crisis occurred after the storm; however, we must question the fact that this crisis involved multiple factors to include: 1. The storm that caused the 12 hour black out initially. major property damage. 2. The lack of proper repair of the electrical line that allowed double electrical current into our home. The power surges that also caused additional damage to our home. 3. We were informed by one employee that the line was placed in the wrong location. Since a majority of the information we received was verbal, we are at the mercy of Georgia Power to recover financially from this crisis. As a homeowner, we feel totally "short changed" and "beat". The end results revealed that your claims and damage agent merely had to blame this crisis on the trees and save Georgia Power the trouble of paying any money whatsoever. It is really sad that a corporation that we have long respected has displayed such a disregard for a private homeowner. We request that you read the PowerPoint and emails at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/164410591/Georgia-Power-How-Does-aHomeowner-Prove-Negligence-Part-I http://www.scribd.com/doc/164136172/Georgia-Power-How-does-ahomeowner -prove-n egl igence-Part -II http://www.scribd.com/doc/160932338/Georgia-Power-Claim-Form The storm that caused

We will file a claim with our insurance company in hopes of being made whole after this crisis. We will file this complaint to expose the challenges the average homeowner must endure filing a claim with Georgia Power. We were blessed to have picture and a small amount of documentation. Just imagine how homeowners are treated who are unable to provide documentation. Remember, Georgia Power gave us "no documentation". How does a homeowner prove negligence? Sincerely,

~j)~
Viola Davis RN BSN 4