Your money or your principles

The problem is not going away-

The problem of what to do about failing Smart Meters needs to become more than just conversation which Claims Adjusters and Insurance Company Attorneys have over their lunch. What we need to do is to achieve some type of coordinated action to reach a safe and successful end of Smart Meter related fire losses.

When I  consider the Smart Meter problem, I can only compare it to the issue that Ford Inc., experienced with the placement of the gas tanks on the Ford Pinto’s in the 1970’s. Pinto drivers had their vehicles explode in flames, after minor rear end collisions, with the driver and passengers usually dying in the fire, or being horribly injured, people died then, and people are dying now due to failed Smart Meters.  

The Ford Pinto debacle took at least 27 lives and many injuries prior to changes being made. The problem with the Pintos intensified when it became known that Ford was aware of the structural problem but decided against a recall because it was evaluated as being more cost effective to settle the lawsuits, that to fix the location of the fuel tanks.

Fatalities-

In order to make my point a little clearer I have provided below the names of just a selection of the unfortunate people who have lost their lives due to a smart meter fires,

1. Mr. Larry Nickkel, of Vacaville, California.

2. Ms. Michelle Sherman of Reno, Nevada.

3. James Humphrey Jr. of Dallas, Texas.

Where have the meters gone?

To bring the matter closer to home, the following is a list of claims that I had open on my desk prior to my retirement. Each claim was due to a Smart Meter related fire,

1. Restaurant fire in Las Vegas Nevada. The Smart Meter was reported as being the source of the fire by an eye witness. The fire damage repair was $39,000.00. It took 18 months to access the meter for testing.

2. A large Homeowners Association in Las Vegas Nevada suffered fire damage from a malfunctioning Smart Meter, the repair cost amounted to $27,000.00. The meter was reported as catching on fire. We were never given access to test the failed Smart Meter.

3. A large apartment complex in San Jose, California was fire damaged due to a failed Smart Meter. Total paid to the insured was $103,000.00. We were never given access to test the Meter in question.

4. A small fire loss at a restaurant in San Diego, California resulting in $10,000.00 loss payment. The meter was actually documented as being on fire  when the fire department arrived. We have still not been given access to test the Meter.

The question no one answers-

We are told by the Utility Companies that “installing a smart electric meter will help you to reduce your energy cost,” but the cold hard facts do not reveal that to be the truth. The meter itself will not help you to reduce your energy cost simply by installing it, but it can show you where you can reduce your energy consumption.

The older analog meters are not subject to high voltage errors, such as low voltage errors, incorrect meter reading, total meter reading failure, burnt meters, internal faults and smoked meters. This does not even take into account the fact that a utility customer will be billed for the new meter, as well as for its installation. The customer is in effect paying for the right to have an inferior product installed on their home.

Conclusion-

I can only conclude this article with a question, “how much is a human life worth.”

Respectfully,

Norman Lambe

nwlambe@gmail.com