BY MAUREEN N. MARATITA and OYAOL NGIRAIRIKL Journal Staff
CalinaganThe news that residents can claim from the Guam Power Authority for the effects of power outages has seen many of them turn to Guam suppliers of electronics, white goods, and appliances, as well as village mayors.
That number may have been swelled by the reminder from Sen. William A. Parkinson that GPA is liable for damage due to outages, and the town hall meetings he has held to assist residents.
Among the issues is the need to provide GPA with a certificate or verification of how damage occured, which is not necessarily free. Should GPA deny the claim, the resident will bear the cost.
Alfred J. Calinagan is store manager and service manager for Micropac Inc., which has two properties in Guam: a store in Chalan San Antonio in Tamuning and a store the Micronesia Mall.
Micropac has seen a steady flow of residents asking for assistance, Calinagan said.
“We have been encountering customers bringing in electronic goods like televisions, speakers, computers, etc.,” he said. Around 40% to 60% of the issues with the goods are power related, he said.
Understandably, retailers are most familiar with the brands that they retail.
“We usually only service the products we sell because it allows us access to service manuals, schematics, and parts if needed to service these items,” Calinagan said.
Nevertheless, retailers typically offer help to residents in distress over an essential item in their households.
One of Micropac Inc.’s stores is at the Micronesia Mall. Photo courtesy of Micropac Inc. “We try and offer to give advice for customers to troubleshoot the item like unplugging the item for around one to two hours to discharge the device and reset it — like a frozen computer [or] to try a different outlet or power cord,” Calinagan said.
As for diagnosing an issue with a dead device, retailers have various means to do that.
“We try to assess the damage of the items once they are turned in, first asking the customers what they plug these items in to, like a power strip or surge protector. Usually, we find out they just plug them in to a normal power strip, directly onto the power outlet, or an expensive or inexpensive surge protector strip,” Calinagan said. “This will not protect your equipment,” he said.
“We then open the items to see if PCB or component boards have burned marks. Even LED backlight on televisions can also burn out,” he said.
Calinagan has had his own experiences with the GPA procedures for petitioning for power related expenses.
Unfortunately, the process for claiming to GPA for damage to your equipment has a few issues, he said.
“These include a) Clarity or user-friendly procedures and steps to fill out and file; b) a short window to file claim; c) you have to pay a technician to check and print an estimate for the repair,” Calinagan said.
“This one personally is an issue for me, as I know that my air con was damaged from the power outage, and having a technician come by would cost me around $300.
“Even if GPA says that we can include the estimate to the claim, if I am denied the claim, I am short an estimate expense and my damaged products expense,” he said.
Retailers find themselves in the role of appliance doctor, also and offering advice on how to best cope with what is expected to be a continuing situation at GPA.
“To help protect against the constant power fluctuation, brown outs and black outs, we usually recommend investing in an AVR (automatic voltage regulator), line conditioner, or a UPS (Uninterrupted power supply) to help regulate the voltage while there is power. Also make sure to match wattage coverage of the equipment in question,” Calinagan said.
“Our sales team usually recommends this upon the sales transaction, especially with delicate devices like computers, televisions, audio systems, surveillance systems, etc. Our service team usually recommends these when customers pick up their merchandise serviced, and they did not have them protected from the unstable power.”
Calinagan said Micropac does not provide certificates confirming damage for a couple of reasons. He said there are issues with GPA accepting the certificates as proof of damage from power outages. In addition, he said, “If this was our product, customers would have to pay a diagnostics fee from $40 to $160 (depending on the item). We would queue it for our technicians to diagnose this issue.” At that stage, he said, “If there are noticeable burn marks from possible power surges and outages and we can see which parts were faulty, we then provide the estimate to the customer, which would include the parts and labor.” Micropac would then see if a customer wants to proceed, or order parts if necessary.
“In the middle of all this, maybe at the estimate stage, we would give them an estimate/quotation which would be used for the claim.” Calinagan said he is not sure exactly which type of certificates GPA would approve.
AligMayor Jesse L.G. Alig of Piti, who serves as the president of Guam Mayors Council and is currently the acting executive director of the council also, said at the peak of the load shedding following Typhoon Mawar he was getting at least three calls a day from residents throughout the island concerned about their appliances. Some wanted better information to protect their appliances, while others wanted to know how to make a claim.
Alig said to his understanding, GPA has a process for the claims, but he hasn’t been provided details.
“I know people were getting really frustrated … especially when they were trying to follow the schedule so they can unplug their appliances to protect them,” Alig said. “They would come back from work and the power never went out as scheduled. Or they would leave their appliances plugged in because there was no scheduled outage and then come home to find the power went out.”
The most concerning “appliances” for Alig, however, were the continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, and oxygen machines. This is an issue that many residents also raised as continued operation of machines are a matter of life and death. A CPAP is used to treat sleep apnea. A CPAP machine uses a hose connected to a mask or nosepiece to deliver constant and steady air pressure to help a person breathe while sleeping.
An oxygen machine supplies a high concentration of oxygen through either a nasal cannula or mask to someone requiring such therapy while at home.
Alig said he’s raised these specific issues with GPA and the authority has committed to working with him and other mayors. “What I do have to say is that we — myself and other mayors — have a good working relationship with GPA and they’re very responsive to our questions so we’re getting better and sharing information with constituents on a more timely basis.”
At the Journal’s request, GPA sent the paper information on claims by residents (See chart).
GPA said, “Please note that the Government Claims Act under 5 G.C.A., Chapter 6 is separate from damage claim pursuant to 12 GCA, Chapter 8, Section 8120. GPA ‘s response addresses damage claims pursuant to 12 GCA, Chapter 8, Section 8120 – Authority Liable for Damage.”
In its Dec. 28 response on timing of reimbursements, GPA’s communication office said, “It is GPA’s policy to respond to claims promptly and fairly, pursuant to Guam Public Law 22-21.” However, GPA said, “The processing time for damage claims varies depending on the complexity of the situation.”
Under Forms and Permits on www.guampowerauthority.com, GPA has information on the ways to file a claim for damage and Frequently Asked Questions related to filing a claim. mbj
“We then open the items to see if PCB or component boards have burned marks. Even LED backlight on televisions can also burn out,” he said.