Fool and his money.
 

Am I the only SECO customer that pays $5.95 a month for a surge lease?
Which I've been doing for over six years.
I just called, and, Good News! I can simply buy the damn thing for $350 right now.
That stings, knowing I've waisted hundreds all ready.

We distinctly remember when installed 2 options one time purchase or monthly option was offered. We chose the one time option.

Why not just remove it and save even more money? I have not paid anything for surge "protection" for the past 6 years.

Do you get a new surge mitigator for your $350, or do you get to give them $350 for the one you've had for six years?

Once you buy it, does it have to get periodically replaced?

We purchased it just after we moved in.

Great question.
I would buy the old one and they give me a 15 year warranty on it.
I guess it's kinda like a fuse, where it blows if I'm hit with a powerful surge.

Smart move.
I was just so busy moving, I just wanted the power on.
That's my excuse
sad

Yep, you're the only one

You say the nicest things

Well, I apologize, but you asked, eh? Surge protection is akin to appliance warranty, likely you'll not ever need it and won't collect if you do. I don't know anyone who has benefitted from this SECO deal.

Just expand your options....Best Buy?

Before moving to TV, I lived in the Ocala national forest. I got surge hit's twice a year. Bought a new phone set every year, if you had a hard sneeze the power went out.
Been here over 6 years and there's been 2 or 3 power outages total and those were not a very long duration.

Do the math. $350 each for 80,000 houses is $28 million. That would buy a lot of appliances. And, note that appliances with a computer chip are not covered. In fact, the SECO warranty covers almost nothing. I would suggest reading the SECO warranty exclusion clause, if you want a good laugh.

Does anyone know the difference between the red & the green light on these devices? I see my neighbors have them, & some have a green light & some have a red light. (I don't have one, yet.)

The red light indicates that the surge protector is on. The green light indicates the ground is on and is working.

Thanks for the reply.

Clarification, does the red mean, service is needed to ground the device? Or does green mean the surge protector is not on?

The red light means that the surge protector is on, but, if the green light is not on, it means that the surge protector is not connected to a properly grounded outlet, and the surge protector will not function properly. Both lights should be on.

You can buy one on Amazon for about $40. I'll bet you can find an electrician to install it for a lot less than $355.

Maybe less, but not a lot less.

Thank you!!!!

The option to purchase has always been available.

When our pool was installed electrician had a yes/no offer install for surge protector. Cost was $305 at build.

If we need warranty service on equipment second question is do you have a surge protector?

A nice example of the hasty generalization fallacy. What's worse is, you might even know someone who had the breaker trip and reset it. If he didn't mention it to you, or if you forgot, you actually did know someone who needed it.

Absence of Evidence does not mean Evidence of Absence.

Just because you don't know of an example in your limited experience does not mean that it is even uncommon.

My brother's life was saved by wearing seatbelts. They save many lives. But probably lots of people don't personally know someone who is alive because of wearing one.

Diagnostic LED’s: Green indicates surge protection is active, Red indicates protection is no longer active

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...hwhile-342833/

Payback is close to 5 years. If there is a power surge, they replace it at no cost.

What are you going to do with the 20 cents a day you save starting five years from now?

And, $500 invested with 5% annual interest have grown to $638.
You will have earned $138 in interest which will pay two more years monthly fees.

Apparently, it depends on the type of surge protector you have.

I agree. I have a problem with a company that spends millions of dollars to design and build an electrical distribution system, and then asks their customers to pay an extra $5.95 per month for a cheap device to attach to the meter that they say is needed to protect your appliances. If the device is important, why don't they just incorporate it into the meter in the first place? It sounds like a scam to me.

SECO Surge Mitigator: Not just surge protection, insurance - damaged appliances, etc.
 

So for $5.95 a month, you are also getting insurance and a warranty for the device.

Yes, you can buy a surge protector and have it added to your box. But it has a warranty, and no longer insurance for your devices after expiration.

That's the route I went before moving here. I installed myself. If you have to pay an electrician, you've blown years of $5.95 per month coverage.

From SECO website: Surge MitiGator – SECO Energy CLICK "warranty"
"MTI’s liability, per occurrence, will not exceed $5,000 to any one (1) specific
device or appliance with a maximum of $500,000 over the life of this warranty.
Upon evaluation, you will be notified of the status of your warranty assessment.
If it is determined that you are entitled to compensation, you will be given either
the fair market value of the damaged equipment immediately preceding the
failure, reimbursed for reasonably incurred repairs, or paid the cost of
reasonable estimated repairs, at the discretion of MTI, up to the cap set forth
above. Determination of fair market value will be at MTI’s sole discretion."

Did you read the "exclusions" clause in the warranty/insurance? Almost everything you own is excluded from coverage. For example, it doesn't even cover a damaged wall outlet, or any appliance with a computer chip. What appliance doesn't use a computer chip?

Buy it from an electrician and get a better unit at a lower price.

surge
 

I'd maybe have it in Texas land of BIG lightning and hail

I submitted a question about this today. In an automated "thank you for your question" response there was a link to a FAQ that contained this entry:

How do I know the Surge MitiGator™ is working?

The Surge MitiGator™ is equipped with two red lights that stay on continuously. This indicates the arrester is working properly.

I expect I will get a personal, non-automated response also, but this answered the question.

Surge Protector
 

Ask what the lease or purchase will protect. It seems to me that any appliance or device with a motherboard is not covered. Probably, just your toaster.

Thanks, but the poster who asked the question (Post No. 14), said that some of his neighbors have a red light and some have a green light, not two lights. Also, it doesn't sound logical that a green light would indicate a malfunction. A lot of people in The Villages do not get their electricity from SECO, so perhaps this is a different model surge protector?

When you agreed to have the surge protector installed, the SECO rep should have told you the options to rent or buy. I believe, if you buy, you will need to replace in ten years. Not sure, if you rent, the replacement in ten years, is covered with the rental fee. If you rent, there is an installation fee but if you buy there is no install fee.

I wouldn't ask. Just go to the SECO website and read the warranty yourself, especially the exclusion clause. You will discover that almost nothing in your house is covered by the warranty.

Yes, you're right, it is likely those are different protectors. When the SECO person called back she mentioned that I had a 200A service which makes me think there might be a different protector for a larger service. SECO vice Leesburg electric, 200A vice larger service, utility installed vice Amazon purchase.... all could explain why the lights might be different.

It doesn't sound logical that a green light would indicate a malfunction. A light that is off when it should be on makes sense (I should have two lights on). A light that is red when it should be green makes sense. But turning a red light to green as an indication of a malfunction isn't logical. It probably would cut down on trouble calls though: "the light is green so it must be good."

I had a lighting strike that fried my furnace in the garage. This was determined by my insurance company that paid my claim. I called regarding my surge protector and after they inspected it they determined it wasn't lightning and that the surge protector was working perfectly. No more surge protector for me. A waste of money.

It’s cheap insurance. I knew somebody that had to replace their newer smart appliances a couple of times within a couple of years because of power surges. We all have expensive items plugged in and any help in surges is cheap insurance.
In the long run, you might save a couple of dollars buying the surge device yourself, but do you get the insurance, do you get free support meaning if a surge breaks the surge protector, you have to pay if you own it, I call the utility to replace it for free.

Seatbelts Save Lives
 

I beg to differ. I was a state trooper in Ohio, and for several years the Highway Patrol awarded "Saved by the Belt" certificates to crash victims who suffered less or no injuries from the collisions, while others without the belt were killed or severely injured. In my 27-year career with the organization, I knew of many people who were alive because they wore safety restraints.