An Omaha woman thought seven dollars a month would buy her some peace of mind if there was an electrical surge. But after a power outage, a response from OPPD has the homeowner all charged up.

A five hour power outage left Cathy Nagle sending a damage claim to the Omaha Public Power District.

"I'm not an expert in electronics but i just know the dishwashers were working before the power went out and when it came on they weren't working," says Cathy.

Cathy believed any repair bills would be covered because she pays $6.99 a month for surge protection.

A month after the outage, her dishwasher still won't work. The repair estimate is $850.

OPPD won't pay.

An OPPD technician checked the surge arrester on the house and determined it didn't fail when the power came back in the neighborhood.

"This is a power outage, unfortunately, and we understand her frustration and try to make sure customers realize Surge Guard is not intended for those situations," says OPPD's Mike Jones.

Cathy says her dual dishwashers worked fine before the outage, "There's a difference in their mind between a power surge and power outage problem. I didn't know there was a difference."

Cathy says she's paid the monthly surge protection fee since 2001. Eleven years of premiums add up to about $900 which she says should make the repair bill a wash.

"I'm just asking them to be fair about this," says Cathy.

On its website OPPD provides a lengthy description of what electronics are covered by the Surge Guard warranty and how to file a claim. Cathy plans to drop the coverage.