Long Beach, CA--In 2007 I purchased a Staples brand surge protector in Hollywood, California. It was a two-tier model, see photo, which had well spaced outlets and also included phone and coaxial jacks. This device was used at my offices until 2015, then it went into a storage room with extremely poor climate controls, basically one attached to garage that was damp in winter and hot in summer.

It sat, with lots of other gear, in storage until early 2019 and became a part of an office set up for the last five years. Over the years I purchased new surge protectors but I always came back to that one because of the long cord and the fact it could accommodate many plugs without getting too jammed up. Some new ones are so crowded up and odd configs can be a problem.

And it was being used for my main desktop computer, which was part of a multiple computer, multi-monitor workstation. My external hard drive was plugged in with 25 years of files, many backed up but some of the latest book files I had been working on for over a year were not. Many of my latest client work files were not backed as well. But this was not only my primary working computer but my gaming desktop, and I dreaded even thinking about having to fork out to replace the machine and buy all the games and programs again.

Last Friday night, March 22, 2024, the power went out; a transformer in the neighborhood, powered by Southern California Edison, blew and the power company brought out a portable generator, from United Rental, to power 15 houses while they arranged for new one. Saturday afternoon the generator quit and someone was sent out to get it running again; the technician was having problems as the power kept going off and on. I whad the computer on before the generator went down and restarted when the power came up. I kept working on the assumption the tech had fixed the generator, that was wroong. The transformer was in the works. 

Well, as I was working on the computer and they were working on the generator, a power spike blew through the house and literally, I do mean literally, blew up the 17-year-old Staples surge protector. The smell was awful, smoke coming out, and my heart sank as I feared the worst.

After getting a new protector, and waiting till a new transformer was installed, lo and behold all is well and my workhorse Staples surge protector did the job perfectly. WOW, I took the old one to the local Staples and told them the story and they were pleased.

Also, the spike blew out a tranformer in the house heater/ac unit that had to be fixed at a cost of $286.00, the Long Beach Heating technician is convinced the power spike fried the transformer inside the heater/ac unit and that it could have been worse on both counts, computer and heater. 

We have filed a claim with So Cal Edison for the cost of the transformer and surge protector for $316.00, a modest amount that could have been worse. 

THANK YOU STAPLES!!!