They cut my lines...is this STANDARD?

[srdgad]

Hello, I'm new here!

My husband and I had several issues with Comcast, and out of recommendations by others - we cancelled our Comcast effective 05/25, and switched to Directv (which has been even MORE of a nightmare).

We came home last night to find that our satellite signal on our tv upstairs was out. My husband went outside to check the lines, and saw that two of our lines had been snipped completely through - and were left hanging to the ground.

We called Directv - they had never heard of such a thing. We called Comcast, and after about 40 minutes - were told that it was STANDARD for them to do so whenever you stop service?!?! Is this really true?

The Directv guy used the already-installed lines that comcast had run - and just tapped into those. So, therefore - our satellite signals went out when the Comcast guy cut the lines.

We were never told they were going to do so, but they said they don't have to tell us - that its just "standard" procedure.

My husband went out to Home Depot and got a splicer (or something of the sort) and just re-connected them.

However, is it really standard for them to do so?

 

[VinceT3]

No the generally disconnect you from their box.. cutting the line at your house is one of the annoying way they get back at people who switch to satellite.. search the forum you'll find its happened more than once..

 

[dahauss]

yea

They did that at my house where the line comes up from underground to my house...

 

[navychop]

There comes the thought and temptation to smash his windshield and say it's "standard" when a company damages my premises. Of course, I'm just venting and I know who'd get arrested, and who'd get off scott free.

 

[Jestr40]

I currently have both Comcast and Directv and in September when DTV has the new HD's I am going to "cut-off" Comcast. If they come out and mess with my DTV lines there is going to be a throw-down. They can do whatever they want with the lines they ran but the DTV lines are currently seperate. I better not get an over-zelous Comcast tech, I can tell you that!

 

[rdlink]

"Over-zealous Comcast tech?" Bit of an oxymoron, isn't it?

 

[stevenl]

Once the cable company installs a line into your house it becomes your property. Its not like a box or something with cable they are "adding on" to your house so it becomes your property. At BHN we are told, that once the line is installed the cable belongs to the customer, after all you either paid to have it installed or it was including in your setup.

 

[skottey]

The DirecTV tech should have installed separate lines. He must have been lazy by prompting you to use the existing lines.

In the past I have switched cable providers (2 in my area- Brighthouse and Knology) or added Dish and had both cable and Dish. I have always, no matter what, had new lines run. Even if you were getting rid of Comcast you should have said you were keeping both and you wanted new lines. I don't know about DirecTV but with cable and Dish the install is free whether they use the existing lines or add new. You keep your options open if you leave the lines alone and make the guy install new runs for the DirecTV.

 

[Claude Greiner]

The best call I have gotten was that the customer had Comcast Cable. They cancel and switch to DISH Network or Directv.

All is fine for a few years until the customer decides to order Comcast Internet.

The comcast installer comes out, disconnects the line for the Dish and hooks up the cable modem and tells the customer to call DISH Network to have them run a new line saying that the DISH Network installer should have not used the comcast lines.

I told the lady there would be a service call charge to come out, because we are talking 2 years after the fact. Also if there was no line there, the comcast guy would have had to run a new line anyways!

 

[grydlok]

The DirecTV tech should have installed separate lines. He must have been lazy by prompting you to use the existing lines.

In the past I have switched cable providers (2 in my area- Brighthouse and Knology) or added Dish and had both cable and Dish. I have always, no matter what, had new lines run. Even if you were getting rid of Comcast you should have said you were keeping both and you wanted new lines. I don't know about DirecTV but with cable and Dish the install is free whether they use the existing lines or add new. You keep your options open if you leave the lines alone and make the guy install new runs for the DirecTV.

It's doesn't matter.
The cable doesn't belong to Comcast, D*, or E* it belongs to the homeowner period. Comcast technician was wrong for cutting the line on the opposite side of the ground block. The only item the are responsible for is the drop line once a sub cancels their service.

 

[Claude Greiner]

It really depends on the person going out to disconnect the Comcast Cable. Most of the installers cut it at the pole and leave it at that, where as others want to cause a problem and will mess with your Dish.

About 5 years ago I had this happen to a customer of mine where the Comcast guy cut it in 5 different places to cause me a problem.

I went back out there, fixed everything and then presented the customer with a bill for $199 for a re-installation.

Never collected a dime from the customer, but gave her the bill and told her if she collects from Comcast give me $100 and keep the other $100 for her troubles.

Little retired old lady has nothing better to do with her time, complained to the public utility commission and a few other places and managed to make Comcast PAY!

Comcast then went back and charged back their contractor, and I got a nasty call from one of the managers trying to justify the $199bill he just had to pay.

Contractor:
Im calling to try to justify a $199 service call for a cut cable line

My Responce:
The service call was Free, the $199 was for "Emergency Service" because I had to go out there the same day to fix it.

His reply back:
She could have waited a few days, like everyone else.

My Reply:
Why should she have to be without Tv, when it was your idiot installer who intentionally cut the line in 5 different places!

His reply:
Called me some nasty names and hung up

Meanwhile, about 3 weeks later the customer came in and gave me a nice new $100 bill

 

[Mike500]

Sometimes, if the cable going to the house is an aerial drop, I take the cable off the house and bundle it an wrap it around the pole, when I do a satellite install.

 

[Claude Greiner]

See this...
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Cable/Informal/cblwirng.txt

Once you cancel cable service, the cable company can charge you on a per foot basis for all the interior wiring. If after presenting you an option to pay, and you refuse they then have 30 days to remove all the wiring and must repair any damages they made installing the wiring.

Seeing that they are required to repair all the damages made by the cable, nobody is going to take that liability and get into a pissing match with the customer over it, so the wiring is simply left abandoned!

 

[skottey]

It's doesn't matter.
The cable doesn't belong to Comcast, D*, or E* it belongs to the homeowner period. Comcast technician was wrong for cutting the line on the opposite side of the ground block. The only item the are responsible for is the drop line once a sub cancels their service.

Oh, I agree that the tech was wrong for cutting the line. No doubt about that. But why not have a nice fresh new cable run for no extra cost when given the chance?

Most techs from any service will try to get you to let them use the existing line for the simple fact that they are getting paid (often the same amount) either way, whether they crawl in your attic for a new run or use what is already in place. I say no, I want a new run. Why chance it? Look at the other story about the person getting satellite and then going back to Comcast for Internet two years later. If they had a new run done by Satellite then they wouldn't have the problem of Comcast taking back the lines that once carried their cable TV signal.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Oh, I agree that the tech was wrong for cutting the line. No doubt about that. But why not have a nice fresh new cable run for no extra cost when given the chance?

Most techs from any service will try to get you to let them use the existing line for the simple fact that they are getting paid (often the same amount) either way, whether they crawl in your attic for a new run or use what is already in place. I say no, I want a new run. Why chance it? Look at the other story about the person getting satellite and then going back to Comcast for Internet two years later. If they had a new run done by Satellite then they wouldn't have the problem of Comcast taking back the lines that once carried their cable TV signal.

I tell alot of my customers who want all new lines run, is to simply remove the old lines before the technician shows up.

This way the technician is forced to run all new lines and there is no arguement over it with the installer.

Many installers do not like it when customers insist they run all new lines, because they say they are creating more work for them, but you know what the technicians get paid to run all new lines anyways if they are already existing or not!

As far as the story about the lady with Comcast internet, thats due to a lazy comcast installer. Its not the fault of the satellite installer since they where abandoned by comcast when the customer cancelled service with them a few years prior.

If you want to hear something really screwey, consider this. I did a Job for a customer about 3 years ago and she had existing RG59 ran inside her walls with comcast cable. My technician had no choice but to use the RG59 because it was behind the drywall and this lady did not want any holes drilled through the exterior of the house.

So we complete the install with no problems, however 2 weeks later the customer calls us claiming a signal loss issue and wanted to cancel service. I went over there, didn't find a signal loss issue with the RG59, but just because this lady was making a big stink over this, I spent an entire day and re-fished all her walls, and installed brand new home run RG6 cables.

When this lady called to cancel, we got into a big arguement over the cancellation fees and I finally told her you let me come fix this and make things right, or I was charging her to take the system out. She kept the service for 1 year like I required, but I must have really pissed her off because after her contract was over she cancelled and went back to Comcast.

I then get a really nasty call from this lady because the Comcast guy refuses to install the cable using the lines I installed and wanted to charge her like $400 to re-fish all her walls and run new wiring. The kicker was that she expected me to pay it after what I put her through over the cancellation fees. Then she threatened to take me to court.

I was like Lady, have the installer remove the DP34 switch, install a new 4-way splitter where I got all your cables home ran and enjoy your comcast cable

Not for anything, wall fishing is custom labor and I should have charged her. I upgraded all the cable in her home for FREE to prevent her from cancelling and then she calls me up like I did it to prevent her from going back to cable.

 

[skottey]

I am a nice guy. Even though I am a douche by making them do their job and run a new line, I am not picky about how it looks. If they want to run it along the outside of the wall, drill through the wall, do this, that or the other thing, fine, I just want the new line. Certain things aren't reasonable requests, like you mentioned in your post with that old bitty.

I tell alot of my customers who want all new lines run, is to simply remove the old lines before the technician shows up.

This way the technician is forced to run all new lines and there is no arguement over it with the installer.

Many installers do not like it when customers insist they run all new lines, because they say they are creating more work for them, but you know what the technicians get paid to run all new lines anyways if they are already existing or not!

As far as the story about the lady with Comcast internet, thats due to a lazy comcast installer. Its not the fault of the satellite installer since they where abandoned by comcast when the customer cancelled service with them a few years prior.

If you want to hear something really screwey, consider this. I did a Job for a customer about 3 years ago and she had existing RG59 ran inside her walls with comcast cable. My technician had no choice but to use the RG59 because it was behind the drywall and this lady did not want any holes drilled through the exterior of the house.

So we complete the install with no problems, however 2 weeks later the customer calls us claiming a signal loss issue and wanted to cancel service. I went over there, didn't find a signal loss issue with the RG59, but just because this lady was making a big stink over this, I spent an entire day and re-fished all her walls, and installed brand new home run RG6 cables.

When this lady called to cancel, we got into a big arguement over the cancellation fees and I finally told her you let me come fix this and make things right, or I was charging her to take the system out. She kept the service for 1 year like I required, but I must have really pissed her off because after her contract was over she cancelled and went back to Comcast.

I then get a really nasty call from this lady because the Comcast guy refuses to install the cable using the lines I installed and wanted to charge her like $400 to re-fish all her walls and run new wiring. The kicker was that she expected me to pay it after what I put her through over the cancellation fees. Then she threatened to take me to court.

I was like Lady, have the installer remove the DP34 switch, install a new 4-way splitter where I got all your cables home ran and enjoy your comcast cable

Not for anything, wall fishing is custom labor and I should have charged her. I upgraded all the cable in her home for FREE to prevent her from cancelling and then she calls me up like I did it to prevent her from going back to cable.

 

[cb35]

newbie here - I'm having D* installed for TV this saturday (one HD and one non HD) and keeping Comcast for Internet and Telephone. The longest line run is for the upstairs bedroom - comcast went in basement wall - length of basement - outside and up to the bedroom - installed a coax jack in the bedroom - this is the standard def TV - is that RG59 cable usually? Do I need RG6 for this TV do you guys think? Does it make a difference with a standard def TV? I have read the posts - I would actually prefer they use the existing line for the bedroom - seems easier for everyone and if the quality is fine then I'm ok with it. For the HD TV - I will request the RG6 and that's a short run into basement and directly up through floor (hole already there).

 

[chadzx11]

Many installers do not like it when customers insist they run all new lines, because they say they are creating more work for them, but you know what the technicians get paid to run all new lines anyways if they are already existing or not!

My take is, if I am installing all new stuff, I'm not touching your old stuff at all. This means all new holes. It makes it easier if it ends up that the CSR or dealers sales rep took a crap on you to meet quota and promised something untrue to the customer, and they balk at activation.