David VanHorn wrote: > In the process, their guy picked up my twisted pair cable that runs between > the two houses, and cut it into multiple pieces, and then went inside and > threatened my wife. Additional thoughts to add to the pile, David. - Send the main office an invoice for the damage caused. They certainly can ask you to disconnect something, but destroying your property isn't allowable under ANY reasonable law, pretty much anywhere. - When you write the letter explaining why you're sending them a bill, copy their INSURANCE company that handles their Bond for their installers along with a copy of the bill for the damages, and include a note: "Just wanted to let you know their installers are doing this and would like to know what your views are in the matter." Realistically, will you get paid? No. Will you scare the living bejeezus out of two or three middle managers and cause the insurance company to give Comcast a friendly phone call asking WTF they are doing? Yeah. Probably. You just MIGHT even force a new "no damage" policy after the Insurance company gets through with them. That would "trickle down" to your buddy, the installer... who seems to like tearing other people's property up. Put the slow, grinding, crushing wheels of Bureaucracy on your side. If you're serious -- play the game like THEY would. - Also copy the State Public Utilities Commission. They may be in bed with the local government, but SOMEONE regulates Comcast there. If nothing else, someone there will be interested in filing away "installer willfully damaged customer equipment" complaints in the file that will force them to be a common-carrier pipe someday, if they're not today. Write your cover letter asking for such -- "If there were competition in this market and the cable system were run as a common carrier, I would have NEVER had this much damage to my personal private property, because they would have talked to me first." And DEFINITELY copy the local press and District Attorney's office. You just never know how many people's houses that jackass installer has already damaged... but someone at the DA's office might. If it's REAL personal, $20 for a background check on the installer could yield interesting things to put in the above letters. But that's Hatfield vs. McCoy type fightin' then... and could get REAL ugly. He knows where you live. Nate -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist