Such compassion to those who lost everything.
Support the Blog — Buy This Book!
For Kindle and with free ePub version. Only $9.49 Great reading.
Here is what Gary Shapiro CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) said: Dvorak's writing sings with insight and clarity. Whether or not you agree with John's views, he will get you thinking and is never boring. These essays are worth the read!
Put this ad on your blog!
Syndicate
Subscribe to Main Blog feed here:
Subscribe to Comments too (below):
Junk Email Filter
$300 is the least of their worries.
doesnt surprise me in the least. just another reason on my list as to why i wont willingly give AT&T money for there services (hate that I have to pay them $6 a month for a phone line for my DSL)
[Deleted, duplicate post -.ed]
Shouldn’t it be covered by the homeowner’s fire insurance? Why should AT&T take the hit!
i guarantee that acts of god are excluded in the rental agreements that these people signed
and yeah $300 is a pittance when you consider the price of the average California home
to at&t – have fun sending the bill! there is not house, no mailbox – it all burned…. to where do they send the immediatly to be payed bill?
I bet the Bank still wants your mortgage payment too. Oh the horror you have to pay for something even after is was destroyed. Like #3 says thats why you should have good home owner’s insurance. If you don’t sucks to be you.
It probably is covered by the homeowners insurance. But even if you take the opinion that AT&T shouldn’t take the hit you’d have to agree that they should at least give these people time to make their claims and receive their benefits from their insurance company before making them pay.
I also think that AT&T is a piece of crap! I wish I didn’t have to use the DSL in this area. It’s too bad really.
I used to have the AT&T mobile service until they hit me with the “500 minutes” and free to family. This was all a big scam, of course and I am happy to say that AT& Crappy T will never have my business for mobile phones.
Does anyone know a cheaper alternative to DSL? I would like to use Comcast, but it’s a little expensive.
Thanks.
The problem with this and all other “outrage” videos like this is that it attributes to AT&T a maliciousness that is just not there. AT&T is corporation.. it is not a person with a personality and a concience. I’m sure it’s AT&T policy to charge people for a destroyed box. These guys spoke to a low level customer service employee who has absolutly no authority (yes, even the supervisor) to make exceptions or set AT&T policy toward San Diego fire victims.
Brought to you by the sellers of the $900 iPhone.
Well, after listening to the story, it appears that it is their satellite TV receiver that was lost, not a cable modem. AT&T did not give me the option to rent my cable modem, I had to buy it.
It was probably Dish F***ing network who AT&T has a marketing agreement with to provide satellite TV service who is screwing these people around. Unfortunately for AT&T, they are the ones who send the bill, and they get the blackeye from Dish F***ing networks hideous customer service department.
\rant on\
Why my venom for Dish F***ing Network? Well, 2 years ago, an airheaded AT&T salesperson promised me stuff that (in writing) that Dish F***ing Network refused to provide. The same day we had it installed, we had it disconnected when they refused to honor our written contract. They claimed the AT&T salesperson messed up, not them. They then charged me a $240 early termination fee, and refused to credit my $300 HDDVR upgrade fee, even though they admitted the salesperson messed up. $540 dollars for 4 hours of sub par service. Great company there.
AT&T admitted their mistake and eventually credited all the charges to my phone bill after I ran it up the chain a couple of levels.
Dish F***ing Network can burn in hell, and anyone that subjects themselves to that company deserves what they will do to you.
\rant off\
Don
#6 – Most lenders require insurance to cover the loan in case the house burns down (or car gets stolen, or boat sinks, etc.)
That really torques off some borrowers, usually the same ones that figure they don’t need to pay off the loan after the house burns down, or car get’s stolen, or boat sinks, etc.
As an AT&T shareholder I completely agree with this policy.
In fact, if they don’t pay, we’re gonna send some guys out to the motel they’re staying at and burn it down too!
Don’t f**k with AT&T. We’ve got a death star and we’re not afraid to use it.
In the famous words of Nelson Muntz – “Haa ha”
#15 First and best laugh I have head in 2 days. Thanks.
#15 First and best laugh I have had in 2 days. Thanks.
How come none of the trees right behind their house detritus were not burnt?
#19 – I don’t know… ask a real Fire Marshall.
I was in line at comcast once and a guy brought in a box from a housefire.
Not only did they charge him for it, they wouldn’t even let him keep it.. He said it worked with the remote even though the front was melted.
Guess he shouldn’t have brought it into the store..
I had something similar happen to me with U-haul.. I’ll never ever use them again..
AT&T, Comcast, Dish, DirectTV…. They are all the same. A bunch of assholes with no loyalty to their customers. I had ComCRAP and inDirectTV and dumped them both for Verizon. At least Verizon will try to help their custormers. Plenty of times I had issues with bills and Verizon justs say’s “No problem, we’ll credit your account next month”. And you know what, the credit was there. Wanted to change my wireless service in the middle of the month due to kids going over on texting. They back dated it to the beginning of the month so I didn’t have an overage anymore.
@ 22.
No Way!!!
I would suspect that fire damage would currently fall under “normal wear and tear” in southern California.
Sad to see all these people down on AT&T, one thing they don’t realize is that AT&T routes all their traffic thru NSA servers for analysis and doesn’t charge consumers one red cent for this “service” – or at least yet.
Don’t worry be happy – Uncle wants all his children – I saw the poster “Uncle Sam wants you!” (to be waterboarded) and AT&T is happy to help no warrants needed. The funny (or painfully ironic) thing is I read AT&T charges the U.S. Gov. for each tap/route whatever, so since we are the government, we are paying to have our own phone/internet tapped.
Perhaps burning that box was a good thing, it might be worth 300$ to have it gone from your life.
I’ve seen more than one victim of the current fire remark they also lost their homes in the fire 3 years ago.
Fire proofing a home is not hard and relatively cheap–especially when the home is 1 Million Plus?
I recall the coverage from years ago. All the houses in one area burned except one. He was a Phillipino engineer and built fireproof by making the stucco a half inch thicker and adding cement underneath the roof tiles so that the embers could not get underneath.
Simple. Cheap. If the market won’t do this voluntarily, I think any sane government would impose this via building code?
Update, Dish Network will not seek the $300 reciever
http://blogs.zdnet.com/ip-telephony/?p=2669
The Producer and Director Katzenberg had a private company come in and foam his house while the fire was heading his way….apprently it’s quick and effective, but I didn’t see anything on the price. He has a 10 or 12 million dollar home, so it’s probably worth it, not to lose the home and all the expensive stuff inside.
I agree, home owner’s insurance should cover the cost of the unit. However AT&T should consider the units depreciation. You can bet the insurance companies will remind maw bell. Can you say arbitration?
1. you get a NEW evaluation of your property, for TAX purposes, and Financing..
2. ATT gives the things away… If you can show 1 advert that SAYS FREE setup and dish…They wont get anything.
26,
DITTO…
This is like those that live on the Flood plains, BUILD HIGHER, build something that CAN float, BUILD better.
Those in Florida and in Hurricane areas…BUILD STRONGER HOMES…forget about those PRE-BUILT homes that fall apart.