OUMonster
8/26/2008, 10:44 AM
About two weeks ago I found a notice on my front door from Comcast saying they were going to be doing some work on their network lines in my yard and to contact them if there were any issues with pets in my backyard. I don’t have any pets and I assumed this would be a relatively minor job where the coax cable enters the house so I didn’t think much of it. Several days later I came home to find two trenches dug in my backyard about two feet wide, 5 feet long and 4 feet deep. Apparently they are replacing or laying new cables for their network. Aside from being annoyed by the huge piles of dirt clearly killing even more grass than the actual holes, the gate being left wide open, and a handful of plastic drink bottles littering the yard I wasn’t too upset and figured they’d be back the next day to fill them back in and put the grass back. Nothing changed for three days due to rainy weather, but on the fourth day I came home to find not only the original two holes and piles unchanged but two more large trenches dug along the back fence of course with the usual scattering of plastic bottles and the gate being left wide open. On Saturday I woke up at 8am to the sound of clanging tools and machinery and looked out to find about ten workers digging even more trenches along the side fence in addition to the row of trenches along the back fence. I do also wonder where they whiz unless they all magically hold their bladders until when they leave for lunch and the end of the day…
All in all I now have about eight long and deep trenches with nice large dirt piles in the back yard and one huge fenced off hole with dirt pile in the front yard by the curb. Combine that with the annoyance of having nearly a dozen workers roaming around my place all day on a Saturday staring at me if I look out the window or back out on the driveway not to mention their tacky use of my backyard electrical outlet without asking and I’m wondering exactly what right a private cable company like Comcast has to take over and tear up a yard for over a week like they are doing to mine? I am a Comcast customer and already hate them for their constant nickel and diming, but don’t recall ever signing the OK for this type of thing. If I weren’t a Comcast customer things would be even more interesting. Anyone have legal knowledge on this topic or a similar experience?
Edit: I understand the utility easement thing, but I guarantee the yard will be noticeably changed with a significant amount of bare dirt where there used to be live grass. The outlet thing peeves me too especially because Comcast has no problem in recently charging a "renters fee" for any box or modem of theirs I've had for years.
All in all I now have about eight long and deep trenches with nice large dirt piles in the back yard and one huge fenced off hole with dirt pile in the front yard by the curb. Combine that with the annoyance of having nearly a dozen workers roaming around my place all day on a Saturday staring at me if I look out the window or back out on the driveway not to mention their tacky use of my backyard electrical outlet without asking and I’m wondering exactly what right a private cable company like Comcast has to take over and tear up a yard for over a week like they are doing to mine? I am a Comcast customer and already hate them for their constant nickel and diming, but don’t recall ever signing the OK for this type of thing. If I weren’t a Comcast customer things would be even more interesting. Anyone have legal knowledge on this topic or a similar experience?
Edit: I understand the utility easement thing, but I guarantee the yard will be noticeably changed with a significant amount of bare dirt where there used to be live grass. The outlet thing peeves me too especially because Comcast has no problem in recently charging a "renters fee" for any box or modem of theirs I've had for years.