What to do about Charter Communications tech drilled through my A/C drain pipe?

Question

Last Saturday, I noticed water dripping from the A/C vent in my kitchen ceiling. Upon further investigation, I discovered the root of the problem. I bought this new home in April 2008 and got cable service through Charter Communications. They sent out a tech to install 3 cable outlets in upstairs bedrooms at $10 per outlet. He drilled his own holes without ANY say-so from me. Well, he drilled a hole right through the A/C drainage line that runs from the attic to outside. Now that the problem has made itself known, it is turning out to be bad. My carpet and padding are soaked through to the rafters. The water is now going through the sheetrock in the ceiling above the kitchen downstairs. I have notified Charter several times and have been put on hold for over an hour (twice!) only to be hung up on BOTH times. I'm getting very angry now as the damage is getting worse by the day. I DO NOT feel that I should have to pay for this nor should my homeowners insurance. What should I do next?

Answer 1

Report it to the BBB and be sure to give the details of how you have been put off.

Answer 2

Have your insurance repair the damage, and sue in small claims court for the deductible. Funny story: We had a tech who drilled up through the floor from the basement to install a new thermostat line upstairs. He drilled into the leg of a baby grand piano. When the home owner started yelling, because her carpeting was unraveling, he finally stopped. He wondered why the color of the shavings changed. Our insurance paid the entire bill. Good luck.

Answer 3

Contact Charter Communications and explain what happened. They will have you hire a licenced plumber to fix the damage and they are responsable for paying the bill.

Answer 4

You need to contact your insurance company anyway. Especially if this Charter co. won't do anything. You only have so long to make a claim with your insurance. If too much time lapses they may not cover it at all. Also sounds like you are going to need an attorney. Or you can take them to small claims court on your own. You better do something fast. You will have mold damage next if you don't get that leak stopped and get everything dry. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

First get the problem fixed.  A plumber can do it or if you are a diy peson go ahead and give it a try.

Then I let Charter Comm know that they need to pay up or else via a certified letter.

The else, contact the BBB in your area, if Charter has a web site go to the "contact us" and complain, as a last resort you may have to take them to court.  This might be more than small claims, you would have to get the damage amount accessed.