Time Warner wins the "A-Holes of the Month" award

[XMan]

Time Warner to charge flood victims for cable boxes

SAN ANTONIO - Flood victims whose cable converters were destroyed during this month's heavy rains are being charged $300 for the damaged boxes by the company, officials said today.

Karen Hartley, vice president for marketing and communications at Time Warner, said it is the company's policy to bill for damaged boxes, which are leased from the cable company.

"We are sympathetic to them," she told the San Antonio Express-News. "But we are going to charge them for their boxes."

 

[UglyCasanova]

"We are sympathetic to them," she told the San Antonio Express-News. "But we are going to charge them for their boxes."

 

[dew042]

nice.

 

[DaiShan]

They are heartless bastards, but that kinda thing is covered under homeowners insurance no?

 

[pulse8]

That's so ridiculous it's kind of funny.

 

[joohang]

I wonder if Telus will charge me for my ADSL modem after an earthquake hits Vancouver.

 

[phatcow]

why should time warner pay for damages that are covered under the customer's homeowner's insurance?

 

[chiwawa626]

Well basicly under your possesion its under your responsibility, meaning if you dont have some kind of home insurance thats ur problem and pay for it. I mean its rude and messed up but shoulda thought of that when u signed the contract.... Do you really expect timewarner to give up im guessing over 20,000 dollars in cableboxes?

 

[Red Dawn]

Hopefully after everybody pays for their boxes they will cancel them!

 

[phatcow]

those people complaining should understand the meaning of "lease".


its not YOURS.... you take responsibility for it

 

[Fatdog]

You guys realize home owners insurance rarely, if ever covers flood damage right?

So unless they had specific flood insurance, that $300 is going to come out of the home owners pockets.

 

[XMan]

Originally posted by: Fatdog
You guys realize home owners insurance rarely, if ever covers flood damage right?

So unless they had specific flood insurance, that $300 is going to come out of the home owners pockets.

I also highly doubt those cable boxes actually cost $300 to replace. TW could at the very least just charge them a wholesale replacemement cost.

 

[phatcow]

but shouldnt the home owners have done more than to have hope that their cable company would cover the cost of something explicitly stated as NOT being covered in their lease contract of their box?

its just plain ignorant to think otherwise

 

[nord1899]

Anyone notice this bit:

"People have their boxes stolen," she said. "It would be really hard to treat one person differently than another. If someone is robbed, that's not their fault either."

Kind of balances things out a bit.

 

[Fatdog]

Originally posted by: Xerox Man

Originally posted by: Fatdog
You guys realize home owners insurance rarely, if ever covers flood damage right?

So unless they had specific flood insurance, that $300 is going to come out of the home owners pockets.

I also highly doubt those cable boxes actually cost $300 to replace. TW could at the very least just charge them a wholesale replacemement cost.

I agree, TW surely pays far less than that, buying them in bulk. It's just one more thing piled on top of the other losses in the home that'll have to come out of pocket.

 

[bmacd]

but why should TW lose money on something where they weren't at fault? Despite my RR troubles with TW, i think TW is in the right for how they commented.

-=bmacd=-

 

[oLLie]

Originally posted by: phatcow
but shouldnt the home owners have done more than to have hope that their cable company would cover the cost of something explicitly stated as NOT being covered in their lease contract of their box?

its just plain ignorant to think otherwise

I guess that's what was going through their mind during the flood...

"let's see, got the baby, got the dog, OMFG Sh!t I forgot the cable box, i'm going to dive underwater to get back in my house to get the cable box!"

 

[Linux23]

so how are the victim of the floods responsible. surely they all didn't wish that flood waters would come down and wipe out their houses?

 

[Legendary]

The way AOL Time Warner's stock is going, I'm not surprised.
Reference (1 year chart)

 

[phatcow]

Originally posted by: oLLie

Originally posted by: phatcow
but shouldnt the home owners have done more than to have hope that their cable company would cover the cost of something explicitly stated as NOT being covered in their lease contract of their box?

its just plain ignorant to think otherwise

I guess that's what was going through their mind during the flood...

"let's see, got the baby, got the dog, OMFG Sh!t I forgot the cable box, i'm going to dive underwater to get back in my house to get the cable box!"

well.. if your leasing something, i sure hope you have insurance for the item your gonna let submerg in water..

 

[JellyBaby]

The way AOL Time Warner's stock is going, I'm not surprised.

And they may not be able to afford replacing those boxes as their books are being examined by both the Justice Department and SEC. But don't worry, they're still the number one internet provider.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

How much would the free good publicity have been worth if TW had stepped up and promised to eat the losses so that their loyal, valued customers would not have suffered any more than they already had? Millions. That would have been a huge bargain compared to the actual cost of replacing those boxes.

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Originally posted by: Linux23
so how are the victim of the floods responsible. surely they all didn't wish that flood waters would come down and wipe out their houses?

Let's see, you probably bought your car at the local car salesman and your house at a local broker. Think they'll give you new ones for free if they get destroyed in a flood, tornado or earthquake?

It's what insurance is for. Natural disasters are not covered by standard guarantees, and never have been. If you do not get insurance while living in areas with risk of a natural disaster you don't deserve to be given everything for free either, no matter how hard that may be to understand. Social security is one thing, idiot insurance is another.

 

[Lithium381]

well someone has to pay for it.....true, as mentioned before, the wholesale/bulk cost would have been more fair.......but what they did isn't completely out of line

 

[bonk102]

sons of bitches