Tag Archive for: public safety

Comcast Contractors Force Traffic Across Residents’ Lawns

Today, Comcast contractors occupied both sides of the street in front of my house. This blocked traffic, forcing motorists to drive onto my lawn and my neighbor’s lawn to get around them.

There were no traffic control signs. No warnings. No flag men. No supervisors. No one directing traffic. In fact, no one from the entire crew even seemed to be around … until I started taking pictures. Then I was swarmed.

Pictures of Incident Occurring around 11AM Today

Here’s what I found at the end of my driveway.

No room to park. No problem. New York chutzpah comes to Houston.

As we teach kids in driver’s ed, this is called “driving on the wrong side of the road.”

Police give tickets for it. It illustrates a cavalier attitude toward public safety. Not to mention contempt for the people Comcast hopes will someday buy its services.

But I guess Comcast doesn’t care. They had no supervisors onsite. If you don’t see it, you don’t have to report it.

The trailer contained pipe for the hydro-excavation truck in the background.
Opposite angle shows a second hydro-excavation truck. Noise from these trucks reached 96 decibels. Exposure to that level for more than 30 minutes is considered dangerous and can cause hearing loss.
When I asked the lady in this car not to drive on my lawn, she turned around. But other drivers just zoomed around me in frustration without stopping.

In fairness, when I told the Comcast contractors to move their trucks, they did. But it’s sad that I should have had to tell them. They had no name badges, no ID and offered no apology.

Had I not questioned the employees, I never would have known from the logos on their trucks that they were affiliated with Comcast.

The subcontractor blocking both sides of the street.

City Still Says It has Received No Comcast Complaints

Ironically, while I was downloading the images from my Nikon, I got an email from Jessica Beemer, Dave Martin’s Chief of Staff, saying yet again that the City had received NO COMPLAINTS re: Comcast. I responded, “Let me be the first then.”

Please follow these procedures if you see concerning behavior or experience damage from Comcast. The house you save could be your own. I reported this incident to multiple people in multiple places: the City, Comcast, Aspen, and Aspen’s parent Company.

No Warning Within 72-Hours

Our only warning that Team Comcast would be in the neighborhood was a door hanger delivered months ago. Those warnings are supposed to be within 72 hours.

Attention Comcast Shareholders

But in this case, Comcast was a loser, too. My neighbor was hosting a luncheon today for 25 people. Oops. Why alienate one potential customer when you can alienate 25 at once?

The neighbor and I haven’t been able to see if someone broke our irrigation systems yet because we’re still under a no watering ban due to the drought. But if they did break them, I think I’ll get angry.

Seriously though, what’s a sprinkler head and some ruts in your lawn compared to some of the horror stories I’ve heard. I talked to several people in Bear Branch with more than a quarter million dollars worth of sewer damage to their homes.

Another lady had her electricity cut. The resulting power surge knocked out a new heating/ac system, a computer, and a double oven. It also fried the circuits in her home.

The Comcast contractor said not to file a claim, that they would pay for it. A month later, they changed their minds and told her to file a claim with her own insurance company. Her insurance company asked, “Why did you wait a month?” Her insurance company also said it could take 1-2 years to work this out. Meanwhile, she’s paying CenterPoint $500 per month to run a temporary electric line to her house.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/3/2023

2257 Days since Hurricane Harvey

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.