The Site > Old Forums > AT&T Southwest > At&t ran cable through my yard without having an easement

reply to marcusa007

Re: At&t ran cable through my yard without having an easement

reply to marcusa007
It's time to mow the back yard. Cable and all~!

reply to marcusa007
My opinion, the repair tech that came out did not have enough cable to run the poperty line and easement. So he took what he had on the truck and took the most direct route to get it to work.

He should be fired. But as someone else mentioned, he is probably a CWA worker and will get promoted instead.

reply to marcusa007
If you leave it like it is, they may bury it right where it lies. Cut it now before they can.

I will cut the damn thing since you have a survey map showing where the easement is.

reply to scross

I wouldn't cut the cable if I were you.
Suppose you cut it, and your neighbor needs 911.
That neighbor could end up suing you, even though you are within
your so-called rights. (We don't have rights anymore in this country.)
I do agree though that the installer should have asked you if it was OK
to run a temporary line. Me, I wouldn't have a problem with it if asked,
but it seems these installers think they can do what they want.
Still though, CYA.....

reply to marcusa007
yank on it real hard to disco it from the source and coil it up and throw the coiled cable over your neighbors (the att customer's) fence. done.

seriously, I'd be all over AT&T until they sent out a tech supervisor to remove it.

Consult legal advice and charge att rent for the time the cable was using your yard for access, outside the easement.
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reply to marcusa007
Here is what I would do -- I would put a "nick" in the cable that will disrupt the service -- something that is not readily apparent to the eye. This way you skip the idea of cutting it, but you still force the tech to visit the property.

Once he arrives, whip out your fancy diagram above, and kindly explain to him where he went wrong and request that he fix it accordingly.

reply to marcusa007
ok whats happening today.
This is like a tv show but better.

On the next episode of "WHY'S THAT SHIT IN MY YARD?!" ... lol... sounds like a white trash drama. Anyways, I want to know what's going on too, so you better give us an update, OP.

reply to marcusa007
If you're still having issue with this, and no one at AT&T is helping you, contact uversecare@att.com those guys are some of the best, and if it's not a U-verse cable they can get it in the eyes of some people pretty high up, and get the ball rolling on this, another thing to do would be to contact David here on the forums, or post in the AT&T forums here for David to get to you.

Matt

P.S. I've forwarded this over to David to review.
--
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. -Albert Einstein

reply to marcusa007
I got matt's voxer message, Can you send me some details or post in direct?

Thanks
David

reply to marcusa007
First off thanks to all of you who have given advice, thanks for taking time and doing so. It helped me in my decision making.

@ScrawnyB I don't really know what you are referring to with white trash drama. No white trash here. Just trying to figure things out.

@Matt thanks for the info and for forwarding the info to David.

@David what details do you need and what do you mean with post in direct?

So here is an update. I called At&t back since the managing field person for Dallas did not do what he said he would when I reached him on Saturday and look up who is responsible for Tarrant county. He wanted to do that when he got back in on Tuesday after Labor Day. Imagine that an AT&T worker not doing what they said they would. Impossible! LOL So on this call we created a new trouble ticket since we finally figured out that Tarrant County customers do not belong in the Dallas county system. Someone was supposed to show up and look at stuff on Friday and call me back. Friday night I come home cable in the same place and no phone call. Geez AT&T why are you disappointing me? You have been so reliable. LOL So back on the phone because I love spending my Friday night with AT&T listening to their awesome on hold tunes until the extended wait, they always seem to have, is over. Again a voice on the other end with apologies and we love that you are a customer blahblahblah. Again the promise to have someone over the next day. Maybe AT&T can make a board game out of all the games they play. So Saturday rolls around and I am working in the yard. Around noon I walk through my yard with some 1x2's and in the hurry forgot the stupid cable to once again trip over it. I don't trip and fall it's just enough to piss you off. About 20 minutes later my neighbor (not the one where the cable is coming from) popped over the fence telling me that AT&T just knocked on the guys house where the issue cable comes from and no one is home. AT&T guy gets into his car and is getting ready to leave. I catch him at the street and ask him if he is here to fix the cable going across the yard. His answer: "No, I am here to look at the TV not working". Well damn, I should have called and said my TV is not working they would have been out quicker. I told him that I have an issue with the cable for that service running through my yard. He got out (not happy that he now can't just take off) and follows me to the yard. I show him the mess and he said "How else are we supposed to get service to the customer?". I told him that is what easements are for. Then he pretty much told me they can enter anywhere and run cable wherever they want but he thinks it should have not been done like that. Another crew would be out in 7-10 days since he put a request in. Ok now I am starting to think when did he put a request in, we just met and looked at all of this? I tell him that I have a feeling that it will be buried where it is laying right now. He had the nerve to tell me "ohhh no they would never do that". LOL right I forgot I am dealing with AT&T. We talk a bit more and come to find out he was there for the cable on Friday and just walked up and looked over the fence of the customers house where the cable is coming from. He felt it all looked good and never bothered to look over my fence. Funny thing is I called this in with my address. Finally he agreed to move it and I showed him where the easement behind the properties is. It is a 8-10 feet wide strip of tall grass with some bushed and lots of utility flags (fairly new). Hah, looks like some other companies actually know where the easements are. He did not like the idea back there, grass must have been to tall. Now he is running the line all the way through the customers yard and at the very back of my fence he is cutting across right along my fence line inside my property. It boils down to pure laziness and whatever they can get away with. At least now no one can trip over it.

My main worry was that the cable was going to be buried in the middle of my yard and every time I want to do something I have to watch out for that cable or if they need to access the cable they would trample through my yard. After all the cable only gets put 6 inches deep. Good luck on not hitting that on accident over time.

Again AT&T what are easements for? Start respecting peoples property rights.

reply to marcusa007
That sucks! At&t is the worst telecom company out there IMO. As soon as cable becomes available here I'm switching.

reply to marcusa007
I wouldnt cut it intentionally but if it got cut accidentally thats a different store.The company is 100% wrong and as a tech myself I wouldnt even think of cutting across someone else s lot

reply to marcusa007
A complaint to your county or the State Corporation Commission will usually get your problem resolved if AT&T doesn't seem to be in any big hurry. And yes that is in fact a temporary cable providing service to your neighbor. And no, when the perm cable is placed, it will not cross your yard in the same fashion as the temp is running.

reply to marcusa007
well I am getting mad for you this sucks.

Start respecting peoples property rights.
Remember they own all politicians and you are just a crap citizen with no rights so forget that line if you finally get to talk to someone.

try to talk to someone in little rock ar about something like this.
We have a public service commission.
Its on the ground floor of the electric company.
gives you a warm feeling all over.

reply to marcusa007
Just make a complaint to the Public Utilities Commission in your county. Also, as mentioned before, if carrying (or the possiblity of carrying dialtone), do not cut that wire.

reply to marcusa007
The easement appears to be the entire 5 feet on both sides of the property line. Note the 10.0' dimension line (arrows) just above the word "UTILITY".

Not withstanding that interpretation issue, I hope they have fixed the problem by now. It was inappropriate routing, in any case.

With trees, you generally have the right to go straight up the property line and cut off overhanging limbs. (The city and the utilities do it over the easement to protect power lines, especially in snow, hurricane, and tornado prone states.) In this case it would seem that anything beyond the easement is at risk.