Looks like the dorm rooms I used to stay in back in the day, when drunk kids would come home at 3:00 am and trash the hallway.

Nice work Comcast!

Looks like he pulled a bit to hard on the cables through the panduit. Oops

Stop complaining. You're actually lucky. Normally they charge you extra for that service.

Looks like the buildings hallway, not his personal hallway. I don't know anyone who has an internal door with a deadbolt.

Does he live in a motel? "Yes, I'd like Cable installed in E-202"

I had Comcast work VERY hard to install CAT 5 through a 2 story house (because wifi doesnt work through the walls...).

They wokred hard, but did a sub par job overall. A problem I'm just now running into is that they ran CAT 5 directly from the router, into a wall, and up one story to another computer. It was all one cable, no wall plates. Now one end of that wire got damaged, and I have to replace the whole cable. I'm actually going to use the existing one and install plates myself, so I can just have CAT 5 outlets in my walls.

Anyway, the point is that they got the job done, but if a contractor just ran lenghts of wire from room to room in the manner they did, it wouldn't fly by any standards.

Though I'm a bit geeky and I'm looking forward to rewiring and fixing the mess they made.

How did this fellow get Comcast to show up at all..?

Can't wait for Comcastic Frank to chime in on this one. That has got to be the most thankless job ever.

Do we know if the tipster has made any attempts at contacting "The Cast" through traditional means? Obviously this job is unacceptable, but before launching an EECB I'd be interested to know if they are willing to send out a technician to repair this pitiful excuse for an installation.

@quizmasterchris: +1 internets.

Impressive, but I had an RCN installer actually break hte lock on my back gate so he could install a converter box on the side of the bar next door. He even put the garbage cans in front of the gate and waved to my wife when she got home. I'll have to dig up my pictures and send them in.

I've never had Comcast leave my place with the feeling of, "Wow, what a half-assed job."

Getting them to install anything neatly is a chore. I feel bad looking over their shoulders at times, but when left to their own devices they'll do the bare minimum and leave. I had cable installed in a loft wherein the installer didn't drill any holes but just draped the wires over the walls (which were those loft-style walls that don't run all the way up to the ceiling). Asking him to install outlets seemed to put him off.

@AlteredBeast: I was going to suggest that you just re-terminate the end of cable that got damaged, but your idea sounds much better.

@shamowfski: Or maybe it's a shot with the front door? I lived in an apartment where the door was sunk back from the hallway once. In fact, my front room was set up very similar to the way this looks.

@shamowfski: My garage door is in a hallway and has a deadbolt which is inside my home.

I had a plumber recently do a sub-par job and leave things really half-assed. (Things all out of place everywhere, took forever to clean it up; gas lines not turned back on to the washer/dryer and as I am pregnant I cannot actually scale the appliances to GET to the gas lines; plumbing installed of-center; one job not done at all but still billed.)

I sent a letter detailing the issue to the plumbing company when I paid my bill (which I did pay in full). We've used this plumber many times and have been delighted with them, but they sent us a new guy on this job instead of our regular guy and I was very unhappy. The owner of the company called me on a Saturday morning -- must have been the moment my letter arrived, two days after I mailed it -- to straighten things out.

Haven't worked out all the details yet, but I feel good that we'll get it all sorted. And I was pretty pissed after the plumber left, so it speaks well of the company that I feel good about them again after the owner called me.

I'm amazed that a person can come to do a job and leave without finishing in this condition. Like, what's going through the guy's head that was doing this? Obviously it's not done, and the hallway is a mess. I just don't get it.

@shamowfski:
Does it matter? It still looks like hell.

@AlteredBeast:
CAT5? Looks more like 5 CATS.

@silver-bolt: In Soviet Russia, cable installs YOU!

@Eyebrows McGee: My wife and I had the same exact experience with a plumbing company we'd used off and on, with the same guy coming and doing a great job each time. Then one time a new guy came and did a terrible job. Got ahold of the owner, who profusely apologized and sent our old guy back and had everything fixed up and then some, free of charge. He even threw in a credit for future work.

I'm an electrical engineer and a former electrician's assistant so here's my personal opinion on this installation. (Always consult a licensed master electrican for all electrical work. Electricity kills and poor wiring will cause a fire).

If I'm not mistaken, the white flat cable that Comcast's coaxial cable is wrapped around, is a Type NM-B "Romex" power cable. It looks like before Comcast came in, the Romex cable was securely mounted and protected by the plastic raceway. That's not a great way to run power wiring, but it is code compliant.

So when the Comcast installer showed up they seem to have run with the idea of running the coaxial cable in the same raceway to save themselves a whole bunch of time and money. Theses types of "panduit" or "wiremold" raceways are used for telcom wiring a lot, so until the installer opened the raceway, it wasn't a bad idea.

However, upon finding that the raceway was occupied by power wiring, they should have sought alternative methods. This is because under NFPA70-NEC2008 820.133(A)(1)(b) "Coaxial cable shall not be placed in the same raceway, compartment, outlet box, junction box or other enclosures with conductors of electric light, power, class-1, non-power-limited fire alarm or medium power network-powered broadband communications circuits."

Then upon not being able to even stuff both cables back into the raceway, the installer has undone the protection for the power wiring (another code violation), wrapped the coaxial cable around the power wiring (which is both a bad idea for singal quality AND a code violation). This installation also fails to comply with the code section 820.24 Mechanical Execution of Work which states that "(Cable) television and radio distribution systems shall be installed in a neat and workman like manner."

While Comcast may not need to get an electrical inspection for this installation, eventually when the building is up for sale, an inspection will be required for a certificate of occupancy. At that point this sort of wiring could be big problem. Never let these folks, get away with this sort of thing, it will only be more of a problem later on.

@downwithmonstercable: It looks to me like he had to run to the truck for panduit, or something. It's amazing someone would leave things in that state without letting the customer know what's going on.

Comcast was out at my girlfriend's apartment for over a month (with the usual Comcast hassles of getting someone to actually show up - taking the day off work and waiting and them not show up, etc...). When they finally did show up, all they did was go to the closet and make a hole in the closet wall - literally, just punched right through the drywall - and wiggle a little a little connector box that was in the wall. Then they left. At least the hole was in the closet, so all we had to do was shut the door. But, whenever the cable went out, I'd just go wiggle the little box! I think that makes me a certified Comcast Installer now! Yippee!

@Eyebrows McGee: Heh...half-assed plumber. Sounds like a job a good pair of suspenders can fix.

@trotskysghost: Could be worse. Verizon could have drilled through your power cables....

@shamowfski: Condo owners are usually responsible for damages to common areas caused by their contractors or other parties

@AlteredBeast: Are your walls made out of lead? I can pick up wifi signals from neighbors on either side of my townhouse with no problem. Maybe you could try boosting your wifi signal. There are plenty of DIY instructions for doing this online.

@cuchanu: In Soviet Russia, dead horse beats YOU!

@shamowfski: Who cares? He still has to see it everyday.

Jason,
I apologize to you and your neighbors for the trouble. I would like to have this looked into and corrected for the apartment complex. I will reach out to Alex to get us connected.

Thank you!

Frank Eliason
Comcast
We_Can_Help@cable.comcast.com

"Has anyone ever had an installer/repairman leave their place a complete mess with no warning or attempt to clean it up?"

YES! Two days ago! The Directv guy came in to hook up the dish at my new apartment. He drilled through the window pane and left wood shavings all over the floor and all over my boxes of stuff. Made no mention of it, nor effort to clean it up, had me sign the papers and walked out. Directv must care about installers performance because I got a follow up call two days later asking me to rate the service. I told them all about this a-hole and emailed their customer service. I doubt anything will happen, but I tried.

@Roy Hobbs: I actually love the opportunity to talk to our Customer! I would prefer under different circumstance though.

Frank

Time Warner did a number at my place. The installer took it upon himself to drill a hold 2ft up the wall in the dead center of the room and leave a giant black cable jutting out. He also managed to break our computer desk into pieces. Upon calling TW they claimed NO responsibility and directed me to their contracted installer. The installer was rude and unhelpful but eventually scheduled an appointment to come see the damage and make an offer for compensation. They never arrived and failed to return subsequent calls. I informed TW they would not see a dime of payment unless someone took responsibility for the damages and eventually nobody did, my cable was shut off and my house all but forcibly entered while only my girlfriend was home by a large technician out to repo our cable box/modem.

@shamowfski: The article never says the hallway is in his condo... "his" hallway could just mean it's the one outside his condo.

@trotskysghost:

That might be romex, but it looks a bit funny... it might be a bonded pair of white coax--some older cable systems used A/B coax to provide more channels.

It would very scary if the installer thought it would be OK to twist coax around romex...

@B:
Ugh! Praying for disemvowelment!

@B: LOL!

@SacraBos: I remember someone on Consumerist saying that DirecTV grounded their pole mount dish to their gas main. =\

Has a Comcast tech ever done incomplete and half-assed work at your house? Funny you should ask. About three years ago I had a completely stoned Comcast tech 'miss' while drilling an angled hole through a wall to the basement, wherein he drilled through the baseboard on the opposite side of the wall.

Meanwhile, about 20 minutes into the job the tech started getting calls from his supervisor insisting that he leave my job to report to another one. The tech kept at it for another 20 minutes but didn't finish the work, and then left…at his boss's behest. So, it was then my responsibility to schedule another person to come finish it, which took another week, during which I was still without service.

If I am ever again faced with the possibility of getting cable installed in a house I own I intend to do everything possible to keep Comcast out of my house. I will run the interior cabling myself, so all they have to do is connect it outside and hand over the modem.

I had a couple of Cox guys come to install and they dug a trench all the way thru my back yard to the alley and then never came back. I called Cox a couple days later and they sent out a gal who finished the job.

@ThickSkinned: It was the strangest thing. I had a Comcast rep set up more than one router, test it ONE room away with my own PCs, and their test laptops, and they couldn't connect. Litterally within 2 feet, but on the other side of a regular wall (drywall, beam, paint, etc). They took the same equipment outside, and everything worked. Something about my house was eating the wifi signal.

It made no sense to me, nor them, and after several days of trying they agreed to run the whole house with CAT 5.

Strange thing is, when I turn on my wifi on my Zune, I can connect to my rounter from anywhere in the house. >_<

@ trotskysghost
I don't think that is Romex in the wiremold. To me it looks like siamese cable (RG 59/6 & 18/2) for a CCTV camera.

@Eyebrows McGee: After talking to a Comcast technician who actually did a good job for a change, I got the distinct impression that Comcast simply doesn't pay enough to keep good, skilled people. He was only working there because he got laid off from somewhere else, and he couldn't wait to find another job.

@emis: Agreed, that looks way too thick to be Romex, unless it's for a dryer circuit or something...and I can't imagine someone would run a dryer circuit through panduit.

@MrBlastotron: I noticed that it was never mentioned if it was called about. This looks like a waste of good ol' Frank's time. But, then again, it may also be the specific purpose he does his thing. If the subscriber never called anyone about it, but just shipped off a pic to consumerist, that point should be documented and transferred in the interest of journalism. On the other hand, if they called in about it and got laughed at, lied to, or some other despicable reaction, then I'm all ears. It's hard to take a stance on such an under-informative article.

@AbsoluteIrrelevance: When you sign that paper, you're telling the installer, the company, and any court you take them to that you ok'd the installation.

A common installer trick is to have you sign before they start work, stating it's required to commence the work. I've only done this once, in a case where the lady wouldn't give me the info to activate the account. Mind you, I already did the install twice [without pay] when I did that.

It's all in the agreement. Read it before signing, and make sure you agree with it.

@JulieLeopard:

Not paying you bill is never a good idea. TW should have responded better or you should have tried going up the corporate ladder but anyway once you account goes delinquent they won't care at all what you have to say until you pay your bill.

Also they can send any outstanding balance to the collections and ruin your credit.

My landlord, in order to take advantage of some rebates for improving the efficiency of homes in my area with central air, had a company come out to reinsulate the roof. Sounds like a great idea until the installers actually showed up. They stripped the siding off of one side of the building, cut a nice big hole for access into it, sprayed insulation in and left. A few days later, we had a windstorm (goodbye siding) and a week of snow (goodbye power savings). That was two weeks before Christmas. The hole? Still there.

I've been trying to get them back out to fix it to no avail -- they've come out, looked at it, propped a board half across the hole and decided they couldn't fix it until they found the perfect matching siding. (The board is long gone, victim of another windstorm.) Many promises to "take care of the problem" and "it will be fixed by Saturday" later, nothing at all has happened.

The excuse now? They "can't find siding" (apparently looking at local siding companies in the Yellow Pages or Google doesn't occur to them), so they "can't fix it without subcontracting it to a siding company". The theoretical siding company hasn't been booked or scheduled, but the manager "promises" they'll be out by the next day (a Saturday). Needless to say, I still have a hole in the side of my roof, another round of calls to make in the morning. and any fuel savings I might have taken advantage of this winter have pretty much evaporated.