A family in Allentown, PA was lucky to escape with their lives after a natural gas explosion destroyed their block and took five of their neighbor’s souls. Then their cable company RCN told them they would have to pay $170 a pop for the cable boxes that were destroyed in the fire.

When the family called to cancel service, the RCN rep told them that there would be a $170 fee for each of the unreturned boxes. They explained how their house had just blown up but the rep held steady, saying that she was sorry, but she had a script that she had to follow. When they asked for a supervisor, they were told none was available.

Reached for comment, RCN told the Morning Call that their usual policy is to make customers pay for unreturned equipment, but local offices can make exceptions for extenuating circumstances like this one.

Only after speaking out on Facebook, complaining to the mayor and notifying the press did RCN back down and offer to waive the fees.

Blast victims nearly victimized again — by RCN [Mcall] (Thanks to Jen!)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.