After tornadoes swept through Alabama last month, killing hundreds of people and ravaging homes, cable company Charter Communications showed its priorities by asking victims to look around for their cable boxes so they could return them, lest they face hefty fines. The cable company later changed course and decided to credit victims for lost or damaged equipment.

Stop the Cap quotes a rep from the cable company who spoke to a victim whose home was flattened:

“If your house was destroyed, and you have looked around the neighborhood for our cable box and cannot find it, you owe us $212 and you need to either pay us or make an insurance claim on our behalf.”

After the post went up, the company put out a statement that reversed its policy:

Charter will not charge customers for missing, destroyed, or damaged equipment as a result of the recent tornadoes. We adjusted our policy shortly after the tornado in response to the large-scale and catastrophic nature of this storm. We have now confirmed the company is now crediting customers for lost or damaged equipment.

Charter Cable Tells Tornado Victims to ‘Look Around the Neighborhood’ for Cable Boxes or Else [Stop the Cap]
(Thanks, Mike!)

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