It’s expected that Comcast cable installs are both late and flawed, but Andrew W’s friend adds a new wrinkle: unwelcome love advances.

During the installation, this female friend was asked out by the “big, imposing” Comcast tech. She declined. Alone in the kitchen, he told her, “I just have to say, you are so pretty.”

On the work order, the tech put down his home number. After the (failed) installation, he called the friend again to try and meet up. She hung up but he continued to call.

Andrew’s friend turned off her phone and is now sleeping over at friend’s houses. She decided not to report the guy to Comcast as he knows where she lives and she’s afraid of retaliation. What to do?

We’re no relationship expert but….

Andrew,

Sorry to hear about your friend’s troubles.

We understand her fear but she should leave her phone on. If he calls again, she should tell him in no uncertain terms to stop calling. Hanging up hasn’t, in all fairness, made that explicit.

If he continues to make calls she feels are harassing, then she should consider calling the police.

Have her document the affair as best to her ability, including names, times and dates, and then call the police immediately to report the harassing phone calls and unwelcome behavior.

Then if you want to get him fired, report the complaint now that you’re under police protection. Or, make an anonymous complaint and say you’ve heard about the tech doing it, without specifying the complainant. Bear in mind, though, the latter won’t carry as much weight as the former.

If she still balks, consider this: if she doesn’t complain and get him fired, what’s to stop him from doing the same to another customer?

Sleeping on customer’s couches is one thing, but trying to sleep with you on the couch? Quite another.

Andrew’s original letter below:

---

“Here’s a might bit terrifying story for you. I’m leaving my friend’s name and city out of it for safety’s sake. I’m hoping Consumerist readers might have some advice, because she’s stumped and not a little scared…

My friend just moved to a new city and last weekend had an appointment to have cable installed by Comcast. Two Comcast contractors show up (late, naturally).

Partway through the installation, one of the guys–a big, imposing guy–asks my friend if she’s married, has a boyfriend, etc. “I would like to take you out,” he says. She says no thanks, with no lack of clarity.

A bit later, while the second guy is out at their truck and while my friend is trying very hard to avoid the two of them completely, the first guy finds my friend and tells her, “I just have to say, you are so pretty.” She was ready to cry at that point, she says. She’s in her kitchen, alone with a creep. All she could get out was a sarcastic “Uhh, thanks.”

Finally they leave, but without having properly set up her digital cable. They’re supposed to schedule a second appointment. He puts his home number on the work order. Half an hour later, he calls my friend from his cell. When she asks why he’s calling, he says it’s so the two of them can meet up in town later. She hangs up, but he calls two more times that night. My friend stays over at a friend’s place, she so creeped out. The next morning, there’s another missed call from him. She turns off her cell altogether.

This is where she needs Consumerist’s advice. Her friends and boyfriend tell her not to call Comcast, because, they reason, if this big, creepy, obsessive guy gets fired, he might come straight for my friend. He knows where she lives, after all. It may not be likely that he’d retaliate, but it’s a real enough threat to make one think twice about reporting him. So what is a person to do in this case? I’d have to assume my friend isn’t the only woman this guy has harrassed. He shouldn’t be allowed in people’s homes, period. But how do you get him off the the job without endangering anyone else?

And in general, in less threatening circumstances, what’s the most effective way to report someone who makes unwelcome advances when they’ve been asked into your home as a contractor? This isn’t “Log Jammin'” from the Big Lebowski–these are people’s homes and lives.

Thanks,

Andrew W”

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