PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – After spending weeks getting nowhere, Georgia Coyle contacted the "Leave it to Layron" team about a problem: an unburied, orange Comcast cable line left across her backyard.
Just a few days after we contacted Comcast about the issue, a crew was dispatched to Coyle's Oakland Park home to finish the job contractors started months prior.
Ironically, Coyle, is not even a Comcast customer. She uses a satellite TV provider.
That was all the spark that was needed for a firestorm of emails into the "Leave it to Layron" inbox, detailing similar situations and frustrations with orange cables on properties across South Florida.
In one email, another non-Comcast customer claimed an orange cable stretched across their North Lauderdale yard for more than two years.
A Hollywood viewer detailed how his disabled father trips over the cable stretching across their yard.
"There are cases when it is necessary for us to put temporary lines in place in order to get service up and running for customers in a particular location where the network has been impacted," Mindy Kramer, Comcast's regional vice president of public relations, said in an email.
Kramer said more than 50,000 lines had to repaired, buried or rehung after Hurricane Irma.
Of the millions of customers in the Florida region, "there are some instances where crews have not completed the line work in a timely manner, and for that we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused," she said.
The "Leave it to Layron" team provided Comcast with as many addresses that were included in the viewer emails and was told crews would be sent to inspect and, if necessary, finish the work at those homes.
In a couple of cases, Comcast reported its crews are waiting for Florida Power & Light to replace defective poles before its cable lines can be safely rehung.
In some instances, the cables we got messages about were not Comcast lines, but other cable companies for which we provided contact numbers.
"This is not the ideal experience we want to deliver for our customers and we continue to work hard on making meaningful improvements," Kramer said.
She also warned against cutting the cables. Not only could people wipe out service to their neighbors in the area, but Kramer said some of the lines have voltage going through them and cutting them could be dangerous.
We are happy to report we have received emails, like one from Dana in Pompano Beach, who wrote, "Love you" after a Comcast crew showed up at her home.
Marcia in North Lauderdale also wrote, "Thank you," after Comcast came knocking on her door, repaired the line and planted sod.
The LITL team was told there are a number of ways customers can reach out to Comcast. They can call 1-800-Xfinity. Rather than waiting on hold, customers can also request a call back at a date and time that's more convenient for them. They can also chat with a live agent online at xfinity.com/chat, or reach out to representatives on Twitter @ComcastCares or on Facebook.
If you have a problem or issue that needs to be solved, CLICK HERE to "Leave it to Layron."