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Gross: Cable guy leaves a mess in family's toilet

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It's frustrating when a contractor comes to fix something in your house, and then breaks something else, or leaves a mess behind.

But one Northern Kentucky man is dealing with an even nastier issue: a contractor who left a real mess in his toilet.

Contractor asks to use the restroom

Eric Yates says a Spectrum Cable installer was apparently all pooped out, after performing his duty fixing the cable.
 
Yates says that's when the installer decided to do another kind of duty.

"He asked to use the restroom, he caused damage in the restroom, but didn't tell me about it, and he left," Yates said.

He says the toilet was completely clogged.

"I tried unclogging it with a plunger for a half hour, and after no success decided to call a plumber," Yates said.

As his receipt shows, it took a Roto Rooter visit and a $230 payment to undo the cable guy's deposit.

But when he called the cable company to try to get reimbursed for the cleanup, that's when the real problems began.

"Every time I called there was a different story, this department is going to handle your claim, a technician needs to handle your claim one on one, etcetera," Yates said.

Despite multiple calls, Yates says he's still waiting for reimbursement.

"Unfortunately we are 6 months down the road, and have still not received my refund check," he said.

We contacted Spectrum Cable, where a company spokesman promised to make things right, saying "if we cause damage, we will take care of the issue and cover all costs."

How to protect yourself

So don't let this happen to you:

  • Number one: Take photos and report any damage left "behind" by a contractor.
  • Number two...if it's number two, you might politely ask him to go to a gas station. That's what Yates plans to do next time.

That way, you don't waste your money.

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