Comcast: You owe us $640 (Original image: Sentinel & Enterprise)

Comcast billed a Leominster woman $640 for cable television equipment destroyed in a major apartment fire, despite promises from the company she would not be charged.

Lakisha Nunez spent months fighting with Comcast over the equipment lost when a fire broke out at the Columbia Hotel building on Nov. 24.

Two days later, Nunez contacted Comcast to inform them of the fire and to temporarily suspend service. A representative promised she would not be held accountable for the unreturned equipment because the fire was not her fault.

One month later, the company changed its mind and refused to discuss the matter further. When the $640 bill arrived, she complained.

“I called and was told that is what (renter) insurance is for,” Nunez told the Sentinel & Enterprise.

Another representative told her the fees would be waived if she filed a “fire report” with the local Comcast office. She complied, but Comcast still refused to remove the charges.

The bill was finally waived after Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella’s office intervened on her behalf and reporters from the Sentinel & Enterprise also began making inquiries.

Comcast spokesman Marc Goodman quickly apologized and promised to refund $233 in fees she already paid, believing it covered her monthly service.

Stop the Cap! reminds renters that buying renter’s insurance is essential to protect your personal property (and that belonging to others) in the event of a catastrophic loss. It is inexpensive and easy to buy from any large insurance company.