Cable company-owned power backup batteries

For the last several years, telephone companies have faced millions in losses from stolen telephone cables often ripped right off of phone poles — sold to copper scrap yards, usually to fuel drug habits.  Now cable companies like Time Warner Cable are facing a theft problem of their own — stolen battery backup equipment.

In California and Texas, the problem has grown significant enough to cost the company nearly $1 million replacing lost equipment.  Time Warner is now offering up to $10,000 in some areas for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.

Thieves break into metal cabinets usually located on street corners, phone poles, or in backyards looking to harvest the power backup batteries inside.  Thieves resell the lead batteries at scrap yards, and often take the power backup controllers as well.  Most break-ins occur at night, and in many areas, the thieves dress up to resemble utility workers and drive panel vans or bucket trucks that passersby might mistake as utility-owned vehicles.

The batteries appear similar to a traditional car battery, but larger.  They weigh about 67 pounds each and typically sell for $17-20 apiece at scrap yards.  In some areas, repeated break-ins have caused the loss of dozens of batteries, and major headaches for customers who can find their phone and Internet service interrupted until technicians can replace the equipment.  In Beaumont, Tex., two men driving a bucket truck netted $3,000 worth of batteries in one evening.  They were caught by law enforcement officials who suspected them of breaking into numerous boxes attached to area telephone poles.

In January, two Huntington Beach, Calif. police officers stopped a suspicious vehicle and found 13 stolen batteries owned by the cable company removed from boxes in Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley and Costa Mesa. The vehicles’ occupants were arrested for a variety of charges including the possession of stolen property.  They have since been convicted of the crimes and sentenced to time in jail.

Grand Prairie, Tex. Det. Lyle Gensler told a Dallas TV station it’s not just the loss of service Time Warner is worried about, it’s the replacement cost of the stolen property that may trickle-down to customers.

“If Time Warner loses a battery, it’s going to cost them to replace it. If they lose money, they’re going to pass that onto the consumer,” said Gensler. “Over the last six months [Grand Prairie] has lost over $100,000 in property.”

Time Warner has been installing new theft prevention equipment on some utility cabinets in problem areas that deter unauthorized entry into the cabinets.

The cable company has already paid at least one tipster $10,000 for turning in cable equipment thieves.  Concerned citizens can report suspicious activity to their local law enforcement office or call Time Warner’s security tip line at 1-877-TWC-TIPS.

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KXAS in Dallas reports on a rash of battery thefts affecting Time Warner Cable and their subscribers in the Metroplex.  (1 minute)

Hawaiian customers of Oceanic Time Warner Cable can now obtain the cable company’s free viewing app for iPad — TWCable TV.

Although the cable operator has offered the free online viewing app for months, it has not worked in Hawaii until this week.

“We are tremendously excited about this app, which is the first of many that will allow our customers to harness the power of their tablet-type devices,” said Bob Barlow, president of Oceanic Time Warner Cable.

Time Warner customers can use the app only within range of their home wireless router connected to Time Warner’s Road Runner Internet service.  Restrictions imposed by the cable company and programmers mean customers cannot access the service from other broadband providers or outside of their own home.

Time Warner also requires TWCable TV app users to maintain a cable television subscription and register for access on the company’s website.

Before the billing problems, apartment and building numbers appeared on customer bills.

Cox Communications’ third-party billing vendor decided a billing system upgrade was required to comply with post office regulations governing the bulk mail discounts the company receives when sending millions of subscriber bills.  But that upgrade caused some renters serious headaches this summer when apartment and building numbers were omitted from the envelopes, resulting in bills being returned to Cox undelivered.

Despite the billing snafus which began in June, customers were still expected to pay their bills on time to avoid late fees.  In Lincoln, R.I., one apartment complex is up in arms as residents in their 80s have been forced to drive to Cox offices just to find out how much they owe and pay their bills in person.

“At first they blamed the post office when I called,” said Cox subscriber Anita Messier.  “I’m 81 years old and I can’t see myself driving [to the cable company] this winter to pay my Cox bill.”

The problem: Cox deleted the apartment and building numbers from the billing addresses of many of their customers.  Now, only a generic street address is listed, and that is a problem for the affected Lincoln residents, many of whom live in apartment complexes with well over 100 individual families.  Mail carriers have not been equipped to guess what bill belongs in which mailbox, so Cox’s monthly statements stopped arriving.

Now they don't, and the post office won't deliver them.

The Messier family’s bill ceased arriving in June, and despite repeated calls and promises the issue would be corrected, they still haven’t received a Cox bill, and it is now October.

In frustration, Messier threw her hands up and called Providence TV station WPRI for help.

“I don’t usually ask for help,” Messier confesses.  “I usually come out of this by myself, but right now I’m frustrated with Cox.”

When the station called Cox, it appears to have lit a fire under the cable company to help finally resolve the issue.  Cox officials profusely apologized for the billing blunder, claim they will refund any late charges that result, and now Lincoln residents are wondering whether they will finally see their Cox bills return to their mailboxes before Halloween.

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WPRI in Providence intervenes on behalf of elderly Lincoln residents who have been forced to drive to local Cox offices to pay the cable bills they haven’t seen since June.  (3 minutes)

A Time Warner Cable customer in the East Village experiencing a cable, phone, and Internet outage Tuesday got an original excuse from a call center employee at the cable company:

The box that controls the cable, Internet, pretty much everything else for Time Warner Cable in my area of the East Village is located in the basement of a building. In order to service this box, Time Warner Cable needs to contact the super of the building and be let in.

The super of the building, according to the service rep, REFUSES TO LET TIME WARNER INSIDE.

“Why is he refusing?” I asked.

“He wants free cable,” the rep responded.

Apparently, Time Warner has tried to reason with the man, but he refuses to budge. Today, he’s refused to answer the door or his phone. He’s cut off all communication.

“It’s a very unusual situation,” the rep said.

The entire story of the hostage crisis is up on Adam Hunter’s blog, along with plenty of comments from fellow New Yorkers upset with the building superintendent, the cable operator, or both.

What made an unusual situation even stranger is the Time Warner employee actually gave out the address of the building where the standoff was occurring, with the not-much-of-a-stretch-notion that perhaps outraged customers might walk down the street and pay the hostage-taker a visit.

“How close are you to 2nd Avenue,” the representative asked.

“I live between 1st and 2nd, closer to 2nd. I’d love to go over there and try to speak with the super to help resolve this,” Hunter replied.

“Well,” the rep said, “I can’t see any reason I can’t give you the address.”

The drama attracted the attention of the Village Voice, who tracked down the alleged offender, only to be promptly hung up on, and a Time Warner representative who actually confirmed the whole story:

“It does appear that we had an issue with accessing the building where one of our nodes is located,” the representative told the newspaper.  “We did have to remind the landlord of city ordinance that requires us to have 24/7 access to our infrastructure.”

Regardless of who wanted what, Time Warner Cable customers experiencing the effects of several outages in lower Manhattan this week are entitled to service credits.  Just visit Time Warner’s New York City website, complete the e-mail form listing the day(s) you experienced service outages, and request credit accordingly.  Make sure you remind them of the services you have so you are properly credited.

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Time Warner Cable is spending subscriber dollars in Wisconsin on free lawn signs with the company logo showing support for the Milwaukee Brewers.  It’s not the first time the cable company has distributed free signs to sports fans.  In January, the Wisconsin division of the cable company handed out signs celebrating the Green Bay Packers.  The cable company said local cable store employees found lines of interested takers ready and waiting before they even opened.  Green Bay locations ran out of signs within hours, but if past precedent means anything, Time Warner will print up more for a second round.  (1 minute)