'NO DRILLING IN MY HOUSE': Karen makes it impossible for cable guy to fix internet issues, she tries to get free TV from him

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    Product - "Cable Karen"
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    Font - Cable Karen Karen OC This takes place all the way back in the ancient year of 2016. I was working as a Field Tech (cable guy) for Time Warner Cable, one of the greatest companies I ever worked for. My job was to install and repair cable services in homes. I had already dealt with my share of Karens before this but this lady took the cake and then demanded another one for free.
  • 03
    Font - I had her work order to install internet only, looking at the account number it ended in a 04 or 05 meaning it was the fourth or fifth time that house had been serviced. Tells me there should be cable there already.
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    Font - I get there, introduce myself and start my site inspection. I ask where she'll want her modem and she takes me to her son's room at the front corner of the house. I see there's cable coming in through the wall. That cable goes straight outside through the wall and is wrapped to a bundle of cables that goes around the corner of the house and is to our demarcation point. I tell her the cable looks a little wonky and I might need to replace it.
  • 05
    Font - She stomps her foot down and says "NO DRILLING IN MY HOUSE!" I assure her I won't need to drill, I can use the existing hole to run a new cable through it and she won't even be charged for it. She doubles down and I tell her we'll cross that bridge when we get there, I'll need to do some stuff outside and test that line first. I connect a probe to the cable so I can verify which line it is outside.
  • 06
    Font - I go outside, she stands on the porch watching me. I set my ladder up on the pole, make sure the line from the pole to the house is connected and I have good signal from my tap (I do). Next I go to the house box and check signal again, quick math tells me the line is good. I ask if she currently had satellite like Dish or DirecTV. I get a forceful no.
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    Font - So now I can unplug any cables around the demarc point (there's a lot of them) and I use the other end of my probe to find the cable in her son's room. Its a simple test, in her son's room the cable has a red probe. My tester comes with four probes of different colors and when its connected to a cable with a probe on the other end the light for that color comes on. The cable from me to the modem is less than twenty feet long.
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    Font - I go through all the lose cables and nothing. I start unhooking satellite cables going toward the house, nothing. I try unhooking cables going toward the satellite dishes, nothing. Finally I follow the cable from where it comes out of the room through the bundle and into the house box. It still doesn't tone out. Not good.
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    Font - I hook it up and go inside to test signal, none. This cable is broken somewhere. I tell her I have to replace it but I won't be drilling, I'll use the same hole and I- She cuts me off. "I thought I was clear, no drilling no holes. I repeat I won't be making any new holes, I'll use the one that's already there and I can put a wall plate over it so it looks better.
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    Font - She explodes saying her house looks good enough (it didn't), that I don't know what I'm doing (I do), and if I'm going to do this I'm going to hook every TV in every room up. In my area during this time you could get about 70 channels by plugging your TV straight into the cable.
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    Font - Now in my mind alarms are going off, my brain is calling away battle stations! "No." is my calm response. "I will bend over backward to get your internet working, you will not be getting free TV from me."
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    Font - Karen then informs me if I don't she'll have me fired. I tell her I need to replace the line, the existing one is damaged. "TV." she says.
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    Font - We are now at an impasse, I'm not wasting my time or hers. I tell her to have a nice day and I get in my van to leave. As soon as I get on the road I grab my phone to call my boss to give him a heads up but he calls me. From "Have a nice day." to my phone ringing has been less than three minutes.
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    Font - I'll say this about my boss, he was amazing. He knows some people are just and we knew that if we were honest with him no matter how bad it was it would be better for us. As the phone rings I'm thinking "No way, no way she's THAT fast."
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    Font - Turns out he was calling about something else but I gave him the heads up, he asked me what I had done there at that house and a few other probing questions then told me to email him a summery of it.
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    Handwriting - This was my last job before lunch so I went home for lunch early (advantage of being in the field in the town you live in), typed up the email, and enjoyed a slightly longer lunch.
  • 17
    Human body - donthateonspiders. 2 hr. ago eagerly awaiting sequel
  • 18
    Rectangle - XR171 OP 2 hr. ago She was the second rudest person, the rudest would be a prequel. A story that involves a house fire.
  • 19
    Font - justloriinky 2 hr. ago Tell it!!! (Great writing, by the way!) Also, did Karen ever get her internet fixed?
  • 20
    Font - D XR171 OP 2 hr. ago I will later, and yes a guy I trained installed it the next day. It's a kinda interesting story I'll add in when I get off work.

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