Charter Communications Complaint - Charter Rep still working after he attacks my dog??

Posted by jktshff1 on 2011-04-10:

two questions.
1. Is your yard fenced and was the dog inside the fence at the time.
2. If #1 is no, was the dog on a leash or chain that the length did not allow it to go past the property line?
A 15 lb. dog can still bite.

Posted by alzabella on 2011-04-10:

My dog was on a leash that stretches to the end of our yard. No farther. The tech was in MY yard in front of MY house to deal with the neigbors service. The man stepped forward at my dog to kick her and repeatedly stomp on her. I guess he was trying to get her before she got him. But she was on a chain. I am aware that 15 pound dogs bite. But mine did not. She was to busy trying to get out from under a size 12 steal toe work boot. Not to mention the tech assulted me when he thru his ID at me and hit me with it.

Posted by Sparticus on 2011-04-10:

I think I would have assaulted the tech. If you don't hear from them, try getting someone at corporate. There is no excuse for not following up with you.

Posted by Nicole29 on 2011-04-10:

I would call the police if someone did that to my dog, and acted this way. You might want to try that.

Posted by Venice09 on 2011-04-10:

I too would have called the police. Also, I'd be careful if I were you. If this guy is still working in your area and knows that you reported him, he sounds like the type that might want to retaliate. I hope your dog is okay.

Posted by Nicole29 on 2011-04-10:

Venice is right, and you never know. This is a tough position to be in, since he knows where you live. This is why you should report it to the police, just in case something were to happen.

We had some guys come into our backyard to go fishing. It's private property. They were throwing their trash and cigarette butts on our lawn. My husband asked them nicely to leave, and they said they were going to kill our dog. Since they were that ugly, and knew where we lived, it took weeks before I was comfortable.

When you have an altercation like this when the other party knows where you live, it is always a good idea to report it. You never know what people are capable of.

Posted by alzabella on 2011-04-10:

Venice09-That is exactly my worry. He knows where I live. And this guy was seriously not right! He blew up and charged at me the minute I caught him assaulting my dog. I did make a police report that day.

Posted by madconsumer on 2011-04-10:

i would like to hear the service techs side.

i was bitten by a small dog and was left with a couple of stitches and a nice scar on my leg.

correct, the service tech should have called the police and had the dog picked up, and filed a charge against the homeowner.

Posted by throwback on 2011-04-10:

As someone with scars on my leg from being attacked by a dog smaller that 15 pounds I would like to hear both sides. They contractor can lark anywhere he wants on a public road. He may of had to access your property via the public easement to the utility pole to turn off your neighbors service. It is up to the pet owner at all times to have control over thief animals at all times. The contractor had a legal right to be on your property to which you failed to control your animal.

Posted by Venice09 on 2011-04-10:

Madconsumer, the tech shouldn't have been anywhere near the dog. You know some people do enjoy abusing animals. Maybe the barking annoyed him and he took it out on the dog.

Alzabella, reporting it to corporate and filing a police report is really all you can do. Well, that and keep your eyes open. Maybe there will be other complaints, and the company or the police will be forced to do something about it. Hopefully, this tech will get fired and be out of your area in the near future.

Posted by Venice09 on 2011-04-10:

Throwback, how can you say the contractor had a legal right to be on the OP's property? You don't know that. If the dog was chained, why didn't he just back away?

Posted by momsey on 2011-04-10:

Madconsumer...had the dog picked up for what? Barking???

Throwback...aren't you making a big assumption that the guy had a legal right to be on the OP's property?

A 15 lb dog of course can bite. A 15 lb dog on a leash can only bite whatever comes close enough to it. So I don't see a scenario where the tech was in the right.

Posted by Venice09 on 2011-04-10:

Madconsumer and throwback were bitten by dogs. I get that. But they shouldn't let that cloud their judgment or make assumptions in this case.

Posted by bluediamond98 on 2011-04-10:

I'll preface this by admitting that I HATE dogs. I can't stand their nasty little furry behinds. That said, they do not deserve to be abused. If he felt your dog was a threat, he should have been moving very quickly in any direction away from your dog. It was on a leash and that would have solved his problem. Unless the dog had teeth in him, he had no right to stand there and kick it. He should have been HAPPY to see you so you could move the dog away from the area he was working. Folks that abuse animals are a very special twisted group of people. What a moron!

Posted by AshleyFurnitureRules on 2011-04-10:

madconsumer and throwback +100

Posted by throwback on 2011-04-10:

If the utiliies run thru that back of the houses then all utilities employees and contractor have a legal right to enter your property anytime on the easement to perform service work. That's the fact Jack!

Posted by Venice09 on 2011-04-10:

Throwback, are you saying there is no way the tech could have avoided the dog?

Posted by momsey on 2011-04-10:

That's a big if, throwback. And if that was the case, there are clearly better ways to deal with such a situation.

By the way, I was bitten by a medium sized dog when I was 12. My husband was bitten by a big dog when he was a kid that resulted in stitches and a big nasty scar on his arm. Both of us love dogs and would never stomp on a dog.

Posted by ript on 2011-04-10:

Common sense dictates he should have knocked on your door and asked you to move the dog if it was an issue for him, or asked the neighbor to do so.

Posted by idontthinkso on 2011-04-10:

As a Service tech, I have seen and dealt with aggressive animals. As a Dog owner, and having known someone with an animal with SERIOUS aggressive tendencies, I know both sides of the issue. The simple fact is, without eyewitness accounts, this is all hearsay.

From the account given:
A)The dog was loudly protecting it's territory (Allowed unless a neighbor complains about excessive noise)
B)The Subcontractor was Trespassing (He might have had to work on a pole bordering/inside your property. He must obtain permission to even be in your airspace.)
C)You should have called the Police. (If you allow other people to make their judgments as they see fit, you have no leverage.)
D)Lawyer up. (Subcontractors limit liability and responsibility. They do not eliminate it. A threat of a lawsuit may very well get more results.)

Posted by alzabella on 2011-04-10:

First of all, we have an alley that runs down the back. The pole is in the alley next door. So the tech had no reason to be in my yard. All utility poles, boxes ect......are in the alley. I heard my dog barking out back and went to check, the man was walking toward my dog kicking at her. (she was barking as she was backing up) I then went out to ask him what in the world he thought he was doing, as I did he then stomped down on her several times. I walked up to my dog and gave her to my kids (who witnessed him pounding their dog)AFTER the dog was inside, I asked him his name and he ignored me and started up his ladder. (In the alley) I asked him his name again, he flew off the steps of the ladder, jerked off his ID from around his neck and threw it at me hitting me in the neck with it. He started screaming his name at me and told me worked for f***ing Charter. He screamed in my face to get my crazy ass back in the house. Yes, I can def see where they should have came and taken my dog and given the tech an award......Not!

Posted by Sparticus on 2011-04-10:

This guys has some serious anger management issues... probably related to why he abused your dog. He should not be working with people or animals.

Posted by trmn8r on 2011-04-10:

I was bitten by a 15 pound dog while standing 3 feet away from a heighbor's property just 3-1/2 weeks ago. $2400 bill, and I have a dandy of a scar. A 15 pound dog can do quite a bit of damage. A small dog can often be more agressive than a large one.

The dog didn't stop at its property line when I was attacked. I am wondering if the dog in this case did.

Many people have been attacked by dogs. I discovered this while walking my dog in public, and finding people freeze as she approached them. Several told me their horror stories. Now I have my own. This neighbor told me I should have kicked his dog instead of letting my hand get involved. I'm not advocating what was reported to have happened in this complaint, just saying what happened.

Posted by alzabella on 2011-04-10:

I understand. In your case the dog came off the property. In my case the tech came ON my property. Her chain doesnt even reach the alley he was in. Why would I let It?? So its not that the dog didnt stop at the property line, its that the tech came on my property to the dog.

Posted by Prince-Caesar on 2011-04-10:

Oh, if I saw someone kicking and stomping on MY dog, I would have went out there and started kicking and stomping at the tech, calling the police, and pressing charges for animal cruelty and destruction of my property!

Posted by old fart on 2011-04-10:

In my youth I was a door to door milkman.... I have been bitten more times than I care to count.
The owners always said "he don't bite!
Many times I threatened to shoot the SOB'S..

Posted by raven2010 on 2011-04-10:

I, too, would have called the cops.

What did the vet say? A dog who had just given birth then been kicked and stomped on must have had astronomical vet bills

Posted by DebtorBasher on 2011-04-10:

It takes time for a company to investigate alligations when a complaint is made. It could in fact, take several weeks. Seeing him again, only three days after is too soon to determine that they weren't doing anything about it. Have you seen him since then? I know for a fact, they are not going to give any information on the outcome of any investigation.

Posted by Venice09 on 2011-04-11:

I was thinking that, too, DB. They can't just fire or discipline someone on the spot. It takes time to investigate. That's why I said if there are more complaints about this guy, something will have to be done about it sooner than later.

Posted by SteveWiginowski on 2011-04-11:

Did you take your dog to the vet to get him checked out? I don't know how big the man was who kicked and stomped on your dog, but since it was a 15 lb dog, I would think that there would be sort injuries to the dog. What did the vet say?

Posted by Umatter2Charter on 2011-04-11:

Hello alzabella,

My name is Seph Wahl, and I am a Communications Specialist with Charter. I'm very sorry to hear about the issues that you are having with the tech and getting a call back from someone. I would be happy to look into this with you and make certain that all of your concerns are addressed. Please e-mail us at Umatter2Charter@chartercom.com with the name, address, and phone number on the account, as well as the best number to reach you. Also, please put "CharterSeph: My3Cents" in the subject line, so I can watch for the e-mail. For additional information on the Charter Social Media team, please check us out at http://www.charter.com/Umatter2Charter

We look forward to helping you resolve your concerns.

Seph Wahl
Communications Specialist - Charter
http://www.charter.com/Umatter2Charter
Umatter2Charter@chartercom.com

Posted by I Like Cookies 2 on 2011-04-11:

Attacking your dog was uncalled for. He should be fired and charges should be brought against him.

Posted by ript on 2011-04-11:

I agree cookie. A report should be made to whatever agency is in charge of animal welfare in your city and state OP, as well being reported to the police. Have you done a follow up with Charter Communications corporate office?

Posted by jktshff1 on 2011-04-11:

Thanks for providing the additional information.
A call to the police would have be in order.
It still may be so a report is available.
Small claims for the damages.

Posted by jktshff1 on 2011-04-11:

Do what ript said also

Posted by Venice09 on 2011-04-12:

Jkt, she did file a police report the day it happened. Smart move.

Posted by alzabella on 2011-04-12:

I got in touch with the CEO of Charter. He was VERY polite and took the report himself. I will keep you posted on what happens next. Thanks for all your thoughts and advice:)