Dish Apologizes For Demanding Couple Return Equipment After Their Home Was Destroyed By Wildfire

Whenever there’s a natural disaster wreaking devastation upon people and their homes, it seems there will, unfortunately, always be cable customer service representatives who respond less than sensitively. Here’s another: a couple whose home burned down in a California wildfire says they were shocked when Dish demanded they return equipment that was destroyed.

A couple whose home was burned down in the Butte fire says when they called Dish to let them know what had happened, an employee demanded they return their equipment, reports CBS Sacramento. But it was destroyed, the woman says she told them. In response, they sent her a box and told her she’d be charged if she didn’t send the hardware back, she says.

“I couldn’t believe it. They have no heart,” she said. “They even want the remotes back. It’s unbelievable.”

The couple says it isn’t just Dish that’s giving them the stink eye over equipment — their satellite Internet provider also told them to return things that were destroyed in the fire, or they’d have to pay for it.

When Call Kurtis reached out to Dish, the company issued an apology to the woman and her husband, saying it was a rogue customer service rep. They won’t be charged for the equipment, either.

“In this situation, the agent assisting this customer regrettably did not follow standard procedure,” the company said in a statement. “DISH has implemented its standard procedures to assist in the wake of natural disasters. While all of DISH’s customer care representatives receive thorough training and have the tools necessary to promptly resolve most customer matters, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our processes.”

The Internet provider also apologized, and closed her account “without any termination charges and all equipment fees have been waived.”

Call Kurtis Investigates: Satellite Companies Demand Equipment Back From CA Wildfire Victims [CBS Sacramento]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist