Woman Uses Hammer On Cable Co. - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 10-19-2007, 06:26 PM

Link

BRISTOW, Va. - She was fined and got a suspended jail sentence, but Mona Shaw says she has no regrets about using a hammer to vent her frustration at a cable company.

"I stand by my actions even more so after getting all these telephone calls and hearing other people's complaints," she told The Associated Press in an interview Friday.

Shaw, 75, and her husband, Don, say they had an appointment in August for a Comcast technician to come to their Bristow home to install the company's heavily advertised Triple Play phone, Internet and cable service.

The Shaws say no one came all day, and the technician who showed up two days later left without finishing the setup. Two days after that, Comcast cut off all their service.

At the Comcast office in Manassas later that day, they waited for a manager for two hours before being told the manager had left for the day, the Shaws say.

Shaw, a churchgoing secretary of the local AARP branch, returned the next Monday — with a hammer.

"I smashed a keyboard, knocked over a monitor ... and I went to hit the telephone," Shaw said. "I figured, 'Hey, my telephone is screwed up, so is yours.'"

Comcast Corp., the nation's largest cable company, disputes Shaw's version of its customer service record and calls Shaw's hammer fit on Aug. 20 an "inappropriate situation."

"Nothing justifies this sort of dangerous behavior," Comcast spokeswoman Beth Bacha said.

Police arrested Shaw for disorderly conduct. She received a three-month suspended sentence, was fined $345 and and is barred from going near the Comcast offices for a year.

The Shaws did eventually get phone and television service — with Verizon and DirecTV.

She said many people have called her a hero. "But no, I'm just an old lady who got mad. I had a hissy fit," she said.

Ireneparalegal · 10-19-2007, 06:31 PM

Well, seems to me she did what a lot of people FELT LIKE DOING.

HuntingtonM15 · 10-19-2007, 08:12 PM

I don't blame her. I'm glad to be rid of Comcast.

PZelda · 10-19-2007, 08:56 PM

I am SOOOOOOOOOO glad I didn't go with Comcast when I got internet service here (we're with Charter). I still hate Charter, though. I'm moving back home in a few days and I'll have internet and TV through a company that is a subsidary of Comcast. Surprisingly, though, that company is pretty good about resolving our issues! They actually send out letters to all their customers, notifying them of any internet or TV downtime/upgrades about a full week before it actually occurs.

catlover79 · 10-19-2007, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ireneparalegal

Well, seems to me she did what a lot of people FELT LIKE DOING.

She did what millions only DREAM of.

AB · 10-20-2007, 05:27 PM

You can't really blame her. The cable company in our area is just as bad.

80sTrivia · 10-20-2007, 06:32 PM

I've felt like doing the same thing while dealing with certain companies!

10-19-2007, 06:26 PM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,406	Woman Uses Hammer On Cable Co. Link BRISTOW, Va. - She was fined and got a suspended jail sentence, but Mona Shaw says she has no regrets about using a hammer to vent her frustration at a cable company. "I stand by my actions even more so after getting all these telephone calls and hearing other people's complaints," she told The Associated Press in an interview Friday. Shaw, 75, and her husband, Don, say they had an appointment in August for a Comcast technician to come to their Bristow home to install the company's heavily advertised Triple Play phone, Internet and cable service. The Shaws say no one came all day, and the technician who showed up two days later left without finishing the setup. Two days after that, Comcast cut off all their service. At the Comcast office in Manassas later that day, they waited for a manager for two hours before being told the manager had left for the day, the Shaws say. Shaw, a churchgoing secretary of the local AARP branch, returned the next Monday — with a hammer. "I smashed a keyboard, knocked over a monitor ... and I went to hit the telephone," Shaw said. "I figured, 'Hey, my telephone is screwed up, so is yours.'" Comcast Corp., the nation's largest cable company, disputes Shaw's version of its customer service record and calls Shaw's hammer fit on Aug. 20 an "inappropriate situation." "Nothing justifies this sort of dangerous behavior," Comcast spokeswoman Beth Bacha said. Police arrested Shaw for disorderly conduct. She received a three-month suspended sentence, was fined $345 and and is barred from going near the Comcast offices for a year. The Shaws did eventually get phone and television service — with Verizon and DirecTV. She said many people have called her a hero. "But no, I'm just an old lady who got mad. I had a hissy fit," she said.
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10-19-2007, 06:31 PM	#2
Ireneparalegal LEGAL SPICE ;) Forum Legend Join Date: Jul 25, 2005 Location: OXNARD, CA - WHERE THE DALLAS COWBOYS TRAIN & PRACTICE Posts: 38,691	Well, seems to me she did what a lot of people FELT LIKE DOING.
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10-19-2007, 08:56 PM	#4
PZelda Two Valeries! <3 Forum Addict Join Date: Jul 15, 2002 Location: I'm STILL missing NYC. :( Posts: 78,223	I am SOOOOOOOOOO glad I didn't go with Comcast when I got internet service here (we're with Charter). I still hate Charter, though. I'm moving back home in a few days and I'll have internet and TV through a company that is a subsidary of Comcast. Surprisingly, though, that company is pretty good about resolving our issues! They actually send out letters to all their customers, notifying them of any internet or TV downtime/upgrades about a full week before it actually occurs.
	__________________ Cheers behind the couch!

10-20-2007, 06:32 PM	#7
80sTrivia Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 23, 2002 Posts: 21,714	I've felt like doing the same thing while dealing with certain companies!
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10-19-2007, 08:12 PM	#3
HuntingtonM15 That Bothers Me Moderator Forum Star Join Date: Jun 20, 2003 Location: Metro Detroit Posts: 11,060	I don't blame her. I'm glad to be rid of Comcast.

10-20-2007, 05:27 PM	#6
AB Member Eternal Member Forum Icon Join Date: Dec 26, 2006 Location: The South Posts: 59,428	You can't really blame her. The cable company in our area is just as bad.