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77 Comments
- britkev1, on 11/08/2007, -1/+81It's one thing to burn the house down, it's another to only offer $1,800 in compensation to cover $58,000 worth of damage.
- ColorBlind, on 11/08/2007, -6/+53Buried for inaccurate...this has nothing to do with FiOS and will only lead to giving it a bad name. This was just poor knowledge by an installer...
- Manno, on 11/08/2007, -6/+43I don't see how the drill going through the electrical line has to do with FiOS directly causing a fire.
- cawfee, on 11/07/2007, -0/+28It'd be even funnier if it was a coupon for their service.
- Anub1s, on 11/07/2007, -5/+33It's a joke, typically people laugh at them.
- Anub1s, on 11/07/2007, -3/+21It was the owners fault, they should have known their house couldn't handle that kind of speed.
- sclark, on 11/07/2007, -0/+18the homeowner's insurance company will probably go after Verizon for it.
- fudsak, on 11/07/2007, -2/+19He's right, technically they didn't even have FiOS yet :P
I'm all about bashing Verizon though. - jspegele, on 11/07/2007, -0/+16Coming to my town sooooooooonnnn. The slight risk of a massive fire burning all of my worldly possessions is so going to be worth it.
- MasteRR, on 11/08/2007, -2/+18"ruined all their possessions, $58,000 worth. Verizon has offered the family $1,800."
They should be calling a lawyer. - protogenxl, on 11/07/2007, -1/+14They make Stud Finders that can detect AC current as well as support structures. So, Verizon spend 60 bucks a head and buy the installers the tools they need.
- rjprux, on 11/07/2007, -1/+13They forgot the mention the other spectrum of light they use is fire.
- Nicksname1, on 11/07/2007, -2/+14FiOS = Fire Optic Service
- 1derfulWally, on 11/07/2007, -2/+14In other news: FIOS is being blamed for multiple cases of carpal tunnel syndrome due to the excessive speed at which it delivers adult websites to users.
- dougmc, on 11/07/2007, -0/+11I had DirectTV do an installation on my house (well, technically it was their contractor) and he was having a hard time drilling into the brick to install a plug for it. (He didn't have the right bit, so it was slow going.) So I go inside, and realize that he's directly outside of the gas line for the fireplace. Fortunately, he had not breached the brick yet ...
He had never even bothered to look at what was on the other side of what he was drilling on ...
DTV sent out somebody more competent the next day. - torgreed, on 11/08/2007, -0/+9If the short isn't perfect, and is drawing less than the trip current for the fuse or breaker, you will instead have a spot-heater in the wall cavity. This is why ground-fault circuit interrupters and arc-fault breakers are becoming mandatory for certain circuits.
Drilling in to the main line supplying the house could easily give you access to close to 1000A, because your ONLY protection is the fuse at the step-down transformer, which is high enough to allow for 4-8 houses worth of consumption. Well, the inherent resistance in the power lines helps limit trouble, but again, an imperfect short will create a point-source of intense heat.
Think "vaporize steel" kind of temperatures, this is how arc furnaces work after all. - BlueScreenOD, on 11/07/2007, -0/+8Indeed they will. The $1,800 is probably for out-of-pocket expenses and "shh don't tell anyone" expenses. The homeowners insurance will no doubt subrogate for the remaining balance.
- Haohmaru, on 11/07/2007, -0/+8Yeah, it's a little misleading. It makes you think their equipment over-heats or shorts-out and starts fires.
- dafragsta, on 11/07/2007, -0/+8Yeah, why don't they just beg for a lawsuit instead of insulting their way to one.
- schuchwun, on 11/07/2007, -0/+6it takes a special kind of idiot to not figure out where his drill bit will enter the house.... a careful inspection before drilling would have prevented this entire disaster....
- inactive, on 11/07/2007, -1/+6buried for being from consumerist
- hyphen8ted, on 11/08/2007, -4/+9buried for inaccurate. I hate Verizon as much as the next guy (probably more) but this story is about idiot installers not fiber-optic cable.
- slashbot, on 11/08/2007, -4/+8Wow, now THAT is fast.
Makes me want to move where Verizon FIOS is available! - zanzzz, on 11/07/2007, -0/+3Slowski?
- evetsleep, on 11/07/2007, -1/+4It's a little misleading to say that Verizon's FIOS sets a house on fire. It was the installer who actually caused the fire. FTA:
"Philly family is the latest to have their house set on fire after Verizon FiOs installers drilled through their electrical line. "
So as much as I enjoy reading articles on this site (consumerist.com), I'm disappointed by the title of the article as it will unnecessarily scare people who have the FIOS service (like myself). - DatVillain83, on 11/07/2007, -1/+4drill bits start fires not the people operating them...who happen to be employed by Verizon.
/*sarcasm - animeguru, on 11/07/2007, -1/+4Damn, I thought I was just unlucky when the guys installing my FiOS drilled straight through the 240V line to my oven. Oops!
In their defense, they did come inside and look before drilling and the line appeared to be running in a completely different direction. When they did hit it, they called their supervisor and arranged to have it repaired at their cost, then informed me of everything that happened.
Strangely though, the circuit breaker did NOT trip... which is odd considering they literally went straight through the wire. It couldn't have been more perfect.
Still, I figured out the problem as soon as they told me and called an electrician friend of mine who replaced the wire for me that day.
And yes, Verizon paid him in full when he invoiced them. They even offered to bring him on as a contractor to do a bunch of electrical work for them on installs. - fryguy1013, on 11/07/2007, -0/+3While they're at home depot, they can pick up some installers too.
- hinchb, on 11/07/2007, -0/+3This is the installers fault for not performing his job correctly. Buried.
- Archangel621, on 11/07/2007, -0/+3Dugg for Warrington being just around the corner from me.
- guoliver, on 11/07/2007, -0/+2Let them offer $1800. Screw $58000. Get a good lawyer, and get some real money. Forget your crap house they burnt down, and buy another one. W/ of course free fios.
- darkstar949, on 11/07/2007, -0/+2The linked article - http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-1105200 ... - has a bit more information on the situation. Apparently Verizon is willing to pay for housing and expenses until the house is fixed, but you would think that Verizon's insurance would also cover general loses.
- mycatsboots, on 11/08/2007, -1/+3The consumerists article remains very vague and just takes a shot at Verizon. Following up on the source article, I can see that the person installing the line drilled a hole near a circuit breaker causing an electrical fire, however they apparently used chemicals to try and put it out. Neither article is very clear about how the chemicals were present (Were they existing, or did the Verizon Guys use them to put it out).
I know it is not uncommon at all for Verizon to send out third party "Authorized" Verizon technicians. I wonder if the ones installing this line were in house or a third party contractor. - slashbot, on 11/07/2007, -2/+4If it was out of warranty, you were lucky to get 600 dollars.
Though in general that quick failure is among the reasons why my family still avoids Ford - YojimboJango, on 11/07/2007, -0/+2RUN FOR IT!
- pheedback, on 11/07/2007, -1/+3FiOS stands for First On Scene
- JonLatane, on 11/07/2007, -1/+3If Verizon is offering them money directly, they might not have homeowner's insurance.
- AARGH2K, on 11/08/2007, -0/+2Title is inaccurate - buried
- YojimboJango, on 11/07/2007, -0/+2I'm going with 58k in damages. The stuff in the room, plus the damage to the house.
- SniperGX1, on 11/07/2007, -0/+2...It's spelled Verizon
- vertinox, on 11/07/2007, -0/+2Contracted by Verizon?
Maybe they could have bothered to train people better or hired certified electricians? - PawtucketPat, on 11/07/2007, -0/+2Nah, they'd just rather pay $1800 per house burned down instead of a quick trip to Home Depot.
- nicepants, on 11/07/2007, -0/+2I'll take that risk...gimme my FIOS!
- Ryosen, on 11/07/2007, -0/+2I don't suppose anyone actually read the article? It was an apartment, not a house. Verizon initially offered to reimburse them for their living expenses and damages, then ignored the victims when they went to make their claim. The people are now suing to recover the damages made to their personal property. Verizon countered with a settlement offer of $1800.
- Vanburene, on 08/08/2008, -0/+1Verizon's Industry-Leading FiOS Services Now Available to More Than 700,000 Consumers, Businesses in Maryland
http://www.sourcerelease.com/corp/kw0?r=nmmm8f - vypergts, on 11/07/2007, -0/+1At least the tech wasn't sleeping on the couch when the place burned down...
- jhshukla, on 11/07/2007, -2/+3Blazing!!
- YojimboJango, on 11/07/2007, -0/+1I'd put my money on the house fire being less expensive.
- theurge, on 11/07/2007, -1/+2***** happens - this is what business and homeowners insurance is for.
This story has nothing to do with FiOS, other than the installer made a (big) mistake. - manstein01, on 11/07/2007, -1/+2Is there a actual reason for putting a half-naked college kid in the upper right hand portion of the page? Yack.
BTW, if there comes a choice between setting my house on fire, and sticking with Comcast, the decision might not be so easy. -
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