{"id":30940,"date":"2025-04-18T19:01:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T19:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/30940\/"},"modified":"2025-04-18T19:01:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T19:01:09","slug":"la-wildfires-burnt-my-internet-router-how-do-i-avoid-a-fee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/30940\/","title":{"rendered":"LA wildfires burnt my internet router. How do I avoid a fee?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier in the year, I lost my house to the terrible wildfires in California<\/a>. My family and I were thankfully away from Altadena and unhurt, but the place itself was a total loss. <\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t find much in the ash, but I did locate a lump of charred electronics \u2014 what was my internet router. Normally, you return these when you turn off service or you pay a fee.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

On my first call right after the fire, customer service was sympathetic and said \u201cjust ignore the equipment charge.\u201d But that fee stayed on the bill.<\/p>\n

You can see the the toasted router in a Marketplace video from a few weeks after the fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been trying to dun me for the 150 bucks because they want their router back,\u201d I say. \u201cI\u2019m going to enjoy bringing my router back so they leave me alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was just a passing thought \u2014 nobody needs to see my rubble.\u00a0But the charge was unwelcome at a time I\u2019d not seen any fire insurance money. And Marketplace listeners were writing in asking how it was going with my router. So I kept at it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been an adventure. Call No. 2, the rep said she\u2019d put \u201crouter burned in wildfire\u201d in my account.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

By the end of January, an AT&T salesman came over when I was putting internet into our new rental place. That $150 charge was still there. He said he\u2019d take it to his supervisor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But about six weeks later, a \u201cfinal notice\u201d came in the mail. So, it was time to go to the brick-and-mortar AT&T store in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Inside the store, it was back on their phone to a rep with enhanced powers, yet still no easy way to zero out that charge. But when I said I still had the evidence, he got an idea.<\/p>\n

The plan was elaborate: Find a UPS or FedEx place and \u2014\u00a0it was really happening \u2014\u00a0send in my briquette. So I drove to the UPS store to see if they\u2019d take this burnt-up thing in a Ziploc bag. Fingers crossed.<\/p>\n

Once inside \u2014 uh oh, where\u2019s the serial number? Melted. Creatively, the UPS guy offered to try putting in a bunch of ones where the serial number should go. Would that really work?<\/p>\n

Less than a week later: Success. The $158.61 charge was gone. I\u2019m not sure which of all those interventions worked, but something did.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, you could say a bill like this is why you have fire insurance.\u00a0Fair enough. But, you know, the electric company isn\u2019t charging me for the burned wires, nor did the garbage company for my melted bin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And I worry about fellow fire survivors. More than 16,000 homes and other structures were destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades fires<\/a>. What about their internet boxes or possible effects on credit scores if they don\u2019t pay? After resolving my thing,\u00a0only then did I reach out to AT&T media relations for comment for this piece.<\/p>\n

The company declined my request for an interview but sent back a statement saying the company\u2019s \u201cthoughts are with everyone impacted by the devastating wildfires.\u201d\u00a0The statement did, at least, clarify their policy: \u201cCustomers are not expected to return equipment destroyed in the fires or pay out-of-pocket for damaged equipment. We apologize for any miscommunication implying otherwise.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other information for internet provider customers impacted by the LA wildfires earlier this year:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The following is the full statement AT&T gave to David Brancaccio: \u201cOur thoughts are with everyone impacted by the devastating wildfires in Southern California, and our teams continue to support impacted communities and customers during this extremely challenging time. Customers are not expected to return equipment destroyed in the fires or pay out-of-pocket for damaged equipment. We apologize for any miscommunication implying otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for AT&T also provided the following information and links:<\/p>\n