U

Visitor

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3 Messages

Tuesday, February 14th, 2023 5:43 PM

Closed

Tree on lines

There is a large tree that has been uprooted by wind and is now resting. It’s full wait on the cable lines in front of our home.

Official Solution

Problem Solver

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502 Messages

2 years ago

Hi @user_acb1c1! Thank you for visiting us on the Xfinity Forums for assistance with this line issue. I can definitely understand your concerns about this happening! Our technicians are not able to assist with removing the tree itself, so the best route from here would be to reach out to a tree removal service that's available to ensure it's safely removed. Then, once the tree is clear of the line if you're seeing any issues with it hanging low or needing to be repaired please let us know, and we can send out an expert technician to help. Thank you for understanding!

Official Solution

Retired Employee

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5.9K Messages

2 years ago

@user_acb1c1 

Thank you for the information. As mentioned by @XfinityCassandra, we are unable to cut down or trim any tree that my be touching our lines. Only if the tree actually takes the line down or service has been impacted will we come out and make the line repair, without making modifications to the tree. If the tree is on a neighbors' property, maybe you can ask them to make the required tree trim. If the tree is on a property not owned by an individual, you will need to contact your local municipality to perform those tree trimming services. Again, Comcast is only responsible for our equipment and wiring and cannot assist with any type of landscape maintenance due to liability concerns. 

As an example, the city of Portland, OR has determined the following liabilities for who is responsible for trimming trees, outlined here: https://www.portland.gov/code/11/60/060#:~:text=It%20is%20the%20duty%20of,any%20tree%20replacement%2C%20if%20required.

a.  Property owner. It is the duty of every owner of property to maintain trees located on the property or on the adjacent street planting area in accordance with this Section. Further, the owner shall be responsible for all costs associated with such maintenance, removal and any tree replacement, if required.

b.  Bureau of Transportation. For trees located in center medians, the Bureau of Transportation is responsible for the requirements of this Section.

c.  Bureau of Environmental Services. For trees located in green street facilities as described in Title 17, the Bureau of Environmental Services is responsible for the requirements in this Section.

We hope this addresses your concerns. Please let us know if you have any other comments or questions. 

This comment was created from this reply

Visitor

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1 Message

2 years ago

For what we pay monthly seems like Xfinity would move the line.  Our neighborhood had same problem with a larger evergreen shrub on line.  Two Xfinity technicians came out different times and wouldn’t do anything.  Would rather wait till line came down and put us out of service.  Bad customer service.

Retired Employee

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5.9K Messages

@user_225111​ 

We apologize that you experienced this issue. Unfortunately, our field technicians are simply not trained to do any type of tree trimming/maintenance. We would never want to put any of our employees in any type of situation where they are required to do hazardous work they are not trained to do. Even if the local techs were trained to trim tress, we would be unable to do so due to liability concerns both concerning the ownership of those trees and against any issues that may arise during the tree trimming/removal process. This is why we always recommend a professional arborist or landscaping professionals handle those type of tasks before we can fix any type of cables that may need repairing.

As for cable lines being moved or relocated, if we cannot safely relocate a line due to impeding landscaping we will not. Again, this creates safety issues for our field techs and we would never want to put them in a situation where they could sustain an on-the-job injury. Additionally, in some locations we only have permission or ownership of certain "poles" or line connection points. This means we cannot simply move a line to another pole as it will likely require coordination with the local municipalities and local utilities. This is usually not a quick or easy process due to local infrastructure, zoning, and local laws.  We hope this provides clearer information as to why we are unable to simply trim trees or move lines. 

Now, if you are experiencing a service issue possibly due to the cable coming into your home or neighborhood, feel free to let us know here. If there are no obstructions to that line, we will coordinate with our local techs to get someone out to inspect the cable, repair it if needed, and verify your services are working as intended. If there are obstructions to the line, we ask that you please coordinate with the tree's owner to have the impeding landscaping removed before contacting us. 

Thank you for your question. Please let us know if you have any other comments or questions. 

(edited)

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