Charge for cut cable initiated by 3rd party law firm Schifrin, Gagnon & Dickey

Hello Community,

We wanted to jump into this discussion to provide some clarity on this issue, and more importantly confirm that it is a valid letter.

If a customer cuts their cable from the serving terminal to the house, our technicians are dispatched to the field to make the needed repairs.  Once the repairs are complete, the technician fills out a damage claim that includes their time and materials, and any costs associated with any contractors used to re-bury the cable.

We then use Schifrin, Gagnon, and Dickey to recover the money for the repairs. Almost 100% of the time, the first contact about a bill comes from Schifrin, Gagnon, and Dickey, as these aren’t processed through a customer's account.  This is why when you call customer care, they aren't aware of any charges.

Schifrin, Gagnon, and Dickey will use an AT&T legal department approved letter to recover the money in question. This is not a scam, and is a legitimate letter.

Thanks

Tim, AT&T Community Specialist

Did you have a cut cable that was repaired or replaced?

Depending on length, boring etc damages can be over $1000… would your autopay cover such a large increase?

I never saw a bill from AT&T.  It was repaired and  that was the end of it.  Damage was $583.  of which most was labor with $77 was material.

Mt main concern was why I was never presented a bill but instead how did the Collection agency get my misspelled last name.  Thx.

What was the result of your call to AT&T. We also received a similar letter, with a copy of a AT&T letter which was never received by us. It also had an incorrect zip code, cut and paste logo, etc. as described but the phone numbers appear legitimate. 

I received a similar Demand for Claim and Damages for a line my contractors cut. I never received a bill for the repair from AT & T. I got a demand letter from Schfrin, Gagnon & Dickey, but as others state, the letter appears sketchy, as does the attached "AT&T" demand letter attached. My address number is off as well. 

I called AT&T and was transferred and placed on hold for two hours, only to be told they could not verify the letter or law firm retained and Karen in the "POTS" department hung up on me saying she is in service and can't help me and doesn't know who can. Super service AT&T!! 

Same thing! Same law firm. No one at AT&T could verify if that is a legit firm retained by AT&T. The letterhead is sketchy, the AT&T demand letter attached looks like a middle schooler put it together on a copy machine. Where can we get answers from AT&T? I was hung up on after waiting for nearly 2 hours when I called to ask questions. 

I never received a bill, and the only thing I did get to find out is that a repair charge was never recorded on my account. So a bill was not generated for the repair. It went through some sort of "claims" process right off the bat and took months to get to me.

Did anyone find anything out about the validity of these mail letters?  We just received one too, same 3rd party.   AT&T had told us there would be no charge, so not sure if this is valid. 

Hi all... an update from my side.   I contacted AT&T directly and had them look at my account.   I showed no balances due as this letter stated.   They confirmed it is indeed a scam letter and to not respond to it. 

For anyone that gets this letter,  just have AT&T check your account to be on the safe side, .

@ATTTimCS I received an alert that immediately prior to the message  posted above, you posted a completely different message (see below)  saying it was a scam. Then, within a minute you changed the post.  Can you please explain how you made the change from it being fraud to it being real in a matter of minutes? If the information was gathered from someone at AT&T, can you please share a phone number for someone who is aware of this? The link provided has nothing to do with the letter and on calling the number listed there, we were told they have no information about the letter or the law firm. In fact, so far, every number we have called has has no knowledge of these letters. If they were legitimate, why would they have cut and paste logos, and incorrect addresses? Why would there be no record of it on our account at AT&T? 

Your response which was deleted/amended.... 

Hello Community,

This letter is not legitimate and should be ignored if you have not also been contacted by AT&T about an issue.  Key elements to look for in a scam letter are misspelling of your name, incorrect address details, as well as referencing something that hasn’t occurred.

In the event that there is damage to an AT&T product or infrastructure, you would be contacted by AT&T directly, not a 3rd party legal firm.

If you have specific questions about your location or scenario, you can also view our Report unburied cables, exposed wires, or downed lines for contact information.

Candidly @ann1011, it was an error on my part, and why I took it down immediately.  When I initially responded, I misread the information I had and thought it was not valid.  However, I was mistaken, removed my post, and put the correct information up.

I apologize for the confusion, but the current post is now accurate.  The charge isn't part of your AT&T service, and that's why it doesn't show up on your bill.  For example, a home owner may not even have AT&T service, but accidentally damaged AT&T equipment.  There wouldn't be a bill to charge, so it comes separately, independent of your account.

If you need to contact the firm with additional questions, you can do so at 619-280-7702.

Thanks

Tim, AT&T Community Specialist