Suit: Comcast Publishes Check

Posted by Mark Brousseau

Pa. woman is doubly furious at Comcast

By JOE MANDAK Associated Press Writer
06/06/2008 01:03:16 PM EDT

PITTSBURGH—A western Pennsylvania woman who sent Comcast Corp. a check made out for "My Right Arm and Zero Dollars" is up in arms because she says someone from the cable TV company published a copy of the check on the Internet.

Krista Cooney and her husband Chad filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh alleging Philadelphia-based Comcast invaded their privacy when the check she wrote last summer showed up on the Internet.

Cooney sent the check because she was unhappy with a large bill she received for her cable television, Internet and telephone service, the lawsuit said.

The Allegheny County couple contend an unknown Comcast employee circulated an e-mailed copy of the check—containing their personal banking information, address and phone number—along with a snide comment. A Colorado man saw the image and alerted the Cooneys because he had been a victim of identity theft and realized the couple was at risk.

Comcast declined to address the lawsuit specifically in a statement Friday, but said the company has apologized to Krista Cooney and is working to address her concerns.

"The individuals involved in this incident are no longer with the company," the statement said. "Comcast holds our customers privacy and security in the highest regard."

The lawsuit filed Tuesday comes just weeks after customer satisfaction ratings for Comcast fell to an all-time low. The survey by the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index ranked Comcast below other cable and satellite TV providers.

The eight-page suit said the incident began when the Cooneys subscribed last year to Comcast's $99-a-month "Triple Play" package of bundled services. The first bill the couple received was for nearly $297. The lawsuit said Krista Cooney could only afford to send the company about $268, intending to pay the balance and a late fee the following month. A Comcast spokeswoman could not immediately explain its billing policies.

When Comcast sent a letter threatening to cut off the service, Cooney sent two checks: one to cover the balance and next month's bill, and the "My Right Arm" check meant to register her displeasure.

Cooney wrote "Robbing Customers Blind" in the memo section of that check and sent along a short note, saying, "Some people do have a budget ya know," the lawsuit said.