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Michael Helgeson and his family say they’ve been without power for five days after a worker with AT&T drilled a hole into their wall and caused extreme damage.
MARIETTA, Ga. — What started as a routine fiber internet installation turned into a costly and frustrating ordeal for one homeowner.
Michael Helgeson says the issue began on Friday when an AT&T worker came to his home to install the service. But during the process, something went wrong.
“Day five without power. So, 96 hours,” said Helgeson as he flipped his light switch up and down.
Helgeson says as the worker drilled into the wall, things quickly escalated.
“It sparked. The lights flickered and went out, and then black smoke started pouring out of the hole in the wall. It had that electrical burn smell,” explained Helgeson.
According to Helgeson, the worker appears to have hit the main electrical line supplying his home. The damage didn’t just affect him — it also knocked out power to six neighboring homes after tripping a shared transformer.
While power has since been restored to his neighbors, Helgeson is still in the dark.
He’s now relying on a generator, but it can only handle a limited load — powering just a few lamps around the house.
The bigger issue may be what comes next.
Because the home was built in the 1980s, Helgeson says repairs aren’t simple — or cheap.
“Well, the electrician quoted, you know, $18,000,” said Helgeson.
Helgeson says AT&T has told him he’ll need to pay for the repairs upfront, with a promise of reimbursement later. That makes him uncomfortable.
“Trying to get anyone on the phone was enough of a hassle; trying to get reimbursed for $20,000 that I would have to put up, I imagine, would be near impossible,” said Helgeson.
In the meantime, Helgeson says AT&T plans to send him a $1,500 check to cover the cost of renting a larger, industrial generator — one that can power more than just a few lights.
A spokesperson with AT&T sent 11Alive’s Chase Houle a statement:
“We take the concerns of those affected by property damage very seriously. In this case, repairs and additional electrical updates are required before power can be restored to the homeowner. Our third-party claims administrator is working with them to assess the damage and resolve their claim.
In the meantime, our claims administrator has covered temporary generator costs for the homeowner. Additionally, as soon as our technician was aware of the damage, the local power company was contacted so that service could be restored to other residences as soon as possible.”
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