‘Frustrating’: Homeowner disappointed by utility, tree removal services after storm damage

CHARLOTTE — A SouthPark homeowner thought getting utility and tree service to clean up storm damage would be easier.

Ryan Tomberlin says he “heard a big boom,” and wondered what it was.

He says it was a large tree in his backyard.

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“That’s the line... black line.”

It took down a line — AT&T’s cable and pinned it down. He says he asked tree services to remove the tree.

“Every tree company that I talked to, especially guys that I trust and that we’ve used before, they won’t do the work,” he said. “They cite it as being hazardous.”

More specifically, the trapped cable “like a rubber band, will snap back in place once the weight shifts,” he said.

So Tomberlin went back and forth with AT&T. He showed Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke these emails, how persistent he was. He asked the company to remove both the tree and their damaged cable. The utility removed the line, but left the tree.

“We met with this homeowner on several occasions to discuss his concerns, and we repaired our cables that were damaged by the fallen tree,” AT&T said in an email. “We’ve also met with the homeowner’s tree removal vendor and confirmed our lines were not obstructing their work. Residents can report damaged or low hanging cables at 800-288-2020.”

Tomberlin says that solved one problem, but that the tree service still worried about the overhead lines.

“They don’t want to cause any further damage to that infrastructure,” he said. So, he says they still wouldn’t remove the tree.

“It’s frustrating. It really is,” he said. “Kind of sucks.”

He doesn’t know what to do.

What can you take away from this?

A utility is usually responsible for removing a tree that falls on its line. However, there’s a lot of gray area about where their role stops and yours starts. For example, you may have to clear debris they leave behind.
If you feel wronged, you can always reach out to the North Carolina Utilities Commission or the Consumer Services Division of the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff.
It’s free, but I realize it may take a while to see results.
And you can always talk to a lawyer if you feel it’s worth it to you.

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