# Apparently, complaining about Comcast will get you fired **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 8, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757 "2014-10-08T14:28:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/1 "2014-10-08T14:28:31Z")
> **[Unhappy Customer: Comcast Told My Employer About Complaint, Got Me Fired](https://consumerist.com/2014/10/06/unhappy-customer-comcast-told-my-employer-about-complaint-got-me-fired/)** > > UPDATE #3: Conal has filed a lawsuit against the cable giant in a federal court in California, alleging that — among other claims — Comcast violated a federal law prohibiting cable comp… > [@](#): > > When you complain to your cable company, you certainly don’t expect that the cable company will then contact your employer and discuss your complaint. But that’s exactly what happened to one former Comcast customer who says he was fired after the cable company called a partner at his accounting firm. As [Fudzilla](http://www.fudzilla.com/home/item/35975-comcast-deals-with-unhappy-customers-by-getting-them-fired) points out: > [@](#): > > In civilised countries, the company would be taken to the cleaners in a wrongful dismissal suit and Comcast and the employer would be dragged through the tabloids. But this was the Land of the Free where Comcast is a monopoly in most areas and has connections with the main regulator. ---
**Author:** ![Slowki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@Slowki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slowki)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/2 "2014-10-08T14:40:15Z")
Comcast is a terrible ISP, an evil corporation, and…I mean I love Comcast, Comcast is love, Comcast is life, please don’t fire me. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/3 "2014-10-08T15:08:30Z")
I don’t doubt that this could happen, but I take anything I read on The Consumerist with a large grain of salt. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/4 "2014-10-08T15:32:21Z")
Only if you happen to work for a company that has Comcast as a major client and may or may not have used your company’s name to get leverage in dealing with Comcast employees. Still, Comcast sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/5 "2014-10-08T15:33:44Z")
I have no doubt that there are big chunks of the story that are being left out. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/6 "2014-10-08T15:37:36Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > …may or may not have used your company’s name to get leverage in dealing with Comcast employees. For now, it’s his word versus theirs. But it does seem odd that so far Comcast has declined to provide any recordings of the call which would immediate prove that he dropped his company name. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/7 "2014-10-08T15:40:08Z")
[Link to obligatory cable company ad. Warning: Satire. How much satire? You decide.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ilMx7k7mso) ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/8 "2014-10-08T15:43:29Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I don’t doubt that this could happen, but I take anything I read on The Consumerist with a large grain of salt. Agreed. And if it did happen, why wouldn’t the fired be able to sue (and win easily if he’s got proof)? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/9 "2014-10-08T16:02:24Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Agreed. And if it did happen, why wouldn’t the fired be able to sue (and win easily if he’s got proof)? I don’t think he has proof himself - he didn’t record the call. But let’s say he did drop his company’s name in a moment of frustration. Yeah, his company probably has the right to fire him and he’d have a slim-to-none chance of winning a lawsuit. That doesn’t mean that Comcast isn’t being a vindictive jerk by ratting him out. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/10 "2014-10-08T16:22:37Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Agreed. And if it did happen, why wouldn’t the fired be able to sue (and win easily if he’s got proof)? Why would this be a wrongful termination in the US? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/11 "2014-10-08T16:37:07Z")
Dig in below the headlines people. This guy worked for a company that does business with Comcast. He called Comcast’s accounting department directly and tried to leverage his company’s clout against them and then it bit him in the ass when Comcast came to his bosses to say “What the fuck?”. I’d have fired him for that too. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/12 "2014-10-08T16:45:08Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Why would this be a wrongful termination in the US? People mistakenly believe that “Wrongful Termination” only refers to firing someone who is part of a protected class. It doesn’t and a case can be made that a firing for other reasons were wrongful: > **[Wrongful Termination: Was Your Firing Illegal?](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/wrongful-termination-was-firing-illegal-32282.html)** > > Knowing if your firing was legal or illegal can be a complicated issue. Employers usually may fire you at any time but there are exceptions. Learn them here. Win easily may have been a leap, but with adequate proof, I don’t doubt this could be considered a wrongful firing by the courts. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/13 "2014-10-08T16:51:18Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Win easily may have been a leap, but with adequate proof, I don’t doubt this could be considered a wrongful firing by the courts. Based on reports, he was using his company’s name in non-authorized ways. If that’s true I can’t see how that supports a wrongful termination case. You’re link was very informative (seriously, thanks) but I don’t see anything in there that supports the idea that this particular case falls into that category. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/14 "2014-10-08T16:55:54Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > Dig in below the headlines people. > > This guy worked for a company that does business with Comcast. He called Comcast’s accounting department directly and tried to leverage his company’s clout against them and then it bit him in the ass when Comcast came to his bosses to say “What the fuck?”. I’d have fired him for that too. That’s how it looked to me as well. The reason the Consumerist was able to spin it as they did was because the lawyers for the accounting firm are playing it very close to the vest in not saying _anything_ that the accountant could use in a wrongful termination suit. Which is their right and the smart thing to do. I have a feeling that if this ever makes its way to the courts, then the accounting firm and Comcast will have information available that may cast a different light on the matter. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/15 "2014-10-08T17:01:04Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > [Link to obligatory cable company ad. Warning: Satire. How much satire? You decide.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ilMx7k7mso) That’s AWFUL…cuz it’s TRUE!!! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/16 "2014-10-08T17:24:48Z")
The article in the consumerist link was not really that interesting to me, but I did pick up on a couple of details. One is that the accountant/dissatisfied customer made a spreadsheet. And another is that he sent an email to Comcast. I wonder if the email had that spreadsheet attached, and if so, if there might have been embedded information that could identify the owner of the license to the software on which the spreadsheet was made. Notifying his employer that the customer was using company resources, presumably on company time, to handle his personal business, while kind of dickish, might lead to the employee’s dismissal. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/17 "2014-10-08T17:53:41Z")
[From here](http://finance.yahoo.com/news/man-claims-comcast-called-boss-112232265.html): > [@](#): > > Being an accountant, Conal contacted Comcast’s comptroller, the office that looks after the company accounts. He said he repeatedly called them about his bill, telling them that Comcast should be investigated by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. > > The Consumerist says that after this, Comcast got in touch with Conal’s employer. > > At some point shortly after that call, someone from Comcast contacted a partner at the firm to discuss Conal. This led to an ethics investigation and Conal’s subsequent dismissal from his job > [@](#): > > It’s alleged that Conal used the name of his employer during his calls with Comcast, a claim Conal denies. Instead, he says, someone working for Comcast researched him and discovered where he works. To make matters even more complicated, it’s reported that the company Conal works for provides consulting services to Comcast. I just don’t think we’re getting the whole story from either side, but I wouldn’t be so quick to jump on Comcast’s ass about this even though they usually suck. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/18 "2014-10-08T17:58:48Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I don’t doubt that this could happen, but I take anything I read on The Consumerist with a large grain of salt. Many of the articles on the Consumerist web site have direct links to the actual news stories or original references. This story does not. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/19 "2014-10-08T18:10:12Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Based on reports, he was using his company’s name in non-authorized ways. If that’s true I can’t see how that supports a wrongful termination case. You’re link was very informative (seriously, thanks) but I don’t see anything in there that supports the idea that this particular case falls into that category. Ah, I didn’t go beyond the headline and assumed (wrongly) that Comcast did something nasty. Not an unreasonable assumption, I think. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757/20 "2014-10-08T18:15:37Z")
ArsTechnica (a much better source) is now running the story as well, and actually interviewed the guy: [Comcast got me fired after billing dispute, says California man [Updated] | Ars Technica](http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/10/comcast-got-me-fired-after-billing-dispute-says-california-man/) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-complaining-about-comcast-will-get-you-fired/700757.md?page=2)