# whoops, I fried the digital cable modem..... any fixes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 21, 2005, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoops-i-fried-the-digital-cable-modem-any-fixes/327219 "2005-10-21T05:01:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chefIL11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chefIL11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chefIL11)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoops-i-fried-the-digital-cable-modem-any-fixes/327219/1 "2005-10-21T05:01:41Z")
So, I’m rearranging the wires on my computer and accessories since everytime I looked down there, I got a craving for spaghetti. I have (or… used to) a digital broadband cable modem which says RCA in the face and Thomson on top. In a moment of ignorance, I grabbed a cord that practically identical to that which feeds into the cable modem and plugged it in the back of the modem. When I heard the “pop”, it hit me. I looked down only to confirm my fear that it was the wrong one and when I plugged the original back in, the entire unit would be shot. Here’s the bad part: The modem is not mine, it’s property of the cable company and it’s rented, for lack of a better word, out to my through the duration of the contract. Is there any way to reverse this? Fix it? Make it work? My fear now is that through some breach of contract, that modem will end up costing me a tremendous inflation from the actual cost. Anything? anything? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoops-i-fried-the-digital-cable-modem-any-fixes/327219/2 "2005-10-21T11:23:10Z")
I have Roadrunner cable, and twice have taken my modem back and said it doesn’t work. They throw it in a box, and hand me a new one. No questions asked. Not saying that your company will do the same, but give it a try. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoops-i-fried-the-digital-cable-modem-any-fixes/327219/3 "2005-10-21T13:49:20Z")
You are actually in a _better_ situation than if you owned it! Like **samclem** says: take it back, get a replacement. Customer screwups are part of their expectations. ---
**Author:** ![chefIL11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chefIL11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chefIL11)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoops-i-fried-the-digital-cable-modem-any-fixes/327219/4 "2005-10-21T13:53:25Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > You are actually in a _better_ situation than if you owned it! > > Like **samclem** says: take it back, get a replacement. Customer screwups are part of their expectations. Take it back, as in, to the cable company? I don’t want to dig my own grave before I’m dead and tell them it’s broken if it’s fixable. I just dont want that voice on the line to say “We’re sorry, you’re going to be charged several hundred dollars for a replacement.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whoops-i-fried-the-digital-cable-modem-any-fixes/327219/5 "2005-10-21T14:02:19Z")
> [@chefIL11](#): > > Take it back, as in, to the cable company? > I don’t want to dig my own grave before I’m dead and tell them it’s broken if it’s fixable. I just dont want that voice on the line to say “We’re sorry, you’re going to be charged several hundred dollars for a replacement.” Call them and tell them it doesn’t work (true). Tell them you heard it make a popping sound (true) and you aren’t sure what happened (true). They replace it. Everybody wins.