Woman says AT&T contractor shattered sewage line, resulting in $24,000 bill

A West El Paso woman told ABC-7 she is being charged tens of thousands of dollars after a contractor working for AT&T ruptured her sewer line.

ABC-7’s viewers are familiar with these cases because ABC-7 has been covering them since last year.

AT&T is doing a massive fiber optic upgrade all over town to offer ultra-fast internet speeds, and contractors sometimes leave a mess behind. In this case, a family was left with an enormous bill.

“We’ve lived here since 2011,” said homeowner Glennis Fung. Fung told ABC-7 they never experienced a problem with their home until the drainage problems surfaced in the Spring of 2017, when she noticed AT&T contractors working on her street.

“I just remember them digging and trucks,” Fung said, who acknowledged she didn’t pay much attention to the work because her family left on a month-long vacation.

“We started noticing problems soon after we came back,” Fung said, saying the problems arose in the restrooms. “My husband tried to flush the toilet and it wasn’t flushing.”

Fung said her children also came across an unexpected surprise.

“They were taking a shower and the shower was flooding and they were like ‘what is this,'” Fung said.

Fung eventually called a plumber. “He learned there was a problem with the pipe at the street area,” Fung said.

Throughout the process, the Fung family saw Roto Rooter trucks at their neighbors’ homes.

“We learned there was this connection with the work AT&T did and these problems,” Fung said.

Following two underground video inspections, Fung said, “They had to pause work and call in a pump truck.”

After digging up the sewer line the plumbing, officials with the company told Fung the AT&T contractor had shattered the main sewage line 6 or seven 7 into the street.

Fung filed a claim, but as the family waits, the repair bills are piling up.

“All in all, it came out to be $23,000 to $24,000. We’re seeing our savings go down the drain, or taking out credit. We can’t pay that bill,” Fung said.

An AT&T representative sent ABC-7 this statement:

“As we work to upgrade our network in the El Paso area, our goal is to minimize the effect on residents as much as possible. Unfortunately, one of our contractors hit a sewer line near Ms. Fung’s home. The sewer line is repaired and our contractor’s insurance company is working with Ms. Fung to resolve any remaining issues.”