Comcast installs roach-infested cable box, customer claims

Sometimes I wonder what lives inside my Comcast cable box. Just occasionally, it will behave erratically, twitching nervously at the sight of "Top Chef."

A story that has emerged from Aurora, Ill., suggests an emergent solution: creepy-crawly creatures.

I am grateful to the Chicago Sun-Times for describing the dilemma of one Comcast customer, Antonio Munez, who claims that after the company installed a cable box, cockroaches crawled out of it.

It is unclear whether the roaches were protesting Munoz refusal to watch cooking shows. However, Munoz says he suspects the equipment was old and adds that no one from Comcast was able to help with the sudden infestation--for a few days.

Some might find this hard to believe. Comcast can occasionally provide lightning service. Occasionally, though, the company's service becomes a little crunchy, something I have myself experienced recently.

And then there's a class-action lawsuit filed by current and former Comcast employees who claim, among other things, that they were forced to install boxes that had cockroach eggs falling out of them.

Oddly, this lawsuit is also Illinois-based.

Munoz says he even collected some of the cockroaches (dead) in a little plastic bag and took them to Comcast for a viewing.

A Comcast representative told the Sun-Times that the company has installed a new box and that its customer care ought to have been more careful.

Surely the company might find a little time to debug its boxes before plugging them into another location.

Perhaps, though, the alleged emergence of cockroaches might be a viral ad for a remake of "Joe's Apartment."

Should you not be familiar with this movie, its tagline tells you almost everything: "Sex, Bugs and Rock 'N' Roll."

Update at 7:30 a.m. PT January 5: A Comcast representative contacted me and offered this statement: "While this was an isolated claim, we take all customer concerns seriously and are committed to complete customer satisfaction. As soon as Mr. Munoz contacted us, we immediately replaced the box in question and have worked with him directly to take steps to resolve this claim to his satisfaction. We have rigorous and extensive quality control processes in place to ensure our equipment is always in top working condition. While we are confident our processes are effective, we are using this as an opportunity to further reinforce them with our employees."

So, please check a little more closely for crunchy specimens inside cable boxes.