Here is a tale that involves a “not so neighborly neighbor” that comes via the emails that circulate among our good friends at Park Slope Parents. The issue is at hand is a neighbor who won’t let someone get meep-meeped:
Our neighbor in the rear of our property will not allow access to her back yard for Time Warner Cable/Internet and phone. She states she will not do so “on principle”. Our downstairs tenants went without their own internet account or any cable TV at all and used our ( Time Warner ) wi-fi for years because she did allow access. Now we are also having issues where rewiring for the whole building ( through her yard ) is required to bring any of us internet/cable. She says no.
Speaking of principal: When we first moved in 5 years ago, she poked her head out into our backyard from her window and requested that we rip down all of the ( beautiful ) mature ivy in our yard which was growing on her building. She mentioned a fear of rodents climbing the ivy into her windows. I did it for her. She told me she would pay half of the $$ I spent having the ivy taken down. She never did give me any money, and I never brought it up. I also allowed her and her workman to come into our backyard so she could access whether the ivy did any damage to her building. I offered to allow her workman access to her building through my yard if she wanted to do any repairs.
I don’t think her refusal to let Time Warner in is at all personal. I’ve been kind and good toward her. We are always very friendly and even very chatty with one another in passing on the Street. I just think she is a bit wacky. I have not yet mentioned that she “owes me ” when leaving unreturned messages on her voicemail. Truly not looking forward to an ordeal.
My question is this: Is she legally obligated to allow Time Warner into her backyard through her building to provide my building with services? Time Warner is not suggesting this, but I’d like to know exactly what hand I hold before I lay it down. Thanks for any insight you might offer.
Ah, the Time-Warner dramas. The friendly neighbors. The inability to get a good meep. The place known as Park Slope.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Jeff Simmermon // Nov 10, 2008 at 10:12 am
Hi — I’m the director of digital communications here at Time Warner Cable. I’m looking into this right now to see if I get get any answers from our side.
Thanks,
Jeff Simmermon
jeff.simmermon@twcable.com
2 arkady // Nov 11, 2008 at 10:18 am
Go to the Brownstoner Forum archives – it dealt w/ access issues last week I think. As to ivy, never mind about infestations, it’s horrendously destructive of masonry. I have a neighbor whose ivy has cost me a fortune in repointing over the years & who refuses to deal w/ it & won’t give me access.
3 Josh // Nov 18, 2008 at 3:43 pm
I live in the building and the issue has been resolved. Three installers and a supervisor, came to the house and were there all day. They were great. Very friendly and polite and professional. They got the cable working and stayed to make sure everything was set up the way it was supposed to be. I don’t think the neighbor was bothered at all. These guys were easily the most professional, knowledgeable workers from any utility or service that I’ve ever worked with. I wish I knew their full names so I could tell their respective supervisors. They were great.
4 Alisson // Nov 19, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Hi there. I am the owner of said building. I am so pleased that Time Warner was able to resolve our issue last week after all of the time we had done without. Once Jeff Simmerman of Time Warner caught on to our dilemma through this blog he acted quickly, sending the very competent Steve McKormick, General Foreman of the Construction Division, and his trusty in-house crew to our home immediately. The four men worked for 5 straight hours to get us up and running. I am most happy to be able to get service provided for our new tenants, as well as for ourselves. I guess it pays to speak up. Wish I had put it out there for the community to help before now. This blog did the trick for us. So Great.