When a business is unscrupulous or just plain lazy, it’s usually the customers who suffer.

But suffering doesn’t factor into this story about an inventive group of friends who pulled together to get free cable out of it.

Check out how they did it.

Forget to clean up, fine, EVERYBODY gets free cable

Pre-children (PC) , my wife and I purchase our first house.

We were very excited and proud to show off our gardening and yard skills we have developed over the years of childhood chores.

Don’t tell mom, but who knew that the seemingly punishment of yard work would actually translate to adulthood.

On my small suburban lot is the Utility Box for one of the 2 cable choices in the neighborhood along the EE Cable Corp.

You know the one who Forbes always lists as one of the worst companies in the country?

Here’s where the lemons in this story come in.

I come home from work one day and notice the utility box is open and the cables are filleted all over.

I did not think too much of it at the time and made a mental note assuming they are on a break.

The next day, I come home from work and the utility box is still a mess.

I called the Evil Empire Cable Company to kindly let them know that they left a mess in my yard after a repair.

They told be nicely that they will be out in the neighborhood the following day to finish the work.

Many weeks come and go without them fixing their mess.

It was coming up on our first pool party and we wanted the house to be perfect.

I call the EE Cable Corp again.

It rudely ended with them saying “eventually.”

Now I see why nobody likes this Evil Empire Cable Company.

And this is when where they make lemonade out of lemons.

At our first PC pool party, maybe after a margarita, or 4, we start aimlessly discussing the Evil Empire Cable Corp.

We are a bunch of engineers, and a truck driver (important later) drinking margaritas, the discussion turned from complaining to scheming.

While poking around the utility box and the box on the side of my house, we notice that this EE Cable Corp does not use multiple line blocks on the cable.

They merely hook up the cable from the house to the utility box, easy peasy nice and easy.

I guess the lack of security is a genuine artifact of “midwest nice.”

Why protect something that nobody steals?

We also notice that there is only one house of the 8 that is serviced with cable.

So we proceed to hook up free cable to the 7 remaining houses.

We neatly stuff all the wires and close the utility box.

As I mentioned the only non-engineer in the group was a truck driver.

An earlier pointless discussion was about different padlocks and why truck drivers use a specific round kind.

Basically so that it is impossible to break with small bolt cutters.

He grabs a large round padlock out of his truck and we try to place the it on the utility box.

It won’t fit, hole is too small, so a few seconds of drilling, we now placed our own padlock on the EE Cable Corps.

Utility box along with 7 houses with free cable protected by an industrial padlock designed to prevent trucker theft.

After meeting the other neighbors and making sure they are trustworthy, I let them know about our party.

Each one smiled and began enjoying free cable.

Their scheme also had staying power.

A number of months later, enjoying free cable, the EE Cable Corp is in the backyard staring at our handiwork.

They bend over regularly really studying the padlock.

I can only imagine their discussion on what they are seeing.

They bring out the bolt cutters from the truck, I assume they carry them if they lost a key or padlock is rusted.

Now looking at the bolt cutters, I can tell this will be a futile exercise.

After only about 3 minutes, they both shrug their shoulders, get back in their truck and leave.

That was the last time we ever saw the EE Cable Company.

Since all but one of us was enjoying free cable, there was no reason for them to be out there.

Our jig was up when the one who did pay for cable, who we never really met, moved.

The next technician was very dedicated, after 3 trips each with a larger bolt cutter, resulting in using one more than 4 feet long, put everything back to the way it was before.

Here is what folks are saying.

I bet they bring him beer and cookies.

A yard story wouldn’t have been as interesting.

Not sure where this figure comes through, but it is definitely pro ProRevenge.

What are you scheming, bud?

This sounds like a cheesy action movie. I’d watch it.

I doubt this company will change how they operate.

But at least they got their revenge.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.