DENVER -- For weeks, a Denver family has been out of their home, getting the runaround and wondering how they are going to pay for thousands of dollars in damage.
They reached out to Contact Denver7, and they are already getting results.
At Kelsie Shippy's Washington Park Bungalow, something stinks, and it's not just the sewer link in her basement.
"Sept 13, we noticed a leak in our basement," said Shippy. "We've haven't been able to live at home for the last three weeks because of this leak. We had to shut off the water."
Three weeks ago, without warning, she says crews installed a utility vault (box) right next to her house, directly over a sewer line.
"This is a letter from a plumber," she said, showing a statement from a plumbing company that shows the plumber thought something went wrong when crews dug the hole for the vault.
The cracked pipe is an $8,000 repair, not covered by her homeowner's insurance.
"Anything outside the home, they won't cover," she said.
But when she tried to get answers, she said instead, she got the runaround.
"It has an emergency number you can call, and I tried calling and it just sent me to a voicemail," she said. "I tried calling all day yesterday and just went from voicemail to voicemail. We're struggling to come up with the funds to pay for this and we need to live in our home again."
So Contact Denver7 reached out to AT&T, which is listed on the new pole, and within hours, the contractor who installed the vault showed up to examine it, saying they would do anything it takes to fix the problem.
AT&T released this statement:
"We worked quickly to investigate this claim and it appears the property damage was not caused by us. However, we are repairing this line to assist our customer." --Teresa Mask, Spokeswoman
Comcast is also investigating whether their equipment is involved.
"Thank you so much for your help!" Shippy wrote in a text, hopeful the problem will now be repaired so that she and her husband can return to their home. "I would like to be in my own bed again."
Editor's note: Denver7 seeks out audience tips and feedback to help people in need, resolve problems and hold the powerful accountable. If you know of a community need our call center could address, or have a story idea for our investigative team to pursue, please email us at contact7@thedenverchannel.com or call (720) 462-7777. Find more Denver7 stories here.
