What a bunch of tube boobs!
Some clueless Connecticut TV fans who were missing the Yankees-Red Sox game or new episode of “Breaking Bad” because of a Cablevision outage got so freaked out yesterday they called 911 to complain.
“We got several 911 calls last night from at least three individuals inconvenienced because they lost their Cablevision,” Lt. Jim Perez of the Fairfield Police Department told The Post today.
In one recording, a dispatcher answers “Fairfield 911,” and a woman says, “Hi. I’m … I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on, we have no TV!’
The annoyed dispatcher interrupts and says “Ma’am, 911 is for a life-threatening emergency” and the woman answers, “I know that. I know that.”
The dispatcher then demands, “Is this a life-threatening emergency?” and the woman replies: “No, we’re just trying to find out what’s going on? Is it a life-threatening time?”
The dispatcher then suggests that the woman call Cablevision.
The 911 calls started after Cablevision, by far the largest player in the Fairfield County TV market, went on the blink about 7 p.m.
By 11 p.m., about the same time the service was restored, the department posted a warning on its Facebook page telling people to stop calling 911 – or face arrest.
“We are receiving numerous 911 calls regarding the Cablevison outage. This is neither an emergency or a police related concern. Please direct your inquiries to Cablevision. 911 should only be called for Life Threatening Emergencies ONLY,” it read. “Misuse of the 911 system may result in an arrest.”
People on Facebook and Twitter were incredulous.
“When cable going out turns into a reason to call 911, I have to wonder what this world is coming to and if people truly understand the definition of emergency,” fumed Ashley Latella on FB
“Rich People Problems: Fairfield CT Police Department Receives Numerous 911 Calls About Cablevision,” tweeted CTBoom.
Rich People Problems: Fairfield CT Police Department Receives Numerous 911 Calls About Cablevision http://t.co/5ILHP6YAxX
— CTBoom (@CTBOOM) August 19, 2013
Perez re-emphasized the message today.
“The people who place those calls literally place others in harm’s way. In this day and age, with so many things going on, we want people to understand they should only call 911 for life-threatening emergencies,” he said.
Cablevision said TV service — along with its Optimum Internet and phone service — was fixed by about 9:30 p.m., but then went down again before being fully restored by 11 p.m.
Perez, meanwhile, said that it wasn’t the first time the department got a wacky 911 call.
“A couple years ago, someone called 911 from a Subway sandwich shop complaining that their meatballs weren’t cooked correctly! Some people, they’re not understanding that 911 is for emergencies only,” he said.