A Billings homeowner says his sprinklers were left broken and his lawn was drying up after a fiber company's contractors tore up his yard, and a city engineering inspector is now working to make it right.
Watch the homeowner's story below:
David Hyams said TDS contractors damaged his yard about a month ago, leaving his sprinkler lines broken and his grass turning brown.
"When I run my lawnmower over it, it just scalps that," Hyams said.
After struggling to get anyone to respond, Hyams said he saw a recent story on Q2 about fiber-optic companies damaging yards and underground utilities and called the station.
Billings City Engineering Inspector Trenton Bailey eventually showed up at Hyams' property to assess the damage and coordinate repairs.
"I'm making sure that the homeowners are happy, making sure they're taken care of, making sure that, you know, their property is not damaged, making sure things are getting fixed and put back to normal," Bailey said.
Bailey said complaints like Hyams' are not uncommon.
"Those stories...can be frequent," Bailey said.
Beca Weber, who is contracted by TDS to do fiber installation, acknowledged the frustrations residents have experienced.
"We try our best. You know, the big things are, unfortunately, a lot of underground utilities," Weber said.
Despite the complaints, Weber said her team is committed to making things right for homeowners.
"Trust me, I'm a homeowner too. If somebody was tearing up my yard, I'd be quite frustrated as well," Weber said.
"I tell all my guys, treat the yards like it's your grandma's front yard," Weber said.
Weber said communication is the most important step when a problem arises.
"The biggest thing is just giving us a chance to fix it in the first place, because we definitely will," Weber said.
In Hyams' case, that fix included repairing sprinkler heads that had been left broken and exposed.
"You saw the way the sprinkler heads are just flopped out and laying there," Hyams said.
Bailey said he moved quickly once he saw the damage firsthand.
"I got here, I took a look, I spray-painted, I contacted who I needed to with CEC (TDS contractors). And look at them, show work. Yeah, they're on it," Bailey said.
With repairs underway, Hyams said his sprinklers were running again.
"Today is the first day I used the sprinklers," Hyams said.
Hyams said the experience reinforced what he believes matters most when something goes wrong.
"What I think is really important is somebody who's going to take ownership and follow through and do it," Hyams said.
