Leland homeowner left without running water after installing internet service

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — On Thursday, Leland resident Kylie Burns decided to have AT&T internet installed in her home. A crew assessed the property, marking water lines below ground. But to Burns’ dismay, the crew unintentionally broke a connection in her water line.   

“They had ripped my water main completely out of the ground on this side of my house,” she said. 

Burns said AT&T sent out a plumber, offering to pay for the damages and a hotel for her to stay in, but that AT&T’s insurer—Sedgwick—said she would have to pay upfront and be reimbursed later.   

Burns said she simply does not have the money.  

“I had called my own plumber, but they had told me that I would have to pay my plumber out of pocket and be reimbursed for it, but being 25 years old in my first house, in 2024’s economy, I really don’t have that type of money just hanging out to spend,” she explained. 

Burns said that after spending hours waiting through customer service lines, a path to repair remains unclear.  

“It’s kind of up in the air right now and communication seems to be very unclear through AT&T as to what the solution is, who’s coming to fix it, and when. But either way, I have not had water since Thursday,” she said. 

We reached out to AT&T, a spokesperson released a statement to WWAY that reads: 

“As we work to bring high-speed fiber internet to more communities, our goal is to minimize impact on residents as much as possible. In this case, our third-party insurer is working with the homeowner to resolve her concerns.” 

Burns said she is frustrated by AT&T and Sedgwick’s response to the damage.  

“I definitely wish AT&T was doing better by us, and I definitely want to make sure that other people are aware of this first,” she added.