[DJ88]

I believe you are correct. Not only was this a hair brained idea, but to think that people who have lost everything now have to pay for a cable box because they weren't able to stop the rain or part the flooding rivers to avoid these "precious" cable boxes is outrageous.

Ted Turner may no longer be in charge, but this is proof positive of what he thinks of people in general, and I would fully expect to see his ghost roaming the halls at the headquarters of AOL/TIME WARNER.

[vikingchick]

I wonder if you get any credit towards the $300 if you hand over your waterlogged cable box found in the tangled ruins near your house.

[cake_crumb]

Also, if you haven't already seen a zillion ads in the backs of various magazines or clicked, check out the price of a generic, 5 year warranted cable box using Google. $300 dollars is a LITTLE over the going price.

My advice to those flood victims who didn't have the 'foresight' to insure their cable boxes...DirecTV ($145 for the whole setup at Wal Mart when I bought mine) or a $60 to $80 dollar generic box fron an hardware dealer you trust. Screw Time Warner. If the SEC FINDS anything in the course of their investigation, you'll be twice as angry for having shelled out the $300.

There's nothing like adding insult to injury to make a consumer REALLY mad...just remember, in a free market system, there ARE alternatives.