Spencer Pratt Asked by Spectrum to Return Cable Box After House Burns Down

Spencer Pratt went back to the burned wreckage of his home to grab an essential item ... not one he thought was important, but one Spectrum Internet just needed to get back!

Here's the deal ... Spencer shared with his followers Wednesday that after telling a member of Spectrum customer service his house burned down, he was asked if he still had the cable box to return to them.

Of course, Spencer didn't grab the box when he fled his home with Heidi Montag and their kids back in January ... and, he said as much in a frustrated Instagram post.

It seems someone from Spectrum saw the post ... 'cause a social media manager for the org reached out and said they'd waive the fee for Spencer -- something SP says they should've done from the beginning.

BTW ... Pratt says he's not mad at Spectrum -- he just thinks they need to adjust their script so they're not asking fire victims if they happened to grab their cable box along with birth certificates, passports and loved ones while evacuating.

Spencer couldn't help but poke a little more fun at the internet giant ... actually returning to where his home once stood and fishing the charred husk of the cable box out -- before asking how much they'd be willing to give him for it.

As you know ... Spencer and Heidi lost nearly everything in the fire -- and, in an interview with us, Spencer got emotional thinking about how his family was starting over with basically nothing.

A spokesperson for Spectrum tells TMZ … "Customers will not be charged for equipment damaged in the fires and our agents are instructed to not ask for equipment to be returned. We are reviewing the agent instructions to make sure that our communication is clear.

"Anyone in the fire areas can contact us at this special number, 833-499-3306, to help with any questions about their situation. If a customer’s home is damaged or they can’t return to it, or if equipment was lost or damaged in the fires, they can call us so we can provide them with options regarding service, billing concerns, credits, or other needs.