Dear Help Squad,
I am in need of your assistance. The ComEd bill for my late father’s residence has been added to my ComEd bill. His name was on both accounts, but his significant other’s name was also on the account for his residence, and she still lives there. When my father passed away on June 21, his significant other stopped paying the ComEd bill (and all other utility bills) associated with their residence. ComEd has added her outstanding balance of $531.57 to my account and has refused to remove it. When I spoke with ComEd on September 17, I was told to fax a copy of my father’s death certificate and a statement requesting the charges to my account be reversed back to the original account, which I did. Now I have received another ComEd bill containing charges from my father’s former residence. ComEd removed my father’s name from the account, but did not remove the outstanding charges. If I don’t pay the balance, it will show up on my credit report – and this is not my bill. My father’s significant other still remains in the house and ComEd is not seeking payment from her. Help Squad, I need your assistance with this matter.
Kathy
Waukegan
Help Squad started by contacting Kathy to obtain the account information for both her and her late father’s ComEd accounts. We also obtained a copy of the fax she sent to ComEd on Sept. 17, notifying the utility of her father’s death and explaining that the other individual listed on his account would now be responsible for paying the electric bill.
We then called ComEd’s customer service number and received the following message: “We are currently experiencing higher than normal call volume. We will be extending our hours of operation to 9pm today. If possible, please try your call again later.”
With expediency in mind, the standard ComEd customer service route was not the path to take on this day.
Help Squad looked up ComEd’s public relations number and called that instead. There we reached ComEd Communications Manager John Schoen. Help Squad briefly explained Kathy’s situation to him and sent an email with more details. Within a few minutes, we received a reply from John stating that he had turned Kathy’s complaint over to a customer care manager and he would be back in touch once he had more information.
Two days later Help Squad received the following email from John: “[Kathy’s] father was the primary holder of two ComEd accounts – his and his daughter’s account. When his residence account was closed, the balance was transferred to his daughter’s account. We received the necessary documentation to adjust [Kathy’s] account in late September and recognize that the modification should have been made in a timelier manner. We have removed the charges from [Kathy’s] account and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We also attempted to contact [Kathy] to communicate the resolution.”
That evening Help Squad received a call from Kathy who excitedly shared the following: “I received a phone call from a ComEd rep today with the greatest news! Thanks to Help Squad the charges will be removed from my account, and I will even get a credit of $1 plus change as reimbursement for late fees. The $531.57 has now gone back to the original account and, if I am not mistaken, the rep stated [the current tenant] will be liable for the charges. I truly can’t thank you enough. Help Squad is the greatest!”
Thank you, Kathy. It was our pleasure to assist you.
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