|
Consumer Corner
$7,000 ComEd bill? CUB smells a rat! Bernard Susman had one simple question for ComEd: Just how does a store vacant for five months get charged with an electric bill for more than $7,000? “We never obtained an adequate explanation from them,” said Susman, a CUB member and owner of a Northbrook-based real estate firm that managed the vacant store property. After months of asking the company for some proof of the high bill and getting only cool—and conflicting—responses, Susman’s company went to CUB. Consumer Counselor Sandra Marcelin gave Susman the kind of attention he had been looking for from ComEd. She assisted his company in filing a complaint with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), the state body that regulates utilities. The ICC contacted ComEd, which eventually motivated the company’s “consumer disservice department,” as Susman calls it, to finally see the error of its ways. ComEd reduced the bill from $7,000 for about five months to $1,300— for about eight months. “It was terrific. Thank you so much,” said Susman, who earlier this year gave CUB a generous donation along with a complimentary letter. “Your leading us hand-in-hand through the process of contesting the bill and going to the ICC,” he wrote, “is testimonial to the Citizens Utility Board’s commitment to helping small businesses as well as individuals.” If you have a question or complaint about a utility, call CUB’s Consumer Hotline, at 1-800-669-5556, for free help. |