When Joseph Guice received a call from a collections agency for an outstanding ComEd bill of $1,583, he knew something was wrong.
“I was shocked to see the bill,” Guice said. “Nobody told me that I owed anything.”
Before the 87-year-old retired barber moved to a senior home on Chicago’s South Side, he had made sure to cut his electric service.
Guice immediately called ComEd to tell the utility that it was still charging him for service he had cancelled. But he said the company’s attitude was: “Prove it.”
Fortunately, a social worker at the senior home referred Guice to CUB. Guice spoke with Consumer Rights Associate, Danielle Holmes, who contacted ComEd about his dilemma.
The company determined through his credit report that he was living at the senior home during the time he was charged and that he was wrongly billed for services he didn’t use—for over three years.
“Danielle was fantastic in pursuing it,” Guice said. The CUB consumer rights counselor secured a credit for the entire $1,583 and in the process got the debt removed from his credit report.
“You don’t think something like that would ever happen to you but it’s a relief to know that someone’s there to help you,” Guice said.
Got a question, concern or complaint about your electric, gas and telephone service? Call CUB at 1-800-669-5556.
