79-year-old stuck with $16,670 ComEd bill

Burton Shepard is a man of modest means.

The 79-year-old lives in a mobile home in Glenview and commutes to his job as a discount furniture chain salesman in his decade-old car. Like many seniors on a fixed-income, he struggled to weather the economic downturn. He had to start bankruptcy proceedings in January.

So it was an especially unwelcome shock when a routine trip to the mailbox last month was met with a ComEd bill unlike any he'd ever seen.

Right there on the detachable payment stub, next to the note saying to please pay by March 16, 2010, was the amount $16,670.43.

"I didn't think it was real," Shepard said. "I thought it had to be a mistake."

Gerald Shepard called ComEd on his father's behalf, only to learn it was no typo. From January 2008 to November 2009, Burton Shepard used an average of 212 kilowatt-hours per day. But a non-functioning meter led to him being billed only for fees, not electric use.

"They said something was jammed in the meter and that my dad cheated the company by not notifying them," said Gerald Shepard, who lives in Streamwood.

"That's ridiculous. My dad's scared of his own shadow; he wouldn't go monkeying around with an electric meter."

The culprit? A soda pop can tab.

ComEd spokesman Jeff Burdick said the company realized something was amiss when an employee saw the broken meter in October. On Dec. 8, a technician brought in the device and found a metal tab wedged underneath the disc, preventing it from spinning in order to register the electricity usage.

While ComEd isn't suggesting Shepard tampered with the meter, it's a moot point. He used the electricity and is being held responsible for payment.

"Ultimately, ComEd has a duty to the rest of its customers that any uncollected bills don't go unpaid," Burdick said. "We need to collect money for services we've provided."

Records show Shepard's bills typically totaled around $11 in 2009, which covered the customer and standard metering charges and franchise cost. Shepard always paid them - though often late - in full.

But accompanying charts showed no electricity was actually used, and ComEd maintains Shepard should have noticed all the zeros.

"There's no way to say who rigged the meter, but it's incumbent on the customer to be aware of their bills," Burdick said.

Gerald Shepard is upset on several fronts. In addition to thinking his father shouldn't be held responsible, he's irate at ComEd for not realizing the error sooner.

He also thinks the new - and correct, ComEd says - charges are exorbitant. Burton Shepard's two most recent bills totaled $620 and $515.

"I don't see how that's possible when it's a tiny home, he does a couple loads of laundry each month and never uses the air conditioning," Gerald Shepard said.

But, ComEd said, it's possible. Though just 1,200 square feet, the residence is all-electric and doesn't have access to a gas line. Mobile homes aren't known for their insulation, either. And several of Burton Shepard's neighbors in the Sunset Village development said they pay amounts ranging from $200 to $563 per month.

"ComEd is ripping those people off," said Gerald Shepard, who filed a complaint with the Illinois Commerce Commission.

As for the amount of time that passed, ComEd is investigating. Burdick said the company attempts to read every meter every month, but that sometimes weather or access prevents that.

"We'll obviously look into why it took us so long to ascertain the information," he said.

Burdick added that ComEd is only back-billing Shepard for two years for bookkeeping purposes, when records show he was underpaying for at least three years. And it's likely the meter was broken long before, given Shepard can't recall paying more than the usual $11 in the five years he's lived at the Glenview home.

Since Gerald Shepard has intervened, ComEd has agreed to reduce the amount owed to about $7,200, or about $328 per month on top of his bill. But even that reduced amount is overwhelming for the senior.

"I feel so much pressure, I can't even concentrate at work," Burton Shepard said. "But I'll try to pay whatever they ask from me."

Given Shepard's means, Burdick says they are still talking. He said ComEd has grant programs for residents with all-electric homes, but the tampered meter disqualifies Shepard from that until the outstanding balance is paid.