ComEd tells man with large bill to pay

Glenview resident Burton Shepard didn't get the news he was hoping to hear after getting stuck with a hefty ComEd bill.

A ComEd representative Tuesday informed the 79-year-old man's son, Gerald Shepard of Streamwood, that the utility company still wants $7,224 for electricity used from January 2008 to November 2009.

ComEd's recommendation will be passed along to the Illinois Commerce Commission, the utility oversight agency with authority to resolve consumer-utility disputes. On March 15, Gerald Shepard filed a complaint with the ICC on his father's behalf.

The bill for Shepard's all-electric mobile home over that time period originally totaled more than $16,000, but ComEd reduced the amount despite evidence of fraud.

The meter had been tampered with - a pop can tab was wedged into the device, causing it to not register electricity. As a result, Shepard was billed just $11 per month in non-usage charges.

Shepard, who works as a furniture salesman, had already initiated bankruptcy proceedings when the bill arrived last month. He maintains he can't afford ComEd's reduced payment plan of more than $300 a month on the back bill since his new bills for current usage now are several hundred dollars a month.

"Bottom line, he can't pay," said Gerald Shepard, who says the meter must have been tampered with before his dad moved to the mobile home. "He's short on money as it is."

ICC spokeswoman Beth Bosch said the agency is currently waiting for a written response from ComEd to the complaint. The ICC is most often able to resolve disputes informally.

"If at the end we're not able to satisfy Mr. Shepard, then he may want to take it to formal proceedings," Bosch said. That likely would mean hiring an attorney to file evidence before a five-member board. The decision can be appealed to a court.

A Citizens Utility Board representative reached out to Burton Shepard after reading about his situation in Monday's Daily Herald, but spokesman Jim Chilsen said the consumer advocacy group can only monitor matters while the ICC complaint is pending.

ComEd spokesman Jeff Burdick said Shepard doesn't qualify for assistance programs and other debt forgiveness because of the fraud charge.

ComEd says Burton Shepard should have realized his bills were too low, but Gerald Shepard is upset ComEd didn't notice the error sooner. He is hoping if the appeal doesn't work, the bankruptcy court will erase the debt.

Meanwhile, his dad turned down a television interview request Tuesday because he was too distraught to talk about the situation, Gerald Shepard said.