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ComEd review: deposit request 22

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12:44 pm EDT
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I have been with ComED approximately a year now. Until recently my bills were always paid on time. However, like the rest of the economy I fell upon hard times, and began late payments. Although My payments were late my balance has never exceeded $200. Once I moved to another location within the same city, they sent a request for me to pay $400 additional to my revolving bill as a deposit. I find this absolutely ridiculous and insensative for a them to even impose such a thing. Obviously if my payments are coming a little later than expected, Im behind and can not afford to pay additional money on-top of my regular monthly statements. This is distrurbing due to the fact Im monopolized by them and can not simply switch companies. Someone please tell me what am I to do?

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22 comments
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Jasn98
, US
Feb 06, 2023 9:32 pm EST

I received a letter today from comed that they are adding $575 to my already high bill in 5 installments of $115. My house is all electric so its already high and monthly usually runs 350-400. I have always paid on time and in full. This past winter has been hard. My husband normally gets unemployment in the winter and due to the past year work for him during his season was slow so unemployment is 173 every week. I made some to keep bills on and tax season we always pay what we owe with what we have. When things aee going like they are and we are stuck in this [censored] show mess our goverment likes to keep us in how aee we ever suppose to get ahead or even just keeping your head above water like this. This is ridiculous to charge people like this during times like this. Add a late fee like others but $575 extra on top of everything else is not the way

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cristian chirila
, US
Dec 30, 2021 3:08 am EST

garbage company, thieves, still they control you ...

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cristian chirila
, US
Dec 30, 2021 3:05 am EST

garbage company, yet they have control

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ejames429
, US
Mar 27, 2020 2:57 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

This is a travesty, if someone is late they get to charge a late fee as a penalty to encourage paying in time. If they take a “deposit” it should work like an overdraft account with a bank, if I’m late they should use the deposit to pay the bill without charging me any fee if I pay back the amount to refill the deposit account. The only reason to hold a large deposit amount in escrow would be if someone hasn’t paid their bill for months or moves to a new location while still owing back payments.
ComEd is corrupt and has made illegal campaign donations and other payments to elected officials in order to get the ability to charge these extra fees which become hard to ever recover because they strictly enforce the “late payment” dates even when a customer who is only occasionally late which resets the date behind the automatic 12 month repayment of the deposit. They have I suspect millions of dollars of Illinois citizens sitting in general fund accounts that are invested by ComEd while only paying customers a minimum interest amount when compared to the rate that ComEd is getting from its investments.

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kc!@#
, US
Apr 20, 2018 2:09 am EDT

So, it sounds like I'm not alone in this ComEd deposit scam. I have a house that was rented out for a while. Recently the tenant moved and I called comed to have my name put back on the bill. I was told I was going to have to pay a $191.00 deposit, as they claimed there was a $12.87 unpaid balance. The problem here is I was charged a $125.00 deposit a couple years prior to this when a different tenant moved out, and low and behold, they claimed back then there was a $12.87 unpaid balance. Now, I don't know about anyone else, but if when I had moved out of the house back in 2011, had I ever received a final bill in the amount of $12.87 I would have promptly paid it, I mean seriously, who can't come up with $12.87? The first time they pulled this crap I told them I never received any bill in that amount and had I, it would have been paid. They claimed it "was mailed" and never was returned. I paid the $125.00 and a year later it was refunded. Now several years later I am expected to pay yet another deposit based on that same $12.87 supposed unpaid balance. WTF is up with that? Does ComEd seriously think that people have nothing better to do with their hard earned money than to turn it over to them so it can go into their account and earn them interest? How in God's name are they being allowed to extort money like this out of their customers who have no other choice in who their power company is? I despise ComEd, they are they absolute worst and most expensive utility out there.

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Micki D
, US
Nov 08, 2017 10:08 pm EST

How is it legal for Com Ed to keep extorting money from customers. From what I am understanding, they can charge you a deposit every time you pay late 4 times. Once they take your money, unless you pay on time for a year you don't get your money back. On top of the deposit Com Ed makes you pay they they still charge you a late fee on your bill. Absolutely asinine. So is there no maximum number of times that they can charge a deposit? They should no be able to charge you a deposit and a late fee. There should be a max on how many times they can extort a deposit! How is this crap legal?

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ville
, US
Nov 10, 2016 12:49 pm EST

Is it legal for them to add a late fee on a deposit? Single mom of 2 just moved. Made a mistake of paying the deposit late on my comed bill, by the way its 400 plus dollars, and they slapped me with a 30 dollar late fee on the next bill. That can not be legal

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Fred Bear
, US
Apr 07, 2016 12:42 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I recommend the consumer protection and class action law firm of Edelman, Combs, Latturner & Goodwin, LLC for a civil suit. They won my case against a junk debt buyer and I was very pleased with their firm. ComEd needs to be put back in their place as a public service and quit acting like a for-profit corporation. Until now, I had no history with their company, yet they made me pay an $80 deposit anyway because they did not like my credit report. Thieves! No wonder they no longer call themselves "Commonwealth Edison."

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Muhammad Rizwan Khurshid
, US
Sep 24, 2015 2:06 pm EDT

I am just moved to Chicago from Denver and I have been charged with $255 deposit to be paid in three months for just being a new customer, this is brutal and pure stupidity.

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FuriouslyCurious
, US
Sep 15, 2015 6:26 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I, too, have an issue with ComEd. I have excellent credit (730+), have on time payment history with ComEd for over 2 years and am now have a $145 deposit imposed for my upcoming move--to be added on my bill over 3 months. What the heck.

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NotTheOne
, US
Sep 03, 2015 5:54 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

What you all need to do, if you've been current with your payments for the 12-month 'review' period, is file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I did exactly this after getting the runaround from a variety of ComEd customer service representatives. I was told everything from: the 12-month review period is actually 13 months and that I'd have to wait; that my refund request had been received, and to call back within a week's time; to finally being told that a couple of my payments were late, which was complete BS, as I always paid online, via phone, or by paper check, which I promptly remitted and mailed, having received no notification in subsequent months that a payment was late. I paid cash for my condo; $63 to ComEd on the monthly basis is pocket change, as I see it. I finally got sick of calling and having someone else lie to me, concerning how and why my money was being held and how I 'failed' to pay my bill timely, and I escalated it to the proper agency. I filed the complaint on Tuesday, September 1st, received a phone call from ComEd's customer 'relations' department the next day, and received notification that my refund had been processed the day after, September 3rd. DO NOT take this crap lying down; get angry, and most importantly, seek action!

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aBrumby
, US
Aug 01, 2015 8:57 am EDT

ComEd should be required to provide accounting for the "deposits". They claim it is refunded, they claim it earns interest. 7 years ago they demanded a deposit. It was never used to pay a missed payment; it was never used to pay for electricity for me. If it was kept as a deposit, they should never demand it again, but they are demanding it now. Any lawyers with fight willing to challenge them on this?

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Cathy Caldwell
Justice, US
Jun 23, 2014 7:07 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I, Too, cannot get my Deposit back from COMED@. I have repeatedly tried to talk to them about this, and they simply refuse to send my deposit back! What other recourse can I pursue with them? Help!

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Graphiccat
Chicago, US
Apr 30, 2014 2:55 pm EDT

Let's start a class action suit against comed to stop this. They can't do this and they have no right to do this.

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VeryAngry Customer
, US
Sep 29, 2011 3:27 pm EDT

My electic bills are usually between $300-$500; we have been with com ed for the past year, as this is a new house for us. I have paid my bill late exactly 4 times, and never any later than 4 days late! I was slapped with a $450 deposit...I called in and spoke with numerous customer service agents offering to provide my checking account number for auto-withdrawal in the future to prevent late payments and was DENIED. They said customers are billed 21 days after the electric was consumed, therefore ComEd does not give any grace period. I said okay I understand now, but was never explained that previously. She didn't care and would do nothing. And to make things worse, I just paid a payment early (not due until middle of October) for just the electric due minus the deposit amount and they applied it to my deposit and will not correct it! I HATE COM ED!

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G-man68
Chicago, US
Apr 23, 2011 2:33 am EDT

Com-Ed is just another corporate juggernaut that can treat customers any way they like without repercussion. At some point we must stand up and figure out alternatives. I don't know exactly what those are, however, if enough people complain to the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) maybe there could be some resolution. Always remember though, that Com-Ed just needs to put a little money in the pocket of CUB and they will do as Com-Ed tells them. This game is all about money and power.

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Kmhabbl
Roselle, US
Apr 06, 2010 1:23 pm EDT

google - citizens utility board to file legitimate claim, this is wrong!

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Kmhabbl
Roselle, US
Apr 06, 2010 1:23 pm EDT

What happens is that they will take out your deposit from your monthly bill, therefore if your bill is 1500 dollars and your deposit is 1500 $ they will take 500 towards the deposit 1000 towards the bill and you'll be late owing 500$ until you're finally paid up! its ridiculous I know, but this is in response to the post that asked if " IF I don't pay my deposit, yet continue to pay my bill ... "

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jeffj
Buffalo Grove, US
Jan 14, 2010 3:08 pm EST

I'm being hit with $45 per month on each bill. I was late with my previous bill so I thought this was pricey but at least I knew what it was for. Now I'm paying on time and I still have to pay the $45 extra. Do I ever get off this requirement? Do I ever get the money back?

ComEd does suck!

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Distgruntled
Aurora, US
Dec 07, 2009 5:05 pm EST

I'm right there with you. Same thing - got a couple of late payments and they slapped me with a $240 deposit. I feel like I'm being kicked while I'm down. It addition to the late fees they levied, they now want a deposit. I explained to them that if I couldn't pay the full bill on time, it would be most unlikely that I would be able to pay the deposit. They said it was mandatory and couldn't be waived. ###os!

The woman I spoke with was actually very nice, and knew what she was doing, unfortunately, the ComEd brass will not allow the deposit requirement to be waived. They had a manager, who sounded completely depressed, call me back because I insisted that is should be waived. She left me a voicemail, never left a number or anything. What a scam!

I wonder too - can they actually turn off my service if a deposit isn't paid? It cannot possibly be classified as usage. BTW, the Com in ComEd most surely stands for Communist! (they're just pretend it's something else).

I hate them and resent the fact that there are not other options and they can still treat their customers like crap.

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dee kay
Joliet, US
Aug 13, 2009 12:20 pm EDT

COm ed Sucks! and their customer service people dont know what they are doing either. How hard is it to answer a question? or receive what has been promised to me in the mail since march? COM ED SUCKS!

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feellikeapuppet
Loves Park, US
Jul 10, 2009 9:54 am EDT

I too have had similar circumstances with ComEd. I have had service for a year and a half and recently had a few late payments. My bill has never been more then a couple weeks late. ComEd slapped me with a $410 deposit. I still have service at the same location and I am wondering if I continue to pay my electric and not my deposit can ComEd legally turn off my service?