FOX 32 helps woman with ComEd bill: 'You made a big difference for me'

A daughter's wish to help her father get his lights turned back on ended up backfiring.

“We spend time together, as much as possible, he's been a big part of my life,” said Jasmine Walker of Dolton.

Jasmine says she's very close to her father, Paul.

“He's been a great role model to me, and you know, always there to help me,” she said.

So when the tables turned a few years ago and Paul needed help with a ComEd bill, Jasmine didn't hesitate.

“I’m all he has, to help him. There's no one else. He's 71, he has Parkinson’s, he's aging,” she said.

Last June, Jasmine decided to move her dad to an assisted living building - with all utilities included. But then a few months later, she got a bill in the mail for nearly $2400.

“When I looked at it, I was calm, because I knew it was a huge mistake,” she said.

ComEd had combined her bill with her father's bill from his old apartment. She says she called ComEd right away to clear it up and separate the bills. But reps told her she was now responsible for her father's bill.

“I became very overwhelmed and stressed,” Jasmine said.

Jasmine started on a payment plan. But says she continued to call ComEd to investigate and clear it up.

“It put a financial burden on me. Like - I was very stressed out. I have my own bills here, at my own house,” she said.

So Jasmine decided to reach out to FOX 32.

“After I reached out to you all, she called back and said they would remove it,” Jasmine said.

Jasmine says someone from ComEd told her she would no longer be financially responsible for her father's bill.

“You were a big help to me because they were not helping me,” she said.

She credits FOX 32 for getting her bills back on track.

“You made a big difference for me,” she said.

ComEd tells FOX 32 it conducts an in-depth review whenever it removes an individual from an account. It says in Jasmine's case, the review took longer than it should have and it apologizes.

ComEd statement: “ComEd is dedicated to working with our customers to help them manage their energy accounts.  Prior to removing an individual from an account, we are required to conduct an in-depth review to ensure the request for removal can be approved.  In this case, the review took longer than it should have. We apologize for any inconvenience the delay may have caused.”