Family Upset ComEd Hasn't Removed Broken Limb Over Power Lines
CLARENDON HILLS, Ill. (CBS) -- A west suburban family is running out of patience with ComEd. They say that, since July, the company has been putting off fixing a broken tree that threatens high voltage power lines.
CBS 2's Mike Parker reports that a big summer windstorm that hit the Staab house has created a scary headache.
The turbulence ripped loose a big limb from an old Maple tree in the back yard. The dead limb now rests on some Com Ed power lines that run across the yard. The broken limb has been there, on those lines, for four months.
Says Melissa Staab, "I don't feel comfortable having any kids or anyone in the back yard in case the tree falls."
The Staabs' 6-year-old son Jack has been forbidden to venture alone onto the rear deck or into the back yard.
He says it is a little scary, "because it might fall on me."
Commercial tree services refused to work on the damaged tree because of the danger of the power lines. The family reached out to Com Ed in July. In August, the utility left an official note on the front door. It promised, "the damaged trees limbs will be removed."
ComEd still hasn't shown up.
"I'd like to think they haven't forgotten about us," says Melissa Staab. "I think their service has been poor at best."
Shortly after talking with CBS 2, the family got a call from ComEd, promising to send someone to the house first thing Wednesday morning.
Earlier in the day, a company spokesperson said, "obviously there was a dropped ball."
In a statement, Michelle Blaise, ComEd Vice President of Engineering, said, "Human error occurred on two separate occasions when details from the customer were entered into our records. As a result, our records mistakenly indicated that the matter had been resolved. ... We have corrected the process error and a ComEd crew is scheduled to remove the limb Wednesday morning. We regret that this matter was not handled sooner."
