A mother of six from suburban Park Ridge says her gas was shut off just days before Christmas because of an autopay bill mistake.
Angela May said she got a new credit card, and a new credit card number, in August, but didn’t change the number on her account with the gas company, Nicor.
May didn’t realize there was an issue until after her gas was shut off this past weekend, and she called to find out what happened.
“They shut my heat off, but they didn’t send me a notice," May said. "They didn’t put a sticker on my door like you would think."
As a result, the mother of six and her children had to go to her mother’s house to take showers and do laundry. After experiencing the issue, May paid the bill, and the payment was reflected on her account as of Monday.
However, the Park Ridge resident said Nicor informed her crews weren't able to turn the gas service back on until Monday, Dec. 30.
NBC 5 Respond’s reached out to a Nicor spokesperson which said in a statement that "...the company has acted in accord with its terms and conditions. It is our policy not to discontinue gas service to any customers during the winter moratorium unless an unsafe condition or violation of these policies has occurred.”
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May said she wasn't aware of any unsafe condition or policy violation, but she realized her mistake.
The mother of six now urges other customers to update credit card numbers connected to any autopay accounts to avoid the same mistake.
“That’s my one take away from this whole experience,” she said. “ Otherwise you and your family might be suffering at this worst time of year.”
