Being denied utility service for an unpaid bill that has been paid.

[marysbill]

My sister and niece are being forced to move by the sale of the house they are staying in. She is looking for an apartment in Bloomington il but having difficulties because of her credit she has also been denied electricity both (the credit in part) due to the fact that ameren ip says she owes an outstanding bill for il. power for $500 She borrowed the money and paid the bill a long time ago and still has the cancelled check. She even tried to put it in my 17 year old niece's name but they won't do that because they had her name on the bill when she was an infant. My niece is a severe diabetic and they are about to be homeless. Is there any thing that can be done?

 

[mightymoose]

She may simply need a co-signer... someone to back her up. That is risky business though.

If she has a canceled check and believes her bill is current then she needs to straighten it out with that company. It is possible that if it was past due it is showing up on a credit report that needs to be corrected. The only way to resolve it is through the company she owed. These are the consequences of not paying bills... the only real way to get it in the past is to increase the time between now and then.

 

[marysbill]

I am glad you have never been is a situation where you could not afford to pay a bill but different people have different circumstances and hardships and not all of us are that lucky. This was from when my niece was an infant she is now 17 how much time do you have to put between then and now? I am asking for assistance not opinion. Thanks though for telling me she should contact the company we never thought of that.

 

[mightymoose]

I've been there and done that and managed to get through it. Many bills went unpaid when I was a poor unemployed college student. I just had to prioritize them and decide which ones would get paid each month. There was even a time when I had to ask a family member to cosign for me so I could get into an apartment.

You say your sister's problem is due to her credit. The only way to clear up that credit report is to work with the company that made the negative remarks and try to get something that is more favorable. This can be done by paying money that is past due or by providing proof that the company has made a mistake. Utilize the dispute process with the credit agencies to expose the disputed error.
Trying to circumvent the system by using other people's names is borderline fraudulent and could lead to more problems. It is no wonder that they don't want to work with her... she is going about it the wrong way. Get a copy of her credit report and dispute anything that isn't true. Write letters to agencies that have negative entries and ask for settlement offers for a fraction of what is owed.
It is not easy- it takes time to climb out of the hole that she dug herself in to.
Again, one of the easiest ways to assist her bad credit problem is to obtain a co-signer.