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Harry Gross: A fit of Peco pique

DEAR HARRY: My family has had an account with Peco since 1952. There never was a problem in paying their bills on time. My dad died in 2004, and my mom had no trouble getting everything changed to her name alone. She became seriously ill shortly afterward

DEAR HARRY: My family has had an account with Peco since 1952. There never was a problem in paying their bills on time. My dad died in 2004, and my mom had no trouble getting everything changed to her name alone. She became seriously ill shortly afterward, and I became her caregiver. I paid all her bills with checks drawn on my account with my name clearly printed on them. She died about six months ago, and I got all her stuff transferred to my name, except for this Peco account. Every time I call, I get a different person who tells me different things. One even sent me to a pawn shop where they accept Peco payments. Finally, I got someone who told me that I have to give them a deposit of $250 that will be returned after a year of satisfactory payments. I still pay all the amounts on time. Harry, I'm living from hand to mouth now, and I need that money. What do you recommend for me?

WHAT HARRY SAYS: The $250 is a "security deposit" that is often charged to new customers. It is quite possible that they are not aware of your history with the company, and they're setting you up as a new customer. I think it's worth one more shot in which you can show them that you do have a history of prompt payments with the company.