3rd-Party Electric Providers Misleading Customers In Oak Park

OAK PARK, IL — Oak Park village officials issued a warning Friday for residents to beware of third-party electric providers that claim they are affiliated with the village. The door-to-door salespeople are telling residents they are green electric providers or are part of the Village's Community Choice Aggregation Program, but this third-party program is unrelated and can cost villagers additional fees.

Oak Park's electric provider is Constellation and the village says Constellation is not making these sales pitches.

If residents want to opt out of door-to-door solicitation, they can get a "no solicitor" door sticker at Village Hall, 123 Madison St. The village has also limited door-to-door solicitation to between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. No door-to-door solicitation is permitted on holidays.

Those soliciting for charity or non-profit organizations are permitted to do so from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday. Solicitors from religious, educational, or political groups are not restricted to specific days and times.

The village is also requiring commercial solicitors to be registered with the village and required to provide a permit to residents who ask.

If someone tries to solicit you and claims to be a village representative and wants to come into your home, ask to see their official village ID. Village ID cards have the village logo on the front, along with the employees photo and name. The village recommends asking for company ID with those claiming to be representatives of ComEd, Nicor, and other companies as well.

In the event that something suspicious happens, don't hesitate to call 911 or report it to the Oak Park Police anonymous crime tip hotline at 708-434-1636.

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