The Comcast technician who came to fix Carolyn Pfeifer's low-hanging cable wire was professional, prompt and pleasant in every way.

Now if he could just shed a few pounds.

Pfeifer said the man arrived at her Plainfield home on a November afternoon and dutifully climbed the utility pole in her backyard to pull the wire up.

Pfeifer went inside and assumed everything was under control. But about 10 minutes later, the technician knocked on her door.

"He said 'I'm sorry, I broke the pole,' " Pfeifer recalled. " 'I guess I need to go on a diet.' "

Pfeifer looked out back and saw the pole leaning against an evergreen.

The technician apologized and said Comcast would fix it. But when another Comcast employee came out later, he told Pfeifer the pole was owned by Commonwealth Edison, so there was nothing he could do.

A ComEd employee came out in January, assessed the situation and told her she owned the pole. Because it was privately owned, there was nothing the electric company could do.

Well, almost nothing. Days later, on Jan. 12, ComEd sent Pfeifer a certified letter saying she had 30 days to fix the pole—or it would shut off her power.

Panicked, the 67-year-old widow called around to several contractors, and was told the ground was too cold to place a new pole. She said she asked ComEd how much it would charge to bury the wires, and was told about $6,000.

Her homeowner's insurance told her it would not pay anything because the pole was so old, and apparently had been rotting from the inside.

With the clock ticking and her fear of losing electricity mounting, Pfeifer had a friend e-mail What's Your Problem?

"I didn't know who to call," Pfeifer said later. After getting the letter from ComEd, she said, "I was very scared. I was like, 'Oh, my god.' "

The Problem Solver called both Comcast and ComEd. Both companies promised to help.

"Due to the unusual circumstances and our commitment to continue serving the customer, Comcast will incur the cost to replace the pole," said Angelynne Amores, spokeswoman for the cable company.

Amores said the technician involved in the incident fell from the pole when it broke, but he was wearing a safety belt and was not injured.

She said the technician thought the pole was sound when he started to climb it.

Upon hearing that Comcast will replace the pole, ComEd said it would extend the deadline, if necessary, to ensure Pfeifer's power stays on.

ComEd spokesman Luis Diaz said the electric company's concern is for Pfeifer's safety.

"We can't allow the situation to exist as it is," Diaz said. "I just think we need to coordinate between Ms. Pfeifer, Comcast and ourselves."

Pfeifer said Comcast visited her home Monday and staked out where the new pole will go. She was told a contractor hired by the cable company will return Tuesday morning to put the new pole in place.

An overjoyed Pfeifer said she might have to take a day off work to watch the resolution.

"You just don't know what a burden this was," she said. "I'm just so happy."

There's no punchline?

comcast should have stepped up to begin with.jerks.

Yup. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. And sometimes it takes a lot of squeaking to get results. Good for her.

sounds like utility companies, dont want to claim responsibility and try to put the screw on others