Citizens Utility Board | News Room | News Releases | 2006

Tales of Phone-bill Clinics Past

A participant at the Arlington Heights phone-bill clinic reads over CUB's packet of publications filled with money-saving telephone tips.

"One of a telephone company's greatest fears is an educated consumer," CUB staffer Jim Chilsen told the crowd at the Arlington Heights phone-bill clinic.

State Sen. Cheryl Axley co-sponsored the CUB phone-bill clinic in Arlington Heights. Sen. Axley (front row, center) is pictured at the clinic along with (from left to right) CUB staffers Jim Chilsen and Aimee Gendusa-English, CUB Board Treasurer Kris Thomsen, and CUB staffers Chris Thomas and Sarah Moskowitz.

More than 100 people listened to CUB's money-saving presentation "Rules to Live by in the Phone Market" at the Arlington Heights phone-bill clinic.

It’s getting on towards late summer, but CUB’s road team was still energized for the season’s seventh phone-bill clinic, held in Arlington Heights. After making a wrong turn that took them past a pasture of Elk that were brought to Elk Grove Village from Wyoming decades ago, the CUB staff made it to the spacious Arlington Heights Library in time to meet up with the clinic’s co-sponsor, State Sen. Cheryl Axley, and greet a record-breaking crowd of more than 100 consumers. Publications Manager Jim Chilsen spoke briefly to the packed house before audience members broke into small groups to meet with CUB representatives and go over their bills. CUB Board Treasurer Kris Thomsen joined staffers Pat Clark, Aimee English, Sarah Moskowitz, and Chris Thomas to help consumers find ways to save money on phone service.

It became clear early on that the consumers at this clinic had strong ideas about what they wanted and needed from their phone companies. Several of the people there were proud of their low bills and just wanted to make sure they couldn’t go any lower. Others, however, were able to benefit from the information provided by CUB. One particularly handy woman who had already redone the phone wiring in her house discovered that her skills meant she could probably drop AT&T’s $6-per-month “Line-Backer” maintenance plan. Another couple learned that they could save more than $20 each month if they got rid of their long-distance service and simply used their cell phone, which they already owned, to make long-distance calls. Consumer after consumer offered warm thanks to the Cubbies and Senator Axley for holding the meeting.

One consumer surprised Consumer Rights Counselor Sarah Moskowitz with a hug after discussing her high-speed Internet bill. Wrong turn aside, this was one of CUB’s most successful clinics ever.

Visit to Elmhurst, July 26

For the fifth phone bill clinic of July, CUB Associate Director Pat Clark, CUB Board Representative George Miller, of Melrose Park, and CUB staffers Laura Jaskierski, Katie Schmit, and Annie Warnock met over forty consumers at the Elmhurst Public Library.

CUB staffers diligently analyze consumers' phone bills at the Elmhurst clinic.

Pat’s tip on using free “411” numbers, such as 1-800-FREE-411 and 1-800-411-SAVE—instead of expensive traditional directory assistance—particularly peaked the interest of the crowd who all agreed that listening to a 30-second ad was worth $1.2 in savings.

George acted as the resident photographer, while the rest of the staff began looking through bills. Laura was shocked to find a bill that she couldn’t improve upon. It turned out that Ernest and Ellie Pett were longtime CUB members. Ellie, an avid CUB Voice reader, had done her homework and already trimmed her bill of any unneeded or overpriced services, using AT&T’s basic, standard rates of 3 cents per call 0-15 miles away and a low-priced calling card for long-distance service.

But most consumers walked away with lighter bills than when they arrived. Pat showed one man how he

CUB Associate Director Pat Clark (right) refers to CUB's 20-page "Untangling Your Phone Bill" guide to help a consumer save some money. That's right, we had to write a 20-page guide to explain a two-page phone bill!

could save more than $400 a year, without changing his calling habits one bit.

He was paying for one of the most expensive AT&T local calling packages you can buy, offering a host of special features he didn’t need, and paying an $8 monthly fee for an AT&T long-distance plan. Yet, he said: “I never use my phone.” In fact, he made just 33 local calls, which on standard rates would have cost him a whopping 99 cents, and 33 minutes of long-distance calls, which would have cost him $1.32 on a 4-cents-per-minute calling plan. His bill was over $50, when it should have been around $20. The man was thrilled with this news and said he was going use some of his savings to join CUB.

While it was rewarding to have helped him, we couldn’t help wondering how many other Illinois consumers are in the same boat as he is. That’s why reaching out to more phone users across the state will be a huge goal for CUB in the coming months and years.

Visits to Galesburg, Peoria, Normal, Mt. Prospect, July 11-13

CUB’s statewide ‘Phone Bill Diet Tour’ swept through Central Illinois,

State Sen. Dale Risinger, of Peoria, was a gracious host for clinics in Peoria as well as Galesburg. At the far left, listening to Risinger, is CUB Board President Randy Fritz.

holding a trio of clinics in that region before stopping in a Chicago suburb for a fourth—all in just three days. First stop, Galesburg, home of one of the largest railroad yards in the U.S., and CUB Board President Randy Fritz’s hometown. Randy welcomed a large crew of CUB helpers to his old stomping ground: CUB Executive Director David Kolata, Board Treasurer Kris Thomsen and staffers Pat Clark, Aimee Gendusa-English, Laura Jaskierski and Sarah Moskowitz.

State Sen. Dale Risinger hosted the clinic at the town’s Community Center, a renovated fire station. Forty area residents, the town newspaper, and local

CUB Executive Director David Kolata gives money-saving tips to phone customers at the Bloomington phone-bill clinic.

radio stations gathered to learn how to trim their bills. One concerned consumer warned the crowd of forty people that the phone company told her she needed to purchase an inside-wire maintenance plan at more than $6 per month (and then charged her more than $12 per month) because of her phone’s bad reception even though she suspected her problems had nothing to do with the phone wires inside her walls. CUB Consumer Counselor Lila Walsh filed a complaint with Gallatin River to try to remove the hefty charges from her bill. And Pat spoke with a couple of ladies who were wisely considering dropping their landlines and going wireless to avoid the $20 to $24 Gallatin River charges each of them just to have a phone.

After a brief stop at Galesburg’s Pizza House, the staff was off to Peoria,

CUB staffer Laura Jaskierski talks to a tableful of consumers at the Galesburg phone-bill clinic.

which, as college basketball fans know, is the home of the Sweet 16’s Bradley Braves. Again Sen. Risinger, this time joined by State Rep. David Leitch, of Peoria, was kind enough to host the clinic at a local junior college. David and Randy had been on all of the local morning TV shows and the advance coverage paid off when another forty consumers braved rain to come to the clinic.

The rain followed CUB’s travel brigade the next morning to Bloomington-Normal, where the Community Activity Center opened its doors to host CUB as part of its weekly Wednesday morning speaker series. After analyzing a bill of one of the 50 clinic attendees, Aimee showed the consumer that she could save almost $200 a

CUB Board Treasurer Kris Thomsen talks to a bill-bearing consumer at the Peoria clinic.

year just by switching from a Verizon calling package to the company’s standard rates, which CUB helped cut by some $25 million in a legal settlement with the company in 2003. Before heading back to Chicago CUB’s staff stopped by Avanti’s to check out the famous Italian bread it has been serving the community for more than 30 years.

Three clinics down and one to go…

For the fourth clinic of the week, CUB staffers Jim Chilsen, Laura Jaskierski, Katie Schmit and Lila Walsh joined State Sen. Cheryl Axley, of Des Plaines, at the newly built Mount Prospect Village Hall. Chairs had to be added throughout the meeting as sixty consumers filled the room. That meant CUB served nearly 200 consumers over the course of three days—not to mention the consumers who didn’t attend the clinic but got our helpful tips through broadcast and newspaper stories.

Visit to Huntley, June 13

CUB’s “Put Your Phone Bill on a Diet Tour” was in full force

Nearly 100 Huntley residents gather at Sun City to learn money-saving tips.

as it continued on to Huntley, where 90 plus concerned consumers (all with phone bills in hand) packed a meeting room to listen to Associate Director Pat Clark’s money-saving tips. Among the consumers were Pat’s mom and sister who are both area residents and did their best to recruit neighbors and friends to attend. Pat’s mom made sure to claim Pat as her own as she smiled and told those around her how proud she was of her daughter.

The event was sponsored by State Sen. Pamela Althoff and Pat Oakley, chair of the Civics Committee for Sun City, a community for active adults “ages 55 and better,” where the clinic was held. Pat Clark, a 20-year veteran of CUB, along with staffers Laura Jaskierski, Sarah Moskowitz and Lila Walsh analyzed individual phone bills for three

Sarah Moskowitz and Lila Walsh analyzed individual phone bills.

hours to ensure that everyone was on plans best suited to their individual calling patterns.

Pat made her fan club proud when she was deemed the money-saver of the day. Huntley’s Patricia Hemmer was making 270 minutes of local-toll calls (calls between 15 and 30 miles away) a month at 16 cents per minute totaling a whopping $43.20. But Pat showed Ms. Hemmer that a different long distance company would charge her less than 5 cents per minute for the same calls. That’s a savings of nearly $500 per year!

Visit to Elk Grove Village, May 19

Executive Director David Kolata, and CUB staffers, Pat Clark, Laura Jaskierski, Bryan McDaniel, and Anne McKibbin went to Elk Grove Village for the latest stop on CUB’s “Put Your Phone Bill on a Diet” tour. It was CUB’s seventh clinic in less than a month! (Travel-weary Laura gets CUB’s “Employee of the Month” award for logging hundreds of miles across Illinois to attend all seven.)

CUB Executive Director David Kolata (left) presented the consumer group's "Rules to Live by in the Phone Market" at a phone-bill clinic hosted by State Sen. Cheryl Axley (right) at the Elk Grove Village Public Library.

At Elk Grove’s public library, we were greeted warmly by the clinic’s host, State Sen. Cheryl Axley, who was so happy with the event that she offered to host another clinic in Arlington Heights, and also invited CUB to her upcoming Senior Fair. Longtime CUB members wanted tips on how to cut their phone bills, but also were eager for an update on Marty Cohen, CUB’s former Executive Director. Don’t worry, he’s still fighting the good fight—now as Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s Director of Consumer Affairs.

CUB’s phone-bill analysts weren’t the only ones doing a lot of traveling this time of year, according to Anne McKibbin, who once was a part-time wildlife keeper nursing eagles, falcons, hawks, and owls back to health in Miami, Florida. CUB’s senior policy analyst was excited to spot the Great Egret, a sleek white, yellow-eyed heron that was passing through Elk Grove Village from the Gulf Coast to a summer vacation along the Mississippi River. Still an avid bird watcher, “Eagle Eyes” McKibbin also spied a Gray Catbird. Anne explained that after a long trip from the Gulf Coast—even Central America, or the Caribbean—our feathered friend chose the area for a summer rest.

There’s little rest for CUB, however. We’re planning more clinics throughout the summer and adding some senior fairs too. Check CUB’s website for dates and times of upcoming events and give us a call if you too are interested in hosting a clinic for your organization or neighborhood.

Visit to Champaign and Charleston, May 16

CUB Senior Policy Analyst Anne McKibbin, far left, and CUB Communications Assistant Laura Jaskierski, far right, hang out with two "interpreters" who were recreating life in the 1850s at the site of the last home of Abraham Lincoln's father and step-mother.

The audience listens intently to CUB's money-saving tips during the utility-bill clinic at the Charleston Area Senior Center.

Anne, left, talks to two women about their phone bills at the Charleston Area Senior Center.

Anne, left, and Laura, right, show off their Illinois pride before the phone-bill clinic in Champaign.

Executive Director David Kolata was up at the crack of dawn doing media interviews in Champaign and he ends his long day giving consumers from that community CUB's "Rules to Live By in the Phone Market."

The traffic gods were smiling upon CUB staffers Pat Clark, Laura Jaskierski and Anne McKibbin as they hit the road for the third leg of CUB’s “Put Your Phone Bill on a Diet Tour.” Thanks to the easy trip out of Chicago, the crew arrived in Charleston two hours ahead of schedule, leaving plenty of time to take in local sights.

Aside from being dotted with beautiful farmland and old Victorian houses, Charleston also is home to the 86-acre Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, where the last home of Abraham Lincoln’s father and step-mother has been recreated.

It was fun stepping back in time to the 1850s, but duty called so we headed off to the clinic at the Charleston Area Senior Center. The CUB staff, joined by Executive Director David Kolata, was welcomed by the organizer of the event, State Sen. Dale Righter.

CUB had researched Illinois Consolidated Telephone Co.’s prices to find ways for consumers to save. The biggest tip: avoid Illinois Consolidated and go wireless when possible. One person promised to use her extra cell phone minutes to call a cousin in California instead of paying Consolidated’s expensive long-distance rates.

Then it was on to Champaign. After a brief visit to the University of Illinois, we arrived at the Douglass Branch of the Champaign Public Library. Dave had been up at the crack of dawn promoting the clinic in the media and his efforts paid off because every consumer brought a phone bill, ready to learn how to save money.

David was able to explain the benefits of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as a low-cost option to a computer savvy consumer who paid dearly for calls to friends and family in China.

Anne beamed after saving a consumer $30 a month by suggesting basic phone service in place of an expensive calling package loaded with unwanted calling features.

The CUB staffers didn’t get home until midnight, but trimming down some overweight phone bills in central Illinois was well worth the trip.

Visit to Centralia and Mt. Vernon, May 9-10

Aimee Gendusa-English stands under a Centralia banner.

At the Centralia phone-bill clinic Jim Chilsen, Aimee Gendusa-English, and Laura Jaskierski got to meet the proud parents of CUB Policy Director Chris Thomas. Born and raised in Centralia, Chris now writes intricate testimony opposing utility rate hikes in regulatory cases. Candace and Charles Thomas beamed when Laura told them how happy we were to have a smart guy like Chris on CUB's staff. They beamed again when Jim told them the same thing. By the time Rep. Kurt Granberg stopped by the clinic to praise CUB—and Centralia's favorite son, Chris Thomas, the beaming was so bright we could have turned down the lights.

After the clinic, Rep. Granberg graciously guided the hungry phone-bill analysts to the Downtown Lounge, where the CUB staffers ate too many deep-fried appetizers, including breaded black olives and cheese. Before leaving for a clinic in Mt. Vernon the next day, Jim tried to satisfy his interest in history by checking out the historical society’s display on Centralia’s 1947

From left to right, Jim Chilsen, Aimee Gendusa-English, and Rep. Kurt Granberg stand in front of the Centralia's South Central Regional Tech Center, where the first clinic was held.

mining disaster, which killed 111 coal miners and was the inspiration for a Woody Guthrie ode in which the folk legend sang “Goodbye Centralia, goodbye…” Executive Director Becky Ault, an early CUB supporter, was “thrilled” to have us visit and she advised CUB to “Raise hell!”

Next, we visited Mt. Vernon's Sunshine Center, at the invitation of state Sen. John O. Jones, a friendly man who uses a sturdy white pick-up to get around his district. One of the more interesting people there was Perry, an 80-something World War II veteran who sadly reflected on the friends he lost in fierce fighting aboard the USS Lexington, but still spontaneously jumped up and clicked his heals—twice—to show how happy and healthy he was overall.

State Sen. John O. Jones (left) stands with Aimee Gendusa-English, Laura Jaskierski, and Jim Chilsen at Mt. Vernon's Sunshine Center.

Another gentleman brought down the house when Jim asked if he had called CUB to get some help on a problem with his phone company. Yeah, he said, he had talked to some "jerk named Dave." People roared with laughter, before the man clarified that he had misunderstood the question and the aforementioned “jerk named Dave” actually worked for the phone company, not CUB. What a relief, considering CUB has two Daves on staff, including our executive director!

Visit to Moline and Rock Island, April 27-28

Aside from helping consumers save money on their phone bills, the best thing about CUB's "Put Your Phone Bill on a Diet Tour"

CUB staffer Bryan McDaniel shows off CUB's new and improved "Untangling Your Telephone Bills" guide, which was debuted in Moline.

is that we get to meet nice people and see some of the most beautiful and interesting parts of Illinois. The Mississippi River communities of Moline and Rock Island didn't disappoint. CUB Board President Randy Fritz and staffers Jim Chilsen, Laura Jaskierski, and Bryan McDaniel met enthusiastic crowds at two phone-bill clinics in those cities. "Nobody ever helps us," one appreciative senior citizen told Bryan.

Accustomed to holding clinics in church basements, libraries, and community centers, we were pleasantly surprised to be at Moline's majestic Butterworth

CUB staffers Bryan McDaniel, left, and Laura Jaskierski, right, analyzed phone bills for grateful phone callers in Rock Island.

Center. Charles Deere (from the family of John Deere, whose famed farm-equipment company is based in Moline) built the mansion in 1892 as a wedding gift for his youngest daughter, Katherine, and her husband William Butterworth. Randy gave the audience money-saving phone tips in the Library, which was added to the house around 1917 to accomodate a 50 foot Italian ceiling painting. Can you imagine telling people how to pick the right long-distance plan under an elegant work of 18th century art that once graced the Hotel Danieli in Venice? Yes, the word "humbling" comes to mind.

The next day we were treated to the hospitality of the Rock Island County Senior Center. It's not a big center, but it gets big things done, providing

CUB Board President Randy Fritz, far left, stands with clinic participants and staffers at the Rock Island County Senior Center after a phone-bill clinic there. Fritz is a high school teacher from Williamsfield but volunteers his time to travel all over Illinois to educate people on how to save money on their phone bills.

seniors with on-site and home-delivered meals, transportation help, assistance to pay energy bills, and a place to hold weekly Euchre and Bridge games. Even better, most of the services are provided on a suggested-donation basis. At the end of the morning, Randy posed for a picture with center staff and clinic participants. After three snapshots, wannabe photographer Jim Chilsen spoke up: "I just took three photos...without any film in the camera." The center erupted in laughter as everyone patiently waited for the film to be loaded.

Thanks for a great trip, Rock Island and Moline!