Drumroll please!
Consumers pick the worst utility in Illinois
November 23, 2009—Illinois consumers gave AT&T the edge over ComEd as the state's most annoying utility, according to the results of an online survey.

In last month's poll, members of the

percent
24.2
AT&T
23.7
ComEd
18.2
Ameren
16.9
Nicor Gas
7.5
Peoples Gas
5.2
Illinois American Water
4.3
Verizon
CUB Action Network, a service that provides weekly e-newsletters and allows consumers to send messages to elected officials, gave CUB their pick for the worst utility in Illinois. Among 1,148 respondents, AT&T captured 24.2 percent of the vote, just beating ComEd, with 23.7 percent. Ameren was third, with 18.2 percent of the vote.

Out of the remaining utility companies, Nicor Gas was fourth, with 16.9 percent and Peoples Gas had 7.5 percent of the vote. Illinois American Water, one of the smaller utility companies in the state, surprisingly drew 5.2 percent of the vote, beating out Verizon, which had 4.3 percent.

CUB this year held more than 80 phone clinics across Illinois—a new record—and often recommended that AT&T customers replace their old expensive landline calling plans with the Consumer’s Choice plans, which the phone giant is forced to offer under a legal settlement with CUB. (See also CUB's Phone Savings Center.)

One AT&T customer at a clinic this year rejoiced when CUB showed her how to save about $500 a year: "Better in my pocket than theirs,” she said. “I donate enough to them already!"

CUB, which is fighting utility cases that impact more than $1 billion of Illinois consumers’ money, conducted the poll of CUB Action Network members to get an inkling of how consumers would critique the front-office performance of their electric, natural gas, telephone, and water companies.

Join CUB's Action Network today, and help CUB fight the good fight for fair utility rates.