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CUB To Hand Out Free Money-saving Light Bulbs, Slash Telephone Costs At Chicago Senior Citizen's Health Fair
CHICAGO, November 7, 2008—Experts from the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) will be at the Winter Senior Citizen’s
Health Fair in Chicago to distribute free money-saving light bulbs and show seniors how to trim
their calling costs by potentially hundreds of dollars a year.
CUB’s experts will be on hand to provide money-saving tips about local, long-distance, and cell-phone bills. These tips have shown consumers how to save an average of $200 a year at similar events across the state. The potential savings are even bigger now, thanks to CUB distributing free Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs), which use 75 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. Each CFL could save consumers up to $50 over the life of the bulb.
The Winter Senior Citizen’s Health Fair will be:
This event is good news for seniors worried about paying this winter’s utility bills. CUB
has simple steps consumers can take to protect their bottom lines.
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22 McKinley Park Fieldhouse 2210 W. Pershing Rd. Chicago “Most people shouldn’t be paying more than $25-$30 a month for phone service,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. “CUB’s experts will give consumers a free one-on-one analysis to help them trim the fat from their phone bills. As an added bonus we’ll give them a free money-saving light bulb. You can’t get a free service like this anywhere else.” Those who get their phone bills analyzed will get one free CFL, as long as they pledge to use it in their home. Consumers often complain that they can’t get reliable information from the phone company, which often just throws them a sales pitch for more expensive services. At this event, however, CUB will provide helpful tips about:
The CUB Cellphone Saver—a state-of-the art online tool that automatically analyzes
individual wireless bills, potentially cutting a caller’s costs by hundreds of dollars a year.
The new CUB-designed Consumer’s Choice local-calling plans that AT&T is forced to offer under a legal settlement. Unlike AT&T’s other plans, these plans are designed to save most consumers money. Illinois’ best long-distance plans, including how to get an automatic $20 credit CUB negotiated. That amounts to nearly 11 hours of free calls. Line-Backer, a costly—and optional—AT&T service that most people don’t need. Attendees should bring their phone bills so CUB experts can analyze them and give tips on how to cut them. CUB is Illinois’ leading nonprofit utility watchdog organization. It was created by the Illinois Legislature in 1983 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Since then, CUB has saved consumers more than $10 billion by helping to block rate hikes and secure refunds. For more information, call CUB’s Consumer Hotline, at 1-800-669-5556. |