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CUB's Largest Clinic Of The Year To Battle $1.5 Billion Epidemic Of High Phone Bills, Give Out CFLs, Mark 25th Anniversary
CHICAGO, August 7, 2009—The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) will mark its 25th anniversary at the Lincolnwood Town Center by doing what it does best: Showing people how to cut their costs and battle a $1.5 billion epidemic of high phone bills at the consumer group’s largest event of the year.
CUB’s “Right Call Campaign” was launched this year after the consumer group released a report that showed how Illinois callers are overpaying by about $1.5 billion a year. Most people, however, can follow a few simple steps to cut their annual phone costs by hundreds of dollars. The free clinic is:
11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 22
Center Court Lincolnwood Town Center (A Simon Mall) 3333 W. Touhy Ave. Lincolnwood Since releasing the report, CUB has travelled the state to spread the word about its free cost-cutting services. In just the first six months of the “Right Call” campaign: *CUB’s online tool, the Local Phone Cost-cutter, showed consumers how to slash their local phone bills by a total of more than $2.3 million a year. *CUB’s Cellphone Saver, an online tool that automatically analyzes wireless bills, showed consumers how to save an average of $300 a year. *CUB’s clinics showed consumers across the state how to cut their local and long-distance bills by an average of more than $200 a year. “CUB is fighting an epidemic of needlessly high phone bills,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. “It’s hard to spark a struggling economy when you’re burning so much of your hard-earned money on bloated phone service you just don’t need. It’s amazing how much people can save by just taking time to look at their phone bills with a trained CUB expert.” Consumers often complain to CUB that they tried to get help in cutting their bills from the phone company but all they got was a sales pitch for a more expensive service. That won’t happen at a CUB clinic. Participants will learn about CUB’s Five Best Ways to Save:
Use CUB's Cellphone Saver, which has been showing consumers how to save an average of $300 a year.
Take advantage of the
CUB-designed Consumer's Choice local-calling plans AT&T is forced to offer under a legal settlement. Unlike AT&T’s other plans, these are designed to save most consumers money.
Learn about Illinois’ best long-distance plans, including how to get an automatic
$20 credit CUB negotiated. That amounts to nearly 11 hours of free
calls.
Avoid Line-Backer, a $90 per year AT&T service for phone-wire problems that only happen on average about once every 30 years.
Don’t pay for directory assistance when you can use free services, such as 1-800-Info-Fast.
Attendees should bring their phone bills so CUB experts
can analyze them and give tips on how to cut them. In honor of CUB’s 25th birthday, each clinic participant also will get a free Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb, which can save consumers up to $50 over each bulb’s lifetime.
CUB is Illinois’ leading nonprofit utility watchdog organization. Created by the Illinois legislature, CUB opened its doors in 1984 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, CUB has helped save consumers more than $10 billion by blocking rate hikes and securing refunds over the years. For more information, call CUB’s Consumer Hotline at 1-800-669-5556. |