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CUB saves gas customer from $1,624.52 mistake

Annette_NiceWork_fbBy Samantha Vercellino

Candy a Downers Grove-area resident was surprised to see that her gas bill had gone through the roof. She called Nicor Gas, the regulated utility, only to get another surprise—another company was supplying her gas.

Knowing she and her husband never authorized a switch, Candy called the company immediately to cancel the services. However, the alternative supplier told her it couldn’t terminate the account—because her account information wasn’t in the system.

Not sure where else to turn, Candy contacted Consumer Rights Associate Annette Evans. The eight-year veteran of CUB’s team asked the alternative supplier, Spark Energy, to investigate the consumer’s complaint.

The investigation revealed that the company’s representative had wrongly switched Candy’s account. (The third-party verification process had mistakenly confirmed services for a different address and different account number.)

Acknowledging its sales representative had made a costly mistake, Spark reimbursed Candy for $1,624.52 and cancelled her services.

“I am very happy for the consumer” Annette said. “Every victory for the consumer is a victory for CUB.”

If you have a complaint about your utility or cable service, call CUB’s Consumer Hotline, at 1-800-669-5556, for guidance on your rights.