Guadalupe, a 92-year-old Waukegan resident, had no idea that attending a CUB event would result in her receiving a $1,500 refund. But that’s exactly what happened when experts from the consumer watchdog discovered Guadalupe was being overcharged by an alternative supplier she had no idea she was paying. In late…...
CUB warning: Beware of bad alternative supplier deals
CUB reminded Ameren Illinois and Commonwealth Edison customers of the utilities’ new summer power prices, and warned customers about getting lured into bad alternative supplier deals. Even in this high-priced environment, the utilities’ supply prices are likely the best bet, the watchdog said. These are the utilities’ new summer supply…...
Consumer advocates, Rep. Du Buclet issue warning against alternative electric/gas supplier rip-offs, make urgent call for legislative reforms
As financial losses mount for Illinois consumers with alternative electric and gas suppliers, the watchdog Citizens Utility Board (CUB) has joined with other consumer advocates and state Rep. Kimberly Du Buclet to advocate for the No More Utility Bill Rip-Offs Customer Protection Act (House Bill 4313), a series of reforms…...
‘Utility Customer Refund’? Analyzing an alternative supplier deal
The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) has recently seen an influx of offers from SmartEnergy, an alternative energy supplier that advertises a $100 “utility customer refund.” At a time when far too many Illinois residents are struggling to afford their utility bills, this could be an attractive offer. But is it…...
CUB Issues Alert Against Bad Alternative Supplier Deals
In the wake of a significant drop in Ameren Illinois’ price for electricity, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) put out a warning against bad alternative supplier deals Wednesday. The watchdog urged consumers to review the “Electric Supply” section of their bills to confirm they are not overpaying with an expensive…...
Notice: Beware of bad electricity deals
In a year when electricity prices have been high, you may get targeted advertisements or offers in the mail tempting you to switch to an alternative supplier. But remember that alternative electricity suppliers are often impacted by the same market conditions that cause utility prices to go up. Be careful…...
Grim milestone: CUB review of state data finds ComEd, Ameren residential customers have lost more than $2B to alternative power suppliers over last decade
Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Illinois residential customers have lost a combined total of more than $258 million over the last year and more than $2 billion since 2015 to alternative electricity suppliers, according to a CUB review of annual state reports. The watchdog called for state passage of additional consumer…...
Rip-off Alert: Paying more than triple for power?
This summer CUB found consumers in different parts of Illinois paying an electricity supply rate with Clearview Energy that was more than triple what they would have paid with their utilities. At a utility-bill clinic in Lansing in June, CUB found that Dan was paying Clearview 22.99 cents per kilowatt-hour…...
CUB: ComEd, Ameren customers have lost $1.8B to alternative power suppliers since 2015; consumer group issues statewide warning against bad deals
Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Illinois customers who have chosen alternative electricity suppliers have lost a combined total of about $297 million over the last year and $1.8 billion since 2015, CUB says, citing annual state reports on electricity competition. While ComEd and Ameren deliver electricity to their customers over the…...
