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Consumer Advocacy

Is this electric pitch legit? CUB breaks it down

Members of CUB’s consumer advocacy department (CAD) take thousands of inquiries each year, so  they’ve heard all about the crazy pitches consumers receive from alternative electric suppliers. Last week, Sandra Marcelin-Reme—a veteran of the department—shared one consumer complaint that shows the type of trickery consumers are up against. Take a look at the…...

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Reminder: The sign-up deadline for Ameren’s Peak Time Rewards is March 1!

It’s the last day for Ameren Illinois customers with new advanced electric meters to sign up for a no-cost program that rewards them with bill credits for delaying heavy power usage on certain days. To sign up for Ameren’s Peak Time Rewards program, visit PeakTimeRewards.com or call 1-844-787-7874. Qualifying customers who…...

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Fight electric price-gouging: Support HB 3038

The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) needs your help urging state legislators to pass a bill that shady electric suppliers don’t want. This bill combats a major problem in Illinois: electricity suppliers that price-gouge customers with bad deals. (We’ve seen customers paying up to five times the utility rate—sad.) The bill,…...

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CUB featured on CBS 2

CUB was featured on Chicago’s CBS 2 last night warning consumers in ComEd territory that they could see a marketing barrage from alternative electricity suppliers over the next year. The consumer watchdog told reporter Dorothy Tucker that more than 100 communities have contracts with alternative electricity suppliers expiring over the next six…...

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AT&T tells her ‘the check’s in the mail;’ (but it wasn’t!)

By: Sagar Dommaraju All Barbara Hardin wanted was the $11.78 AT&T owed her. For 11 months, she called the company a dozen times to try to get her money back. She had no such luck, until CUB got involved. When the retired homecare worker first noticed that she overpaid on…...

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First Quarter Report: $58,828 in Consumer Savings

While CUB’s legal and policy teams fought $6 billion in higher rates in the first quarter of 2016, the consumer advocacy and outreach departments were busy too, helping consumers save an estimated $58,828.08. According to CUB records, the outreach department–which holds money-saving events across Illinois–showed consumers how to cut their utility…...

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Double trouble: Glitch leads to bigger Nicor bills for thousands

The Bloomington Pantagraph reports that some 7,000 Nicor Gas customers on automatic payment plants were mistakenly charged double from June 13-15. Do you have your Nicor bill paid automatically out of your bank account? The gas utility recommends checking your bank account or calling Nicor, at 1-888-642-6748. Those who incurred bank…...

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