Think you should have to pay for a service you don’t receive? We don’t either— and 1,781 CUB Action Network members agree! But that’s exactly what big water companies want. Senate Bill 1421 would give a big profit boost to the state’s two largest water companies: Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois.…...
“A complete disaster”: The Peoples’ pipeline replacement program
A new report shows that a Peoples Gas pipeline replacement program has so far been full of hot air— and not much else! A recently released audit reveals Peoples’ multi-billion-dollar project to replace the City’s aging pipeline infrastructure has been plagued by mismanagement, inadequate quality controls, and faulty reporting and analysis. Consider this damning fact:…...
4,400+ messages sent by CUB Action Network this month!
By Samantha Vercellino CUB Action Network members have been on their “A” game in May. Over the last three weeks, they have sent some 4,400 messages to regulators and legislators to reduce rate hikes, save landlines and protect consumers’ rights. The issue at the forefront of most members’ minds appears…...
CUB Director: Consumer protections never go out of date
AT&T has made no secret of the fact that the company wants to strip the Illinois Telecom Act of consumer protections and completely deregulate traditional home phone service. In the company’s perfect world, it would no longer have to fulfill the “obligation to serve” requirement— and would be able to abandon…...
Save home phone service before it’s too late!
The Illinois Telecommunications Act—legislation that protects your rights and keeps telephone rates down— is up for review at the end of the month, and legislators must determine to renew it as is, or change it. Unlike CUB and other consumer advocacy groups, Big Telecom companies like AT&T and Frontier hope…...
Congrats to CUB’s “Green in 2015 Giveaway” winners!
By Samantha Vercellino Congratulations to Valeri DeCastris of Rockford and John Ivory of Arlington Heights! Both are the lucky winners of a $100 top prize for participating in CUB’s “Green in 2015 Giveaway.” “I’m just so thrilled to have won, especially since I have been a CUB member and huge supporter…...
Another Ameren rate hike?
Just when you think it couldn’t get any worse, Ameren drops this bombshell: a $110 million rate-hike request to ostensibly pay for upgrades to the power grid. CUB Executive Director David Kolata had this to say: If done right, Ameren’s power grid improvements have the potential to benefit all its…...
BREAKING NEWS: Verizon, Sprint to pay $158 million in ‘cramming’ settlement
Federal and state officials announced Tuesday that Verizon will pay $90 million and Sprint $68 million in fines and customer refunds to settle government probes into “cramming.” “This settlement is another major victory for consumers,” said Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who helped reach the deal. Attorney General Madigan and other…...
Safety first: Tips to prevent electrical hazards
With air conditioners and ceiling fans powered on, summer is a time of high electricity use. But amidst all that buzzing and whirring, it might be easy to overlook some electrical safety risks. Follow these electrical safety tips to keep your home hazard-free: Check outlets for loose plugs that could cause shocks or…...
CUB saves consumer from $1,887 mistake
By Samantha Vercellino Nobody likes to receive the monthly power bill, but that rings especially true for Kay Uhrin—whose April statement said she owed $2,230.54! Stunned, the Rockford-area resident immediately called ComEd who claimed she had used 18,223 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity in 29 days. (That’s more than triple her…...
