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Hanover Park utility bill clinic: $132 per year in customer savings

CUB’s outreach team is always on the road, visiting cities, towns and villages across Illinois to hold clinics that show consumers how to save money on their utility bills. This week was no different–CUB staffers Laura Goldberg, Ivonne Hernandez and Yami Newell took to Hanover Park and showed consumers how…...

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CUB boss calls AT&T out on bad info, phone giant says “Oops!”

When you’re part of a small consumer watchdog group fighting for the rights of 12 million Illinoisans, no job is too small. So when it appeared a consumer was getting bad information from AT&T, the boss himself stepped in to help. James Wiersum of Lombard reached out to CUB recently, saying…...

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Good news for Peoples, North Shore Gas non-heating customers!

As a Chicago renter who only uses natural gas to cook, I’ve often asked, “Why is my bill $50!?” I only use a few therms a month, and gas prices are in the neighborhood of 50 cents a therm—relatively low compared to past years. I’m hoping that’s about to change.…...

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Win up to $900 of free electricity!

Presence Health is partnering with CUB in a contest encouraging Illinois consumers to go green and lower their utility bills. Here’s how it works: Community members and Presence Health employees can sign up for CUB Energy Saver—that’s CUB’s free bill-cutting service—as a member of any hospital’s energy-saving team. At the end of summer,…...

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What’s the best “energy song” of all time?

[youtube=http://youtu.be/vtPk5IUbdH0] Ever hum “Electric Avenue” when you pay your power bill? Find yourself singing “The Power of Love” while programming your thermostat? Maybe the “Electric Slide” isn’t just reserved for wedding receptions, it’s what you do on the way to turn off a light bulb. If so, we’ve got a contest…...

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Nicor customer refunds beginning this month

This month, Nicor Gas will begin issuing $72 million in refunds ordered by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) following a 10-year legal battle waged by CUB and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office. Nicor says the average homeowner will receive a total of about $30 paid out over the next 12…...

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Demand better from Big Cable!

It’s easy to get frustrated scrolling through your cable TV lineup. First, there’s probably nothing on. Second, you’re likely paying good money for all of that nothing. A CUB survey on cable TV indicates more than 78 percent of consumers are frustrated with their cable provider—mostly because of pricing. Another 90 percent…...

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What’s hidden in the fine print of your wireless contract?

How many of us are guilty of signing contracts or agreeing to terms and conditions without really looking into the fine print? Just last year, Carnegie Mellon researchers published a report showing that it would take the average Internet user 76 work days to weed through all the privacy policies…...

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U.S. Cellular’s sale to Sprint: Three things you should know

As of May 17, U.S. Cellular finalized the sale of its Midwestern markets to Sprint, forcing many Illinois consumers to switch their cellphone service to another carrier. Both companies sent out information to current U.S. Cellular customers in the area, but it may be confusing or overwhelming. So we want…...

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Five ways cellphone companies could get better

CUB is all about consumer choice, and we think the cellphone industry is in need of a makeover. Here are a few changes we’d like to see: 1. Pay-for-what-you-use data pricing. We’ve already told you about how badly smartphone customers are overpaying on bloated data plans. A key remedy would…...

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