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…...
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…...
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…...
CUB speaks out: Beware of bad deals from energy suppliers
Many consumers wonder if they should switch to an alternative supplier to cut down on their electric or gas bills. But beware, these enticing offers are many times not as good as they seem. In fact, Illinois consumers have lost $2 billion to alternative electric suppliers since 2015. CUB Executive…...
Watch Out For Alternative Supplier Rip-offs With These Tips
During high-priced times, consumers wonder if they should switch to a gas or electric alternative supplier. Be careful. “Alternative electricity suppliers are impacted by the same market conditions that are causing utility prices to increase, so be careful about getting lured into bad deals,” said CUB General Counsel Julie Soderna…...
Updates on CUB’s fight to rein in alternative suppliers behaving badly
When CUB helped pass historic consumer protections against alternative supplier rip-offs, the watchdog made it clear that the hard work was just beginning. “We look forward to working with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) and Attorney General (Kwame) Raoul to help enforce these new rules and build a better market…...
Hey Illinois, beware of rip-offs
Everybody is worrying about costs these days—I know we talk to a lot of concerned consumers. That’s why CUB is issuing this warning. If you get pitched any of these offers, be careful! Maintenance plans. They peddle peace of mind (“the unexpected—protected,” says one ad). But maintenance plans offered to utility…...
ICC orders $1 million fine against alternative energy supplier
The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has fined alternative electricity supplier LifeEnergy, LLC, $1 million and ordered more than $34,000 in customer refunds for “admitted violations of state marketing and sales rules.” “This is a major victory for Illinois consumers, who have been ripped off by alternative energy suppliers far too…...
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