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Consumer Complaints

CUB Q&A: Peoria’s Power Deal

Ameren Illinois is the electric utility that serves Central and Southern Illinois. But while Ameren will always deliver the power to your home over its wires, under state law you can choose an alternative company to supply you with electricity. (That means a company other than Ameren will purchase electricity…...

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CUB secures $411 refund for Chicago consumer with mixed meter issue

If you’ve ever called CUB, there’s a good chance you’ve spoken to Jantay Gray, one of the outstanding advocates who staff our Consumer Hotline (1-800-669-5556). Earlier this year, Jantay secured a $411 refund for Nicoletta, a Chicago consumer who submitted a complaint about a ComEd billing issue. “Last year, I…...

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CUB staffer secures $4,800 refund from alternative supplier

If you’ve ever called CUB, there’s a good chance you’ve spoken to Jantay Gray, the woman who often answers our Consumer Hotline (1-800-669-5556). Jan is one of many outstanding consumer advocates on staff. This year, Sandra Marcelin-Reme, CUB’s director of consumer advocacy, sent the staff an email that exclaimed “WAY…...

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CUB Executive Director’s mid-year report

CUB’s legal team gets the headlines with the big victories, but our consumer advocacy and outreach teams offer vital help to individual consumers on a daily basis. The Chicago Tribune’s Help Squad profiled a recent CUB utility-bill clinic. We hold hundreds of events like this each year! Here’s what you and CUB…...

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Saved from a high phone bill, retiree says: ‘Illinois consumers need CUB’

By Samantha Vercellino Last October, Chicago retiree Cassandra packed her bags and moved across town to the West Side of the city. She welcomed the change in scenery until she found out a new address also meant she had to switch to pricey digital phone service. Before the move, she…...

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CUB’s top 5 money-saving cases from 2015

Over the years, CUB has helped save consumers an astounding $20 billion—an accomplishment that would be impossible to meet without our consumer advocates. In 2015 alone, the consumer advocacy team generated $30,000 in savings for individual consumers who called us with a utility complaint, according to CUB records. That’s why…...

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CUB helps Chicago landlord out of $1,048 electric mistake

By Samantha Vercellino Hoping to get the property’s electric service switched back to his name, the Chicago landlord immediately called ComEd to sort out the details. According to Mark, a company representative claimed it would be an easy fix. However, two days later, Mark was hit with a $1,048 power bill.…...

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CUB saves consumer from $3,000 error

Henry T. never could have imagined that when he assisted his elderly mother with paying her bill, it would come back to bite him. Unfortunately, that’s what happened.  This summer, the Chicago resident received a bill of $3,000 from ComEd—for an apartment he never lived in! The bill was for…...

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In a jam with your utility? Don’t rule out Facebook, Twitter

Social media isn’t just for selfies and life updates. Facebook and Twitter can help you tackle utility problems. One Chicago couple recently took to Twitter to address a concern with Peoples Gas. Having had their heat turned off, they had made a payment to restore service. However, they reported that the utility…...

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Comcast at it again?

Just when you think it can’t get any worse, news emerged this week of yet another Comcast customer service fiasco. Mary Bauer opened her bill last month to discover her bill had been addressed to “Super B***h Bauer.”   The Addison resident had previously spent nearly a year going back and forth with…...

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