Apr 24, 2006 6:00 pm US/Central
Watchdog Group Warns Against Alleged Gas Scam
U.S. Energy Savings Denies Wrongdoing
by Mike Parker
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
The Citizens Utility Board Tuesday filed a consumer fraud complaint against U.S. Energy Savings after dozens of Chicago families allege they were ripped off on their natural gas bills.
CBS 2's Mike Parker reports some customers say they've already been scammed out of thousands of dollars.
A company selling natural gas in the Chicago area is in hot water with the watchdog, the Citizens Utility Board.
"We're here today to issue an emergency consumer alert," said CUB's David Kolata.
CUB wants the Illinois Commerce Commission to investigate what CUB calls "deceptive and misleading" marketing techniques by door-to-door sales agents of U.S. Energy Savings, a company based in a high-rise near O'Hare International Airport.
CUB says sales personnel try to lock consumers into fixed rate natural gas contracts that end up gouging buys, and that consumer are "slammed" into those contracts by signing what they believe are petitions against high natural gas prices.
"They said there were from Peoples Energy," said Rose Cobleigh.
Cobleigh says she was taken in by a sales representative, then hassled for months when she tried to cancel the deal.
"And up to this day, they still have people coming over to my house, bothering me," Cobleigh said. "I tell them I'm not interested."
U.S. Energy Savings, CBS 2 has learned, is an offshoot of a Canadian-based corporation called Ontario Energy Savings. Three years ago, the firm was fined $75,000 for forging customers' signatures on sales contracts.
As for the charges in Chicago, the company says "they are without merit" and will be proven to be baseless.
CUB is asking the ICC to hand down fines of $10,000 for each violation.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Stumble It!
