Skokie Woman’s Energy Bill Triples With Third-Party Supplier

By Jonah Meadows
October 7, 2019

SKOKIE, IL — A local woman says her energy bill tripled after signing up for a third-party supplier. A door-to-door salesperson promised Tamekia Hampton she could get a lower rate on her gas bill if she signed up for fixed rate billing from an unspecified company, WLS reported. But that’s not what happened.

Hampton, a mother of two from Skokie, was told the fixed price would be lower than what Nicor Gas would charge, but it turned out the alternative natural gas supplier was charging her between two and three times as much as her original bill, according to WLS. The company eventually released Hampton from a contract and she has since returned to getting her gas from Nicor.

The Better Business Bureau told WLS it has received 626 complaints about deceptive practices and price gouging from third-party energy suppliers. The Citizen’s Utility Board reported it gets an average of one complaint a day, with complaints about alternative electric and natural gas suppliers among the most common.

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