CHICAGO — Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is urging the state's public utilities to include information on customer's bills regarding the costs of enrolling with alternative retail electric suppliers (ARES), which she says often engaged in bait and switch marketing tactics to entice customers.
In a letter sent to ComEd and Ameren, Madigan states that customers who have switched to an ARES need the price they are paying on their monthly bill, in addition to a comparison price had they stayed with a traditional utility. According to Madigan, ARES often lured customers with low teaser rates that can end up being as much as three times the traditional utility rate.
“People in Illinois who switch to an alternative electric supplier almost always pay higher prices,” Madigan said in a statement. “Providing Illinois residents who have switched to an ARES with rate comparison information on their monthly electric bills is an easy way to allow them to see the price difference and it should prompt them to cancel expensive contracts with these predatory companies.”
According to Madigan, during the past four years consumers who enrolled with ARES service have paid more than $600 million extra for electricity than they would have paid through ComEd or Ameren service.