Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel

Message from the Consumers' Counsel:

Be an informed, protected consumer

Many times consumers pay their monthly utility bills without thinking twice. Now, with more services being offered than ever before in the utility industry, residential consumers need to be aware of the charges they are paying. To help consumers become more informed about their utilities, the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC), your residential utility consumer advocate, stresses the importance of reading all the information on utility bills, including the fine print. By knowing what is on monthly bills, consumers can avoid being charged for items they either do not want or need.

Review telephone bills
Some customers may see service changes that they did not authorize when they open their telephone bill. Other consumers may be billed for telephone services they either did not order or do not want. Before sending in your local or long-distance telephone bill payment, be sure to review the following:

1. Each calling package to determine whether or not the services are actually used.
2. Long-distance telephone calls to ensure no charges are included for calls that were never made.
3. Every service and feature listed, such as Caller ID or Call Waiting, and look for any services you do not recognize. Federal law requires any changes in service to be “clearly and conspicuously” indicated on the bill. “Cramming” occurs when products or services are added to a telephone bill without a consumer’s permission.
4. The name of the company providing local and long-distance services. “Slamming” is the switching of a local or long-distance company without a consumer’s consent.

Consumers who find charges or services they do not recognize or did not order should contact the telephone company and ask for these charges to be removed.

Read the fine print

Natural gas supplier agreements. When shopping for an electric or natural gas supplier, consumers need to read the fine print on any agreement before signing up with a company. Consumers should look for and verify the following information:

1. Confirm that a supplier is certified to participate in Ohio’s choice programs by reviewing the OCC’s weekly updated list of suppliers, “Comparing Your Energy Choices.”
2. The type of rate being offered.
3. Any additional fees that may be charged for signing up with a supplier, changing suppliers, or canceling an agreement before the end of the service period.

After a consumer has enrolled with a supplier and receives the first bill, it is important to verify all the supplier’s charges to ensure the bill reflects the rate stated on the agreement. Carefully read and save any materials from a supplier and look for letters in the mail that may provide notice of changes to the original offer, rate or length of service agreement.

Enrollment forms. To avoid getting slammed or crammed, consumers should always read the fine print on forms they complete including contest entries and surveys. This is even true with forms submitted over the Internet. With more people using the Internet for research, communication needs, shopping and just plain fun, consumers need to be even more careful to read all the fine print on pop up windows, survey forms or contest entries.

The OCC has many free publications that offer additional information on consumer protection issues that can be received by calling toll free 1-877-PICKOCC (1-877-742-5622). All of the OCC’s publications also can be found by accessed on the OCC’s Web site at www.pickocc.org/publications. Consumers can contact the OCC if they have questions about a utility service they are considering.

Best regards,

Janine L. Migden-Ostrander