EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Each year, millions of utility customers have their service terminated for non-payment. Many of those are low-income households in which someone is seriously ill. In extreme cases, termination of service to those households has led to death. Much more frequently, loss of electric or gas service makes existing illnesses or conditions worse. Utility…
The Need For Racial Justice in Utility Billing, Credit and Collections 100% Network Webinar on Energy Security in the Wake of the Coronavirus
Read More about PowerPoint: Disparate Energy Insecurity Impacts
NCLC has been actively involved in advocacy for consumers who have been financially harmed by alternative (or competitive) energy supply companies. We have released a report and an issue brief which both described the common abusive sales practices and inflated prices which have harmed so many Massachusetts consumers, with a particular emphasis on the unfair…
NCLC has been actively involved in advocacy for consumers who have been financially harmed by alternative (or competitive) energy supply companies. We have released a report and an issue brief which both describe the common abusive sales practices and inflated prices which have harmed so many Massachusetts consumers, with a particular emphasis on the unfair…
In 1997, Massachusetts passed the Electric Restructuring Act and deregulated its electric utility companies. Prior to that change in the law, electric utilities (local distribution companies or LDCs) owned the power plants that generate electricity and the local utility poles and lines seen on virtually every street that connect homes and businesses to the electricity…
Add-on products sold by car dealers, such as service contracts, Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) insurance, and window etching, make up a large share of dealers’ profits. They also significantly increase car buyers’ costs. While many have questioned the value of these products for consumers, the pricing of these products has received less attention, largely because…
Every day thousands of cars are taken from owners without court review or the involvement of law enforcement. Most of those takings are done by unlicensed individuals, including some convicted criminals.
Read More about Repo Madness: How Automobile Repossessions Endanger Owners, Agents, & the Public
CO-AUTHORED WITH DERON LOVAAS AND LARRY LEVINE (NRDC) Utility services–electricity, heat, water, sanitation, telecommunications, and internet access–are essential to health, safety, and daily life. The vital need for uninterrupted utility service was evident before the coronavirus pandemic, but the COVID-19 public health emergency has reinforced the essential nature of utility service and the threats of…
Read More about A New Customer Bill of Rights: Affordable Utility Services
