As a UCAN member, you are entitled to   personal help when you have a utility complaint!


Tired of the big utility run-around? Get personal help
with our convenient online complaint forms.

You may think the cartoon above is a
joke, but not when it comes to AT&T

One of our members was getting the usual “big 
utility” run-around from AT&T when she finally 
realized she could complain to UCAN.

Here’s the thank you note: 

One day I tried to pay my phone bill and AT&T 
refused to take my money. After spending four hours 
on the phone with customer service in nonsense filled 
conversations about how my account was blocked 
from accepting payments, I turned to UCAN.  I got a
call from an AT&T executive the  next day, and instead 
of hanging up on me repeatedly, the customer service 
rep thanked me for  “being part of the AT&T family.” 

I don’t know who these people know, but they get things 
done, and fast.   Thank you again!

You’re welcome. We are here for you

Fraud Squad saves Verizon
customer $4,000

While traveling to the Philippines, a long- time
member’s phone was stolen. The customer notified
Verizon Wireless of the theft, but was billed
$4,000 in roaming charges. Verizon investigated
the complaint and refused to expunge the charges.
Enter the Fraud Squad. Our advocates proved that
the charges were false and persuaded Verizon to
waive them.

Moral of the story: Don’t take your phone
abroad. If you need to make calls while traveling,
use VOIP services like Skype, or buy a cheap
prepaid phone in the country you visit. In many
countries, you can get a phone for less than $10 and
make calls for around a penny a minute.

Are pen and paper mightier
than keypad and mouse?

When Jennifer, a UCAN member, was refused a
“cash for appliances” rebate that she was entitled to
from the California Energy Commission (CEC), she
turned to UCAN.
Jennifer had called the CEC repeatedly and
written numerous e-mails to resolve her complaint.  
UCAN solved the problem by writing a formal letter
(on paper) to the Commission. Jennifer’s application
was accepted two weeks later. The reason for 
this is because e-mails and phone calls are easy to 
ignore, but a paper letter creates a paper trail, and 
bureaucrats don’t like paper trails that have the 
potential to document mistakes. Between the letter 
and the threat of bad publicity from UCAN, the CEC 
finally relented and accepted Jennifer’s application.

This story originally appeared the June, 2011 UCAN Watchdog which is distributed to UCAN Members by mail in advance of being published on our Web site.

Learn about UCAN's benefits of membership HERE.

Help fund the fight HERE.

Other stories from the June 2011 UCAN Watchdog

Obituary for Dr. Sue Ann Macomber
SDG&E seeks $250 million rate hike
Sunrise appeal rejected
Regulators are going to the Dark Side
Could this be the end of California's Public "Futility" Commission?
The silence of Harvard
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