Bite Back - UCAN's E-Newsletter
- Good News for Cingular Customers
- Fill Up Now, Pain at the Pump Expected to Worsen
- Don't Bite on the DomainUSA Scam
- PODCAST: Michael Shames on KPBS
- VIDEO: Gaszilla!
- Fraud Squad Saves Consumers Big $$$
- Member Bites
Good News for Cingular Customers - The settlement between UCAN and Cingular Wireless (now AT&T) delivers $18 million in refunds to Cingular victims and more than $12 million in penalties. The case amounts to a total victory of no less than $31 million for California consumers, and was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) after 5 years of legal battles. Find out if you qualify for a refund.
Current and former customers of Cingular need not take any action. Cingular will be sending checks to customers who paid early termination fees (ETFs) directly to Cingular. Customers who paid ETFs to Cingular agents (such as mall kiosks) will receive claim forms from Cingular. These mailings are expected to be sent out in late April.
Fill Up Now, Pain at the Pump Expected to Worsen - They've used every excuse except, "the dog ate my oil well." Last month, a raccoon and opossum were blamed for downing two of the nation's largest refineries in L.A., which raised the wholesale price of gasoline 7 cents overnight. And now, after a brief plateau, April's record-setting gas prices could be on the move again. A series of highly questionable problems at four refineries in California have caused panic on the spot market for gasoline and a 3 cent increase at San Diego stations today. The panic could mean a new record high at the pump for the next 7 days. We are considering issuing a gasoline buyers' advisory. Visit our Gas page for updates.
While the price of gas is at a record high, there is an even more alarming fact: gas cost 46 cents less this day last year in San Diego, while oil sold for $3.66 a barrel more. This counter-intuitive relationship has UCAN gas analysts arguing that there is no correlation between the price of gas and the cost of oil.
UCAN's gas commentary has recently appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune, the North County Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Don't Bite on the DomainUSA Scam - If you receive a letter from DomainUSA, DO NOT SEND MONEY. UCAN recently received a number of complaints giving us reason to believe a company known as DomainUSA is attempting to scam consumers. Here's how it works: DomainUSA sends a website owner a bill to renew the domain name registration on a site. DomainUSA makes it appear as though you must register through. The problem is that DomainUSA has nothing to do with your domain name, in fact, they don't even register domain names. Domain USA provides domain name SEARCH ENGINE registration even though you can submit your domain to search engines for FREE.
"Special thanks" to Pastor Dave of Canyon Hills Community Church for notifying us of the DomainUSA scam and allowing us to post his bill on our website. His generosity has allowed countless others to avoid falling victim to this scam.
If you have observed a scam, please let us know. If you have been the victim of a scam, and you are a California resident, contact the Fraud Squad.
PODCAST: Michael Shames on KPBS - Listen to UCAN's Executive Director, Michael Shames, as he talks to KPBS "These Days" host Tom Fudge about the latest SDG&E rate increase, skyrocketing gas prices, and the recent San Diego City Council decision to approve a controversial water and sewer rate hike. Listen now!
VIDEO: Gaszilla! - What happens when you meld a ten-story-high, 100-ton, man-eating monster with the world's most ruthless and greedy oil lords? Consumers get seriously gouged, that's what. Your eyes won't believe the gas prices you'll see. Watch now!
UCAN's Fraud Squad Bites Back
$22,918.16 saved for San Diego Consumers since January 1st, 2007.
Tenant Prisoner of Section 8 Red Tape - The UCAN Fraud Squad recently assisted a Section 8 family in saving approximately $4800 in gas and electric payments. San Diego Housing Commission documents and the tenant lease showed the property owner was responsible for paying all utilities. Section 8 continued payments to the owner even though the tenant notified the agency that utilities had been shut off for weeks at a time over a period of a year. The Fraud Squad contacted SDG&E and faxed proof of the responsible party to the company. SDG&E sent a truck to the home where an entire family was staying in their car with the heat on during a recent cold spell. The company turned the power on immediately as a courtesy and has allowed the tenant to put the utilities in her name without penalty. UCAN is currently working with the Water Department and Tenants' Legal Center of San Diego to provide a permanent solution and to prevent other victims from abuses by property owners.
Member Bites - UCAN's new website lets you react to stories instantly by posting comments; see excerpts below:
- "Our church just received this [DomainUSA] notice and I was so grateful that this site was the first stop for my Google search. The lack of phone number and website were fairly suspicious. Since churches seem to be targeted, I'd encourage people to send the news on to churches in your area."--Rebecca
- "You confirmed my doubt. I had bill in hand and was reading fine print to see what this was really about. I can only imagine how many other people sent in the [DomainUSA] check."--Jennifer
- "The only grassroots solution I see is buying gas at the lowest price stations regardless of brand. If everyone used fueltracker, price shopped, and considered every fill-up as a vote with dollars, then maybe we have a chance of getting high price stations to compete."--goldsheet
- "I got a call from Free Choice today, making their service try to sound like a regular update that the phone company was sanctioning. Before I knew it I was being sold on a whole new plan. Say no to FreeChoice!"--anonymous
Bite Back is distributed to UCAN members and those who have signed up on the UCAN website. We hope you choose to remain a part of our network, and that you find Bite Back helpful. Our goal is to provide you with useful consumer information in the telecommunications, energy, and gasoline fields amongst other areas. Bite Back will also keep you up to date on UCAN's consumer advocacy efforts.
If you like what you see, please consider becoming a member or donating. UCAN is a grassroots organization and we rely on donations from individuals like you!
If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Bite Back at UCAN.ORG.
wise up people
I think people should finally realize that it is theri lack of conserving that is causing the price to spike. Please take a macro-econ class people casting frivelous judgment on matters they don't know much about.
Even know oil prices are lower than last year, that still doesn't make up for the refinery shortages we have in this country. Price of oil can be 10 dollara a barrell, but if theuir is supply problems in the refinery sector, then gas prices can still be high.
Gas stations make almost nothing on their margins for fuel. Stop penalizing the gas stations, when you people go buy 5 dollar coffees without complaining. Whats next, are we going to go after the farmers and call them gaugers because of the price spike of corn? Start doing what nobody wants to do, CONSERVE CONSERVE CONSERVE, then you might see some problems be worked out.
Let's attack "Big Farm" Next, NOT !
I'm with you on the macroeconomics, and I have made a few posts on the price of corn and farmers. In our zeal to seek alternatives to gasoline, the US is planting more corn (instead of other crops) and converting more of the corn crop into ethanol. If the cost of diesel/gasoline to transport farm products has not raised prices enough already, then high priced corn will soon increase milk and meat prices. Folks might even start to get upset when milk prices raise the price of their venti non-fat latte !
Already, 114 U.S. ethanol biorefineries are in operation and 80 more are under construction. Producers made nearly 5 billion gallons of ethanol last year, a 25 percent increase from the previous year. Nearly all of it was made from edible corn kernels.
That's good news for U.S. farmers, but consumers are suffering at the checkout stand because corn prices have nearly doubled over the past two years and will continue to climb. With farmers planting corn at unprecedented rates, often instead of other crops, prices for other products may rise soon as well.
FULL STORY: http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070415/news_1n15fuel.html
wise up?
We ARE conserving! Some of us have no choice! Because of the price of gas we have to choose between buying food, paying bills or having gas to get to work. Even carpooling is expensive. I don't drive an SUV and it still cost over 60 dollars just to fill a minivan. A MINIVAN! I stretch that to last a week, I stay home a lot now. But my husband has no choice, he has to get to work to pay bills. He carpools and it's still barely affordable for us. We have to try and budget in a trip to visit family 70 miles away! This oil company price gouging is killing us! And Why oh Why is it being allowed?