Tanya Patterson
Role: Consumer Advocate
Tanya Patterson is an investigative consumer reporter who has spent 8 years exposing utility overcharging, hidden fees, and deceptive billing practices. She has investigated over 200 utility billing complaints, helped recover more than $340,000 in wrongfully charged fees for consumers, and filed 15 formal complaints with state public utility commissions that resulted in policy changes.
Tanya’s work has been featured in consumer protection publications and cited in two state-level utility regulatory hearings. She knows every fee, surcharge, and rider that utilities use to pad bills — and she knows how to fight them.
Expertise
- Utility fee analysis and dispute resolution
- Hidden charges, riders, and surcharges
- Utility scams and fraud prevention
- Public utility commission complaint processes
- Consumer protection law as it applies to utilities
- Billing error identification and correction
Credentials
- Consumer Federation of America member
- 8 years of investigative consumer reporting
- Certified Consumer Advocate (CCA) through the American Consumer Council
- Former utility fraud investigator for a state attorney general’s office
- Published in Consumer Reports and NerdWallet
What Tanya Writes About
Tanya writes our fees, troubleshooting, and consumer rights guides — the articles that help you spot overcharging, dispute incorrect bills, and protect yourself from utility scams.