What do I do before, during and after a delinquent termination of service?

By the time you receive a statement on your account, you are paying for services used approximately 6 weeks before. After the due date has passed, a reminder notice is sent to delinquent accounts, notifying them that they missed the deadline. If that is not paid, a second notice warning of disconnection is sent. If this is disregarded, the services will be terminated and the account will be assessed a $50 disconnection fee. To prevent termination of services, a resident MUST bring the account current or set up a payment plan to have the service turned back on. If a resident uses a credit card to bring their account current before termination, the Finance Office MUST be contacted as soon as the payment is made to allow staff time to verify payment and stop the termination process; payments made at the window will be automatically credited at the time of payment, stopping the termination process. It is the resident’s responsibility to inform the Utility Department that payment has been made if not at the customer service window. Service is normally restored during business hours; it can be restored after hours, weekends or holidays at an additional cost so it is very important that you respond promptly to the reminder letters. If your service is disconnected, we will still take payments in the form of cash, check, money order or credit card. However, the payment SHOULD be done in the office in person to ensure a quick reconnection. We will not reconnect until we receive the payment. If you put a check in the mail, it generally takes 3 days to arrive; if a weekend or holiday is involved, the time may be longer. It is in your best interest to bring the payment to the counter and pay in person. If you place it in the utility drop box during the day, it will not be processed until the next morning as the box run is between 7-7:15 am each day. If you choose to pay by credit card, you MUST contact our office and let us know that a payment has been made so that we can verify if and apply it to your account. Again, it is to your benefit to come into the office and pay by credit card with staff. If you have problems remembering to pay because of busy schedules, you might want to consider a free automatic draft on your checking account, done in-house on the monthly due date, or recurring credit card payments, done online through Citizen Access. If interested in either of the options, let us know. We don’t want to turn anyone’s service off; please help ensure that does not happen by paying your bill on or before the due date.

Show All Answers

1. What utilities does West University Place provide?
2. How do I set up my utility service?
3. How do I terminate my utility service when I move?
4. How do I set up automatic payments?
5. What is the link to pay online by credit card?
6. How do I pay/view my utility bill on-line?
7. Does West U really read the water meters each month or is it estimated?
8. Will I get my adjustment on the bill I have in hand now? Do I have to pay this bill or can I wait for the adjustment?
9. Why is my bill so high? Could the City have a leak under the street that is impacting me?
10. Can I see what my bill is online?
11. Can you explain the time factor in the utility billing process?
12. Do you waive the late fees if I didn't receive my bill?
13. Can you waive late fees for customers with good payment history?
14. I got a late fee on my account but my check shows I paid it before the due date.
15. What are some of the things that could cause me a problem with my utility account or cause me to have late fees?
16. Why do you cut off residential water? What about families with older adults or children?
17. What happens if I need to enter into a payment plan?
18. I pay using my bank's bill-paying program. Is that an electronic transfer that is credited on the same day as my bank takes the money from my account?
19. What kind of information do we need to provide to maintain current customer records?
20. What do I do before, during and after a delinquent termination of service?
21. What discounts do I get on my water bill when I turn 65?
22. If I have had an account in West U for years, you have my information ---right?
23. What is the ordinance about utility payments?
24. So you have missed your utility payment? What should you expect to happen?