New & Existing Customer Information
Credit Policies
The PUD is a publicly-owned utility. Our credit policies are established by our elected Board of
Directors and by state and federal laws. This information is designed to acquaint you with our
credit policies and with your rights and obligations as a Central Lincoln PUD customer.
All our customers establish credit depending on their bill payment history with us.
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Deposits
We require all customers who apply for service to make a deposit, unless they have previously established credit
with us, have an acceptable reference from a previous serving utility, or undergo and pass our credit check
procedure. Established credit with Central Lincoln PUD, or references, must cover at
least a continuous 12-month period, and that period may not have ended more than one year ago.
The deposit amount will be the highest monthly electrical
usage for your residence during the previous 12 months, computed at the District's
current applicable rate. If the requested service is for a new structure, the deposit
amount will be based on electric usage for comparable structures. The minimum
deposit amount is $185 for residential accounts, and $210 for commercial
accounts.
We require the deposit, reference or credit check before we connect a service. If you make a deposit to start service,
and you later supply us with a letter of reference, we will credit your account with the amount of your deposit.
We may also require a deposit from customers who fail to pay electric bills when they are due.
We will require any customer who has been disconnected for nonpayment to comply with all of the following before we restore service:
- A. Pay delinquent amount, or make arrangements with us for payment.
- B. Pay a reconnect charge.
- C. Make a deposit, or increase an existing deposit, if disconnected for nonpayment twice in the
past 12 months.
If we must disconnect a customer twice for nonpayment in the past 12 months, we may double the deposit.
Once you have established a minimum of one year's acceptable credit with us (or two years, for commercial accounts), we will
apply the amount of your deposit to your PUD account.
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Opening and Closing Accounts
The cost of processing an application to receive service at a new address is called a Processing Fee.
It applies equally to new customers, who have never had a PUD account, and to
established customers who move or transfer service to their name within the
PUD service area.
The fee is $15, and applies to both
residential and commercial accounts. The fee is added to the first bill you receive at
your new address. ("After Hours Call-Out" for connecting or disconnecting of
power during non-business hours is subject to a minimum $125 fee.)
When the time comes to close your account, just call
or write your local PUD business office a day or two before you move. Otherwise, you
may be billed for charges up to the date the next customer applies for service. (You're
responsible for billing until you notify us that you're moving.)
The PUD will take appropriate actions,
including disconnecting service, to protect property and customers when a hazardous condition exists.
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Billing
We send your bills by first-class mail. You are billed every
month, at approximately the same time of the month. An electric bill becomes delinquent if
it is not paid within 20 days of the date it is issued. We send a notice of delinquency at
that time, allowing customers an additional 10 days to make payment. We will disconnect
service without notice if payment has not been made by that time.
For your convenience, we include
return envelopes and payment cards with your bills. (A late charge of 1 1/2% per month
will be added to any amount carried over to the next month's billing.)
We realize that it may not be possible for you to
always pay the full amount, but please don't ignore your bill. We urge you to
promptly arrange a payment schedule by calling or visiting your local PUD business
office.
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Disconnections and Collections
Disconnections may occur for any of the following reasons:
- Failing to pay current and/or previous bills.
- Failing to make satisfactory payment arrangements with a PUD customer service representative.
- Failing to pay a deposit, if required.
- Failing to keep a payment commitment.
- Violating the PUD service policies.
We dislike disconnections. They are not only inconvenient for you, they are expensive for us both. We try to prevent them by
sending notices of overdue bills or advising, by letter, of other circumstances which would result in a service disconnection.
In collecting unpaid bills and taking action on delinquent accounts, we follow established business practices and meet all legal
requirements including the use of outside legal collection sources.
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I've Been Disconnected... Now What?
First, there is a $30 fee* for disconnecting service during working hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday),
or a $125 fee if we disconnect service at other times. Your bill, plus any disconnection fee, generally must be paid before your service can be restored. A deposit may also be required.
In hardship cases, it may be possible to arrange a payment schedule with your local Central Lincoln PUD business office.
* If we dispatch a crew to disconnect a service, a reconnect fee will be charged even if a physical disconnection
isn't completed.
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What Happens If I Reconnect My Own Service?
Don't do it. Tampering with electric service is both illegal and extremely dangerous.
If you tamper with your service or reconnect your service illegally, you must pay the actual cost of replacing any equipment
you damage and pay an estimated bill, based on previous usage, for the amount of time your
service was illegally reconnected. You will be charged a "tampering fee" of a
minimum of $150, and you may also face criminal prosecution.
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What If I Disagree With My Electric Bill?
If you feel your bill is incorrect, if you are unable to make
a payment, or if disconnected service would significantly endanger your health, you may
ask to meet with our Customer Service Supervisor.
A meeting can be arranged by calling, writing or contacting in person any of the District's business offices during normal business hours.
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Small Bill Adjustments
When closing an account with us, if the balance owed us
is $2 or less, we will waive that amount. Due to administrative costs associated with
processing refunds, all accounts with a credit balance of $2 or less will be assessed a
service fee, equal to the credit balance of the account.
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Returned Bank Items
There is a $25 charge for any NSF (non-sufficient funds) check, stop payment,
closed account, refused automatic bill payment, etc. that is returned to Central Lincoln
PUD by customer's bank.
