Customer Services

CUSTOMER INFORMATION REPORT
Certain consumer rights information requirements have been established by the Legislature in regards to receiving electric service in the State of Washington. The following are Chelan County PUD’s disclosures in complying with this legislation (RCW 19.29A.020). The majority of this information is contained in the District’s Utility Service Regulations, which can be viewed here and also are available at no charge from each of the District’s business offices.

SECURITY DEPOSITS
Any individual, firm or organization desiring to purchase utility services from the District may be required to pay a security deposit, depending on credit history.  The deposit may be held should the customer move to a new address. When service has been terminated, the District may use the deposit as a credit against past due accounts and charges.

RATES
Customers will be charged the current monthly basic charge and energy rate for the class of service requested. A listing of such rates and classes is available at no charge from each District office or by viewing the Electric Rate Schedules and/or Water/Wastewater Rate Schedules in this section of the Web site. Customers will be assessed a $10 account service charge for each new account being set up. There is no charge to terminate service. However, all costs associated with service up to that time need to be paid.

The five-member Board of Commissioners of Chelan County PUD is responsible for setting rates for each class of service. Notification of pending rate increase meetings and hearings is legally advertised in accordance with District Resolution #80-6286 and the laws of the State of Washington, RCW 54.24.080, in the newspaper of record for Chelan County, The Wenatchee World. Customers who wish to be placed on a mailing list for future notification of rate increases should contact the Customer Service Department. Notification of future rate increase meetings and hearings will be sent at no charge.

METERING
Meters will be read and bills rendered at monthly or other intervals at the option of the District. The District, at its own expense, will inspect and test meters as required to ensure a high standard of accuracy. Such testing is done with equipment that is traceable back to the National Standards Institute. A meter test requested by a customer, such as for a high-bill inquiry, will be done at District expense. Additional tests can be made at the request of a customer. However, if such tests are requested more than once in three years and the meter is found to be within 2 percent of accuracy, the District may charge a test fee of $25. If the meter is found to be outside the 2 percent accuracy range, fast or slow, the District will pay for the testing and will adjust the billing accordingly.

BILLING
All District bills are due and payable when issued and become past due 15 days after issuance. If payment is not received in full at the District office by the 45th day after the issue date shown on the billing statement, the account will be assessed a late-payment charge of 5 percent of the unpaid balance. If the customer is unable to pay the entire amount or disputes the amount of the bill, he or she may call or have an informal conference at the District’s main office. If satisfactory payment arrangements are not made, electric service may be disconnected.

If after 45 days from the issue date shown on the billing statement the customer has not paid his or her bill, the District shall send a disconnection notice for any unpaid balance. If the customer is unable to pay the full amount or disputes the amount, he or she has the right to an informal conference. Unless the customer pays the full amount due or makes satisfactory arrangements with the District within seven days, services may be disconnected without further notice. The disconnection notice contains information explaining how to appeal should the customer dispute the outcome of the informal conference.

Customers will be assessed a $30 service fee if District personnel visit the service address to enforce a disconnection notice, regardless of whether the service is disconnected. If a service is disconnected, it will be restored only after the customer has paid the $30 service fee, the appropriate reconnection charge and the past due amount in full, or makes satisfactory payment arrangements. The reconnection charge is $30 during business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday) and $140 after hours.

PAYMENTS
If a customer is unable to pay all or part of his or her bill, suitable arrangements may be made by contacting the District’s Credit Department. Payment options include cash, check, credit card, equal payment plan, automatic checking account deductions and automatic bank-card charge.

The District advertises for and collects customer donations to its Helping Hand program. These donations are disbursed by the Chelan-Douglas Community Action Council as part of its Energy Assistance Program to qualifying households. The District also works with local church and community assistance groups that provide customers with payment assistance. Please contact any PUD office to take advantage of the above programs.

DISCONTINUANCE OF SERVICE
Should a customer wish to discontinue service, a call or visit to one of our offices with the account number and/or address and date of requested disconnection is all that is required. A closing bill will be rendered that includes prorated customer charges and energy use up to the requested disconnect date. The District reserves the right to read a meter for a final bill within a one-week period from the disconnect date requested by the customer. The District will disconnect service for good cause, including violation of any of its service regulations, failure to pay a deposit when requested, failure to pay electric charges when due, violation of rate schedule or contract provisions, unlawful diversion of energy, non-payment of a conservation or line extension loan, non-payment of water or wastewater services, or upon receipt of written instructions from the proper authorities for violation of municipal, state or national electrical codes.  Disconnection of service for any cause shall not release the customer from his or her obligation to pay for energy or services received or amounts specified in the District’s Service Regulations or any written contract with the customer. A customer may avoid disconnection by following the steps as outlined in the paragraph labeled “Billing,” above. A customer’s residential space-heating ability shall not be terminated between Nov. 15 and March 15 if the customer follows the provisions outlined in RCW 54.16.285, a copy of which can be obtained at any of the District’s offices at no charge.

PUBLIC DISCLOSURE
The District adheres to the provisions of the Public Disclosure Act as approved and amended by the state. The District will make available for public inspection and copying during regular business hours all public records, unless the information falls within specific exemptions contained in the public record disclosure law. Information regarding the amount of kilowatt hours used at a certain address, and the amount of billing for that usage, may be disclosed to the public. However, the customer’s name, mailing address and other personal information must first be deleted from the documents. Payment history, payment status, credit remarks, forwarding address, employer information, telephone number and other personal information are exempt from public disclosure. Requests from law enforcement agencies must state in writing that the particular person to whom the records pertain is suspected of having committed a crime, and that the agency has a reasonable belief that the records could help determine whether the suspicion is true. A customer can request that the information contained in his or her account be opened to Realtors, selling agents or others by giving written authorization at any of the District offices. The District will make copies at no charge for the first 100 pages; each page after that is 15 cents each.

CREDIT AND INQUIRY
Billing inquiries should be directed to the Customer Accounting Department, which will initiate the process to address the inquiry. If the billing inquiry or complaint remains unresolved, the customer has the right to an informal conference with a designated employee of the District’s Credit Department on any business day. The designated Credit Department employee shall make every effort to arrange a reasonable and feasible deferred payment plan for the customer. The procedure is informal and can be conducted over the telephone or in person. The customer may be represented by counsel of his or her choosing. If satisfactory resolution is not received, the inquiry or complaint may be referred to the Customer Service Department for further review. If the customer is not satisfied with the determination, the customer shall have the right of appeal to the District’s hearing officer. The hearing officer shall be a management-level employee selected by the General Manager and not connected with the Credit Department. Appeals must be made within three business days following the determination of the informal conference and may be made in writing, in person or by telephone.

Procedures for the hearing are contained in Section 10 of the Utility Service Regulations. If a satisfactory solution is not reached during this procedure, the customer has the right to bring the dispute or inquiry to the attention of the Board of Commissioners of Chelan County PUD. Such notice can be made in writing, in person or by telephone. The Commission meets every Monday at 1 p.m. unless changed by a holiday or prior published arrangement.

DISCOUNTS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS AND LOW-INCOME DISABLED CUSTOMERS
The District offers a discount of $8.25 per month to qualifying low-income senior customers ages 62 and over with combined incomes of $30,000 a year or less, and to qualifying low-income disabled customers with a combined income that is 125 percent or less than the Federal Poverty Income Guideline. Customers must provide proof of ownership or occupancy as head of household at the property where electricity is being provided by the District. Applicants for the senior discount must also provide proof of age (birth certificate or driver's license) and of income (W-2 Form, 1040 Tax Form or Social Security information). Customers must fill out an application for the discount, which is processed through the Chelan-Douglas Community Action Council. The discount, if approved, will only apply to one electric account.