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I. BILLING AND METER READING Customer bills for electricity shall be prepared and mailed, or otherwise delivered, on a monthly basis.
All meters, except those not readily accessible, shall be read by the Cooperative each month. Readings shall be estimated for those that are not read, but Cooperative personnel shall make periodic readings of such meters. Adjustments in billings will be made where necessary as indicated by these periodic readings.
II. FAILURE TO RECEIVE A BILL
The failure of any customer to receive his bill for any month or months shall not relieve such customer from the obligation of paying such bills allegedly not received.
III. FAILURE TO PREPARE A BILL
Notwithstanding Section I listed above, failure by the Cooperative to prepare and forward a bill for any month, or months, for any customer shall not relieve such customer of the obligation of paying any sums for which he was subject to being billed.
IV. NON-PAYMENT OF BILLS
Any customer failing to pay his bill within twenty (20) days following the mailing of such bill will be sent a notice of disconnection. Such notice will be specific in nature, indicating the Cooperative?s intentions to disconnect service for non-payment. A specific date of disconnect will be given and in all cases such notice of discontinuance will be at least five (5) days in advance of the actual termination of service. Service shall not be reconnected without full payment of the delinquent bill, the final billing, the applicable service charges provided for in Section V (a) and any additional deposit that the Company deems justified. Payment is due and must be received at the Cooperative office by close of business on the due date indicated on the bill card. Any payment not received when due will be charged a 5% late fee.
V. SERVICE CHARGES
All service charges are non-refundable.
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(a) |
Any customer who requests a reconnection after having been disconnected for non-payment
shall be required to pay a service charge in the amount of not less than $40.00,
provided such reconnection is or can be made during regular working hours. The service
charge for reconnection during all other hours shall be $60.00. These charges are
in lieu of those provided for in Section V (d) below. Any customer who is delinquent
in the payment of any bill and who thereby necessitates a personal visit by Cooperative
personnel for the purpose of effecting a collection shall be charged a service charge
in the amount of $20.00, regardless of whether or not a collection is made. This
service charge shall apply to each visit that is made for collection purpose, but
shall not apply to the first visit on a reconnection request. If a disconnection
is made, the service charge provisions set out in the first two sentences of this
paragraph shall apply.
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(b) |
An account shall be considered delinquent when payment has not been received in
the Cooperative's office within the time limit prescribed in Section IV above.
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(1) |
Any check that is returned by a depository bank and that is marked "Non-Sufficient
Funds" (N.S.F.) or "Account Closed" will not be re-deposited nor will a notice be
sent informing this customer of said returned check. The amount of the returned
check will be debited to the customer's account who received credit for said check.
A service charge of $25.00 will be made to the customer from whom a "N.S.F." or
"Account Closed" check is received.
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(2) |
Service will be discontinued without notice if payment in the full amount of a returned
"N.S.F." check and the applicable service charge provided for in Paragraph (b) (1)
above is not received at the Cooperative's office within three (3) working days
after the receipt of the returned check from the depository bank. For returned checks
marked "Account Closed", service will be discontinued immediately without notice
and the applicable $25.00 service charge will apply along with the appropriate reconnection
charges if service is resumed.
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(3) |
Service shall not be reconnected without full payment of the amount of the returned
check, applicable service charges, any other billings and any additional deposit
that the Cooperative deems justified.
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(4) |
In the event the customer pays the Cooperative's personnel in the field prior to
the actual disconnection of service, a collection charge in the amount of $20.00
will be made.
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(c) |
A service charge in the amount of $50.00 will be made for trouble calls whenever
the source of the trouble is found in the customer's wiring or other electrical
equipment.
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(d) |
A service (or connect) charge in the amount of $20.00 will be made for all connections,
including new connects and relocations, but excluding reconnects and meter exchanges,
that are or can be made during regular working hours. The charge for connection
during all other hours shall be $60.00. This charge will be in addition to any other
charge(s) that may be applicable. Reconnects will be subject to the provisions of
Section V (a).
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(e) |
A service charge in the amount of $10.00 will be made for any new security light
installation. This charge shall be in addition to any other charge(s) that may be
applicable.
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(f) |
New customers locating on Old River, on the unprotected side of the Mississippi
River levee or in the Atchafalaya Floodway Basin shall pay a one time connect charge
of $25.00 for each new connect. This charge will be made in lieu of the connect
charge as stated in Section V (d). This charge will not apply to consumers who are
re-connected after disconnection due to high water and return to the same service
point. If a new service has to be constructed, a non-refundable contribution of
$35.00 or more will be charged. For a customer who has more than one service, the
charge(s) provided for herein shall apply to each service.
Any customer requesting temporary service elsewhere, pending subsidence of high
water and return to a location inside the levee, will be charged for the up and
down cost of such temporary service, but in no case less than $60.00 ($100.00 if
a transformer has to be installed). A service (or connect) charge will also be made
for any such temporary connection as provided for in Section V (d) above.
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VI. MEMBERSHIP FEES AND DEPOSITS
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(a) |
General Provisions
Membership fees and deposits shall be paid by all members in accordance
with Section 4, Article 1 of the By-Laws of this Cooperative. Non-members may also
be required to meet the provisions of said Section 4, Article 1 of the By-Laws.
Membership fees and deposits are to be recorded in the Cooperative's records only
under the name of the person in whose name the account is listed. Each deposit or
membership fee shall be assigned to and associated with a particular account number.
All deposits and membership fees shall be non-transferable as between members.
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(b) |
For all Services on Old River
Each new service on Old River, located on the floodway side of the levee,
will require a $35.00 non-refundable contribution. A customer who has made a contribution,
but who relocates elsewhere and thereby requires a new service to be run, will be
required to pay another $35.00 for such new service. A newcomer serviced through
an existing vacant service will not be required to pay a contribution. In other
words, the contribution goes with the service and not with the customer.
These provisions shall apply regardless of the type of premises to be served.
All services in the area covered by the above-written paragraph, or in other areas
subject to water flooding, are, in the event of high water conditions, subject to
disconnection at the sole discretion of this Cooperative.
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(c) |
Additional Deposits
The Cooperative may require, at its discretion, an additional cash deposit
for any account connected on its lines. The amount of the deposit will be in multiples
of $5.00 and should generally be sufficient to cover an estimated three-months billing,
but may be more or less if circumstances warrant a different charge.
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(d) |
Minimum Required Deposits
Effective August 1, 2008, for new customers applying for membership and
electric service with Pointe Coupee Electric Membership Corporation, the following is a schedule of minimum required deposits (including the
Membership Fee) for the type of premises indicated.
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(1) |
All deposits for Residential Premises whether owned or rented are based upon a customer's
credit classification as identified by ONLINE Information Services. In addition
to the $5.00 Membership Fee, the deposits for each credit classification are as
follows.
| Low Credit Risk |
No Deposit |
| Medium Credit Risk |
$150.00 |
| High Credit Risk |
$300.00 |
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(2) |
All Camps (regardless of type of premises or location)
$ 50.00
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(3) |
All Other Premises (other than commercial or industrial) $ 25.00
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(4) |
All subsequent meters of non-commercial premises
$ 5.00
for active customers in
good standing |
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All deposits based on a residential customer's credit classification will be refunded
when the account is closed.
VII. CHANGING OF METERS
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(a) |
A meter will be removed and replaced with another meter of the same type when requested
by the customer. A service charge in the amount of $10.00 shall be charged to the
customer who requested that the meter be replaced.
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(b) |
The Cooperative may, at its discretion, change out any meter on its system without
consulting the customer served by such meter. |
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VIII. CHECKING OF METERS
A meter will be removed and checked for accuracy when requested by the customer. If the meter is found to be accurate within tolerance limits of plus or minus 2%, a service charge in the amount of $25.00 shall be charged to the customer who requested the check, including the charge in Paragraph VII (a) above.
Should the meter not check within these tolerance limits, no service charge will be made and an approximate adjustment will be made in the billing for the period of inaccurate registration if such a period can be determined. Otherwise, the adjustment period will be mutually agreeable to the customer, and Cooperative. In no event, however, shall the adjustment period be more than six months.
IV. PERIODIC DISCONNECTS
Any account that is disconnected by customer request and is reconnected within one year from the date of disconnect will be charged a minimum billing for the period of disconnect.
X. MODIFICATIONS
No agent of the Cooperative has the power to amend, modify, alter or waive any of these Billing and Collection Policies or to bind the Cooperative by making any promises or representations that conflict with the provisions thereof.
Whenever there is a conflict between the provisions of these Billing and Collecting Policies and the specific provisions of any rate schedule, the provision of the rate schedule shall govern.
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