Cuivre River Electric Co-Op

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/12/23) */
Contact Name and Title: *** *** CFO
Contact Phone: ***
Contact Email: ***@cuivre.com
The consumer's account at the location noted became in arrears with the November 17th billing after the October bill was unpaidThe
November bill indicated the account was past due in three different areas on the bill including a disconnect notice printed in red that stated:
*** Disconnect Notice ***
Your account is currently past dueFailure to pay $by 12/07/may result in service disconnection without further noticeCollection fees may be assessed
A courtesy call was attempted at 10:A.Mon December 7th to the phone number on fileOur phone reports indicate that the call "Failed." It is unknown whyThere may have been a technical error on our side or a problem with the consumer's carrier if this is a cell phone numberHowever, phone calls notifying a consumer of a potential disconnection are a courtesy, not a requirementIt is possible that such courtesy calls will be discontinued in the future due to FCC regulationsThe Cooperative has alerts and reminders available for consumers to use that can be in the form of text messages, emails, or voice alertsAlerts include Due Date Reminder, Past Due Date Reminder, and Payment ConfirmationConsumers may go to the Cooperative's website and set the reminders up themselves, or they can call the office and we will be happy to set the alerts up for them
The consumer indicates that he thought the account was set up to automatically draftHe has two separate accounts and one is set up on automatic draft but not this oneEach account must be set up separately to automatically draftThis is controlled by the consumer via the Cooperative website
Because Cooperative personnel make two trips to a location (once to disconnect and again to reconnect), reconnect fees are charged to recoup some of these costsThe reconnect fee increases after 4:because typically a crew would have to be called from home to respondSince a crew was already out, the night shift supervisor lowered the reconnect fee to the daytime rate
In conclusion, it is the Cooperative's responsibility to render a billing statement to its consumers; however, the Cooperative has no control over whether or not a consumer reviews such statementPhone calls prior to disconnection are a courtesy and there is no guarantee that calls will be completedIt is ultimately the consumer's responsibility to review their account and make sure that payments are made to avoid disconnectionThe Cooperative has additional tools to assist the consumer in managing their account such as ebill notification, alerts, and reminders
I will in good faith remove the $reconnection fee this time believing that the consumer will take the appropriate steps to prevent account disconnection from occurring in the future

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/21) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted] CFO
Contact Phone: [redacted]
Contact Email: [redacted]@cuivre.com
On 8/3/15 at 11:21 A.M., the consumer called our office to set up electric service for a new home. Per our standard business practice, a...

social security verification and credit check was run. I listened to the phone recording for this call and the CSR informed the consumer that a $150 deposit would be due and payable by 8/29/15. The consumer questioned "I have to pay a $150 deposit?" which the CSR confirmed. The consumer stated "That's ridiculous. Whatever. That's fine."
On 8/27/15 a courtesy call was sent to the consumer's phone asking someone to call the office. With a callback the consumer would have been reminded that a deposit of $150 was due by 8/29/15. According to our records, the call was completed and the message played in its entirety. We have no indication that the consumer returned the call.
Because the deposit was not paid, a collector was sent to the location on 9/2/15 to collect the $150 which the consumer paid. A $50 collection fee is charged when an employee is required to go to a location to collect an amount due.
As part of its rate structure, Cuivre River Electric assesses a $.60/day service availability fee. This fee is used to recover costs to maintain the meter and other infrastructure required to supply electricity to a location.
[redacted] is a charitable program established by Cuivre River Electric years ago. Each electric bill is "rounded up" to the nearest dollar; those pennies are then distributed to recipients throughout the Cooperative's territory. Cuivre River Community Trust has oversight of the program and approves grants for medical equipment, educational scholarships, weatherization improvements, etc. Members of the Cooperative are automatically signed up for the program but can opt out at any time with a phone call to the office.
In conclusion, it is unfortunate that the consumer is upset about her electric account; however, all fees are legitimate and will stand. The consumer was informed about the deposit and when it was due. If the consumer wishes to not participate in the [redacted] program, she can contact the office and we will remove her from the program.