Fayetteville PWC customers with past-due balances to get 6-month payment plan

David Trego, CEO of PWC, updated the company’s plans at Wednesday’s commission meeting, according to a news release. Those plans are meant “to help customers manage past-due balances incurred” because of the COVID-19 crisis.

PWC said it suspended residential utility disconnections on March 16 and has since followed the governor’s executive orders on utility billing and cut-off procedures.

But that executive order is set to expire Wednesday, allowing normal nonpayment disconnection policies to resume. Customers with past-due balances will have as long as six months to pay off what they owe, PWC said.

PWC said it will automatically enroll customers with an unpaid balance in a six-month payment plan, starting with their August bills.

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“COVID-19 has impacted the Fayetteville area in ways we never imagined, and we appreciate those customers who have remained current or made partial payments over the past few months,” Trego said in a news release. “We understand the financial hardship the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to many of our customers, and we stand ready to help through this difficult time.”

As of Wednesday, more than 20,000 or nearly 20% of PWC customers had balances that are past due. PWC estimates it has had about $10 million of unpaid accounts since COVID-19 began and is notifying customers that payment plans are being set up.

“By going beyond the minimum requirements of Gov. Cooper’s executive order,” Trego said, “and automatically placing all residential customers in a six-month payment plan — rather than having them call PWC — we can hopefully make life a little less stressful for our customers as we all work together to get through these unprecedented times.”

First issued on March 31, Cooper’s mandate suspended residential utility disconnections and waived penalties, fees and interest on amounts due during the period. Cooper has stressed that customers’ bills are not being forgiven under his executive orders, and customers are still responsible for paying for all utility services used.

While the governor’s order requires customers to call their utility to take advantage of the six-month repayment plan, PWC automatically is enrolling customers.

Customers can go online to faypwc.com for more information about managing past-due balances and how the six-month payment plan will be applied. For specific account information, customers can log into the PWC online account manager at faypwc.com or contact customer service at 910-483-1382.