BILLING
West Central Electric’s meters are read monthly by the cooperative. It is the responsibility of the member/owner to grant access to the meter location, and to arrange for the safety of WCE personnel while they are servicing the meter location. Failure to do so will result in an estimated billing for that month, and a disconnection of service after two months until satisfactory arrangements have been made between the member/owner and the cooperative.
Monthly bills are due upon receipt, and are considered delinquent if not paid by the due date. A late fee of $5.00 or 10% of the amount due (whichever is greater) will be added to the delinquent bill. Delinquent accounts are subject to disconnection for non-payment at any time unless other prior arrangements have been made with the cooperative.
Making Payments -- There are a variety of ways to pay your electric bill at West Central Electric.
Auto-Pay -- You may choose to have your bill automatically withdrawn from your checking or savings account, or charged to your credit card each month. Payments will be charged on the one of four possible billing dates you choose.
Pre-Pay -- Pay your bill when you have the money. Deposit into your electric account once, twice, as many times per month as you like. This system is fully-automatic and the meter will automatically disconnect when the money on the account runs out. To avoid disconnection, money must be kept on the account. We will notify you when your account is getting low. Call our office at 1-800-491-3803 or 816-565-4942 to sign up.
SmartHub -- You may pay your bill online or via your mobile device by logging onto our website and clicking on the SmartHub tab on the homepage.
Pay-by-Phone -- You may call in to pay your bill using the automatic payment number: 1-855-874-5349. When making the payment using the automatic payment number, please double-check electric account numbers and bank account numbers to make sure they are correct. One missed number will result in payments being posted to the wrong account.
Payment drop-off -- You may drop your payment off at several locations. We have a 24-hour drop box at both our Higginsville and Oak Grove offices. You may walk your bill in during regular business hours, or use the drop box any time of the day. You may also drop your payment off at Central Bank at 206 S. Market St. in Holden, or Community National Bank & Trust at 713 PCA Road Warrensburg.
Traditional Mail -- If you would prefer to mail your bill, please note that all bills must be mailed to our Higginsville location at P.O. Box 452, Higginsville, MO 64037. There is no mail service to our Oak Grove office.
Final Billing
When a final bill is issued, the member has 10 days to make payment. If the account is still outstanding, a letter will be mailed, giving the member 10 days to pay the balance. If the account is still outstanding, it will then be turned over to the cooperative’s collection agency.
RATES
West Central Electric’s monthly rural residential rate for single-phase service:
Service availability charge...........$1.37 per day
First 800 kwh used per month..........$.1049 per kwh
All kwh over 800 used per month....$.0884 per kwh
The minimum monthly charge is the $1.37 per day service availability charge.
Commercial and large-power rates available upon request.
*Rates may change without notice as deemed necessary per actions of the Board of Directors
YOUR ACCOUNT
Delinquent Accounts and Disconnection of Service
Payment of a member’s account is due upon receipt of the bill. All accounts not paid in full by the due date are considered delinquent and subject to disconnection for non-payment. If payment is not received in our office by the due date, a collection trip to the location may be made at an additional cost of $50.
Reconnection of Service after Delinquent Account is Paid
A reconnect fee of $50 during co-op working hours or $125 after hours will be charged. Services will not be reconnected after 10 p.m. Reconnection fees will include the fees mentioned above, plus any other outstanding trip charges and a possible deposit of $500 or 1/2 times the amount of the average electric bill from the location served, whichever is greater.
Reconnection fees may include payment for the electrical usage up to the time of disconnection.
Returned Check Policy
A $25 service charge will be assessed to all returned checks. Attempts will be made to notify the member, however, the account is subject to immediate disconnection. No check will be accepted for the payment of a returned check. If two checks from the same member are returned within a 12-month period, the cooperative will require an advance deposit of $500. The member may request a refund of the deposit once he has maintained his account for 12 consecutive months from the date of the deposit providing the account has been kept current.
If three checks from the same member are returned within a 12-month period, the member will be required to pay all bills by certified check, cash, money order or credit card. If the account is maintained in good standing for the next 12 months, the member’s credit with the cooperative will be considered re-established, and payment may again be made by personal check.
Budget Payment Plan
The cooperative will allow members who qualify to use a budget payment plan by which they can spread their higher seasonal bills over the entire year without additional costs or finance charges.
To qualify, the member shall have been a consumer of West Central Electric Cooperative for the past 12-month period preceding the date of the contract, and shall have had no returned checks applied to their bill and no more than one trip to collect the bill during this same 12-month period. Payment or payment arrangements approved and documented by cooperative personnel must be made prior to the delinquent date for the member to remain on the budget billing plan.
Using their electrical usage for the past 12-month period, their bill would be averaged for the year. Monthly payment amounts will be recalculated annually in June.
The member’s meter will be read each month and a statement showing the status of his account will be mailed monthly by the cooperative.
The plan may be cancelled at any time by the member-consumer or by the cooperative.