Grayson-Collin Electric Cooperative (GCEC) bills members for monthly for electric service used. Payments for electric service are due 16 days from the statement date, or the next business day if the date falls on a weekend or holiday. If payment is not received by the end of business on the 16th day, the account is subject to a 5% penalty.
GCEC mails a friendly reminder notice to any member who has not paid the account balance allowing the member to make payment on the account within 10 days. Any account balance not paid within this 10-day reminder period is subject to collection or disconnection of service for non-payment. Electric service may be disconnected if the bill is not paid or a Deferred Payment Plan is not arranged within 26 days of the statement date. A Deferred Payment Plan may also be requested to pay your current bill after the due date but before the due date of the next bill.
Service & Billing Disputes
If a member disagrees with GCEC on any aspect of the cooperative’s service, a member may request a supervisory review. If you make such a request, you have 5 days to participate in the review before the Cooperative may terminate service, if the dispute is 1 in which the issues may result in such termination, provided that notice has been given under standard disconnection procedures. If the billing dispute is not resolved by such review, you may appeal to the GCEC Board of Directors in writing, mailed to Board of Directors, Grayson-Collin Electric Cooperative, Inc. PO Box 548, Van Alstyne, Texas 75495. During the pendency of such appeal or other resolution of a dispute, you may avoid termination of service by paying the average of your monthly bill for the past 12 months as determined by the Cooperative. In the event the dispute is not resolved within 60 days, you must keep all subsequent bills current.
Billing Terms
Usage of electric energy (expressed as kWh) is usually determined by a meter reading. Electric energy usage is measured at the metering point regardless of whether or not it is the same as the point of delivery.
The Cooperative uses reasonable diligence to read meters for all classes of service. The meter reading may be obtained by a Cooperative meter employee, contractor or via devices that provide automatic meter readings electronically.
Usage, as well as demand, may be estimated by the Cooperative where there is good reason for doing so, such as inclement weather, personnel shortage, etc. provided an actual meter reading is taken every 6 months. If the member has requested to provide meter readings to the Cooperative and does not report a meter reading to the Cooperative in time for billing, the Cooperative will estimate the meter reading and render a bill accordingly.
Upon a request of a member, the Cooperative shall make a test of the accuracy of the member's meter. The test shall be made during the Cooperative’s normal working hours at a time convenient to the member, if he or she desires to observe the test. The test may be made on the member's premises or at a test laboratory as determined by the Cooperative. Following completion of testing, the Cooperative shall promptly advise the member of the date of removal of the meter, if removed, the date of the test, the result of the test, and who made the test.
The member will pay a minimum bill in accordance with the applicable rate schedule, irrespective of the amount of electricity consumed, even if none is consumed. The minimum charge shall be in addition to any fuel cost adjustment charges, power cost adjustment charges or other billing adjustments. All billing adjustments shall be billed in addition to and exclusive of the minimum charge.
The minimum charge may be increased in accordance with the Cooperative’s line extension policy for new construction. Usually the amount of such increase will be stated in the electric service agreement.
Each bill for utility service(s) is due 16 days after issuance unless such day falls on a holiday or weekend, in which case, payment is due on the next working day. If full payment is not received in the office of the Cooperative or at any agency authorized by the Cooperative to receive payment on or before the date such bill is due, the member's account will be considered delinquent and subject to disconnection in accordance with these rules.
In the event of a dispute between a member and the Cooperative regarding any bill for electric services, the Cooperative shall make such investigation as shall be required by the particular circumstances and report the results thereof to the member. In the event the dispute is not resolved, the Cooperative shall inform the member of the complaint procedures of the Cooperative and any regulatory authority having jurisdiction.
The member shall not be required to pay the disputed portion of the bill which exceeds the member's average monthly usage at current rates, pending the resolution of the dispute. The Cooperative will attempt to resolve the dispute within 60 days. For purposes of this rule only, the member's average monthly usage at current rates shall be the average of the member's gross utility service for the proceeding 12-month period. When no previous usage history exists, consumption for calculating the average monthly usage shall be estimated on the basis of usage levels of similar members and under similar conditions.
Alternative Payment Plans
Budget Billing
With Budget Billing, residential members make equal monthly payments based on the previous 12 months’ electric usage. The previous 12 months bills are totaled and divided by 12 to figure the average bill for the next 12 months. To be eligible for Budget Billing, a member must meet the following requirements:
- Has received and been billed for service for the last 12 consecutive months
- Has an acceptable payment history
- Has a valid membership in their name.
GCEC reviews the status of all Budget Billing accounts throughout the calendar year. In an account is under or overpaying, the 12th month may be adjusted to account for the variance.
Deferred Payments Plan
Upon request, Deferred Payment Plans are available to members who cannot pay any or all of the bill. To be eligible for a Deferred Payment Plan, a member cannot be delinquent in paying the bill more than 2 times in the last 12 months. The Deferred Payment Plan requires to keep all subsequent bills current and pay monthly an amount not to exceed 1/3 of the outstanding amount.
If a member has not fulfilled the terms of a Deferred Payment agreement, GCEC can disconnect service and is not required to offer negotiation to avoid termination. GCEC is not required to offer this arrangement to members with insufficient credit or payment history or less than 3 months of service history.