MAINE, USA — Central Maine Power (CMP) announced Thursday, as part of an enhanced customer service guarantee, that it will offer bill credits for late or inaccurate bills and missed appointments.
Effective this week, CMP will provide a $25 credit if a bill is late, or if the balance due is inaccurate. The company will also issue a $25 bill credit if it misses a scheduled service appointment without notifying the customer at least four hours in advance.
If a customer schedules a new service connection and CMP misses the scheduled connection date, the company will cover the delivery charge on the first month’s bill, up to $250.
The company notes that the guarantee may be suspended during storms and emergencies, when the need to safely restore service overrides CMP’s other obligations.
“Being in a position to offer this enhanced guarantee is really a milestone for CMP,” David Flanagan, Executive Chairman of CMP, said. “Through listening to our customers every day, we know some of them have lingering concerns about their bills. As we have fine-tuned our new SmartCare system, and carefully tracked customer bills, we are confident enough to put our money where our mouth is. As we continue to rebuild trust with customers, we are specifically guaranteeing that bills will be accurate and on time.”
As of May, the company claims 99.94% of bills sent out since the beginning of 2020 were accurate and on time.
“We are holding ourselves accountable every day to continue to achieve these results,” Flanagan added.
CMP experienced challenges with timely bill delivery following the rollout of its new SmartCare customer information system in October 2017. In addition to naming Flanagan as Executive Board Chairman in February, the company said has taken measures to regain customers' trust such as appointing Linda Ball as Vice President of Customer Service, hiring additional billing staff and customer service representatives; engaging former state Senator Dawn Hill as CMP’s Customer Champion, an advocate for customers; enhancing training, and extending contact center hours so that customers can reach the company when it’s convenient for them.