Some Gulf Power customers are upset over billing delays which resulted in single statement being issued for multiple billing periods, causing some customers to receive a bill more than twice as high as usual.
One Navarre customer reportedly had not received a bill since August then in December received a bill for multiple months. Others reported receiving one statement covering two months.
“Kept trying to go online to pay my bill because I never received one. It kept saying I didn’t owe anything. Just got a 3 month bill,” stated one customer.
According to Gulf Power Spokesman Gordon Paulus, the billing delays were caused for some customers when Gulf Power transitioned customer accounts into a new system, resulting in a shorter time period between the due dates for the delayed bill and their next bill.
“First and foremost, we apologize for the inconvenience,” Paulus said. “We will work with our customers to provide payment extensions should they need additional time to pay – just as we are working with our customers facing hardships due to COVID-19 to make payment arrangements and connect them with financial assistance.”
Paulus said if customers need additional time to pay their bill, they can contact Gulf Power at 800-225-5797. Also, customers needing financial assistance to help with their bill can visit GulfPower.com/help for a list of agencies that stand ready to assist.
Customers who previously received a payment extension this year will not be able to use the automated phone system to process their requests. Per Paulus, customers who have already requested a payment extension during the past 12 months due to COVID-19 or other reasons must select “calling for something else” from the automated phone system menu and request to speak to a representative.
