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Last day to pay hydro bill in person in Thompson was Dec. 1

Dec. 1 marked the last day that people could pay their Manitoba Hydro bills in person at the customer service centre in Thompson or in other offices in 16 other communities throughout the province, including The Pas. As of Dec.
Dec. 1 marks the last day that people can pay their Manitoba Hydro bills in-person at the customer
Dec. 1 marks the last day that people can pay their Manitoba Hydro bills in person at the customer service centre in Thompson.

Dec. 1 marked the last day that people could pay their Manitoba Hydro bills in person at the customer service centre in Thompson or in other offices in 16 other communities throughout the province, including The Pas.

As of Dec. 4, Thompson customers have the option of paying through online banking, in person at a bank, through pre-authorized payment plans in which money is automatically transferred from their bank accounts, or by mailing their payment to the Crown corporation’s head office in Winnipeg.

“The discontinuation of in-person bill payment services reflects a continuing change in how our customers pay their monthly bills and do other business with us,” said Manitoba Hydro public affairs officer Bruce Owen in an email. “The current trend is that more and more customers continue to move toward online payment services and other available payment options, such as through their bank or credit union. More customers also communicate to us via email and our website. In the past 10 years, walk-in customers making in-person payments has declined significantly and the percentage of customers paying in-person has dropped from 24 per cent in 2007 to less than seven per cent in 2016 (6.6 per cent in rural areas). After a recent campaign to increase Manitoba Hydro’s MyBill (secure individual online account management) participation, there has been significant uptake to the program. As of April 1, 2017, 19 per cent of customers (115,000) signed up for MyBill, an improvement from 11 per cent (approximately 49,000 customers) as of April 2013. We expect this trend to continue.”

Customers will still be able to go to the customer service centre in Thompson to discuss matters other than bill payments and can also call the company’s contact centre at 1-888-624-9376 with bill inquiries or view payment options on Manitoba Hydro’s website at http://www.hydro.mb.ca/accounts_and_services/payment_options.shtml. Any customer who has made a payment at one of the offices where in-person payments are no longer being accepted within the last year will receive a pamphlet describing the payment options, Owens said.

“Manitoba Hydro seeks ways to reduce its operating costs while focusing on ways to improve and enhance customer experience,” he said. “Resources currently focused on accepting a limited number of in-person bill payments will be reallocated to other administrative duties with the corporation, including customer service extensions, maintenance and field operations. There is no job loss.”

Other utility companies such as MTS, which made the change about 15 years ago, as well as SaskPower and SaskEnergy, which did so earlier this year, have also discontinued in-person payment services, Owens said.

Other communities in which Manitoba Hydro offices will no longer accept in-person bill payments include Arborg, Ashern, Brandon, Dauphin, Killarney, Lac du Bonnet, Morden, Portage la Prairie, Neepawa, Russell, Selkirk, Steinbach, Swan River, Virden and Winnipeg offices in St. Boniface, on Notre Dame Avenue and in Fort Garry.

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