Continue accepting payment of water bills by credit card pending disposition of this advice letter. Amend Tariff Rule 9, Rendering and Payment of Bills to: allow customers to pay their bills using a credit or debit card subject to a transaction fee of $2.50 per transaction, charged by a third party vendor; exclude from this service those customers who have made fraudulent payments in the last twelve months; and permit customers to receive bills and most legally mandated notices electronically. NOTICE AND PROTEST Apple Valley served AL No. 171-W pursuant to the requirements of General Order (GO) 96-B, Rules 4.3 and 7.2, on its GO 96-B Service List. Apple Valley noticed its customers of AL No. 171-W through a bill insert pursuant to requirements of GO 96-B General Rule 4.2 and Water Industry Rule 3.1. No protests to AL No. 171-W were received by the Division of Water and Audits (DWA). DISCUSSION Apple Valley has been offering its customers an option to pay bills by credit or debit card continuously since January 2010. To obtain this service, customers either log on to Apple Valley ’s website, or through its automated Interactive Voice Response telephone service and are directed to a third party vendor who accepts the credit or debit card payments, charges and collects a transaction fee, interfaces with the credit card company, and pays Apple Valley the amount of the customer’s bill. Only customers who use this service are charged the transaction fee by the third party vendor. Apple Valley does not receive any portion of the transaction fee revenue from the third party vendor. Apple Valley’s credit/debit card payment option Apple Valley states that it became aware that it needed to obtain Commission authorization prior to offering a credit/debit card payment option to its customers pursuant to Public Utilities Code § 755 after it received a copy of Draft Resolution W-4908 in February 2012 authorizing credit and debit card services for Valencia Water Company. Apple Valley continues to offer these options and has requested that the Commission allow it to continue offering the option pending resolution of AL No. 171-W
Continue accepting payment of water bills by credit card pending disposition of this advice letter. Amend Tariff Rule 9, Rendering and Payment of Bills to: allow customers to pay their bills using a credit or debit card subject to a transaction fee of $2.50 per transaction, charged by a third party vendor; exclude from this service those customers who have made fraudulent payments in the last twelve months; and permit customers to receive bills and most legally mandated notices electronically. NOTICE AND PROTEST Apple Valley served AL No. 171-W pursuant to the requirements of General Order (GO) 96-B, Rules 4.3 and 7.2, on its GO 96-B Service List. Apple Valley noticed its customers of AL No. 171-W through a bill insert pursuant to requirements of GO 96-B General Rule 4.2 and Water Industry Rule 3.1. No protests to AL No. 171-W were received by the Division of Water and Audits (DWA). DISCUSSION Apple Valley has been offering its customers an option to pay bills by credit or debit card continuously since January 2010. To obtain this service, customers either log on to Apple Valley ’s website, or through its automated Interactive Voice Response telephone service and are directed to a third party vendor who accepts the credit or debit card payments, charges and collects a transaction fee, interfaces with the credit card company, and pays Apple Valley the amount of the customer’s bill. Only customers who use this service are charged the transaction fee by the third party vendor. Apple Valley does not receive any portion of the transaction fee revenue from the third party vendor. Apple Valley’s credit/debit card payment option Apple Valley states that it became aware that it needed to obtain Commission authorization prior to offering a credit/debit card payment option to its customers pursuant to Public Utilities Code § 755 after it received a copy of Draft Resolution W-4908 in February 2012 authorizing credit and debit card services for Valencia Water Company. Apple Valley continues to offer these options and has requested that the Commission allow it to continue offering the option pending resolution of AL No. 171-W