PG&E reminding customers with past due balances to plan now before COVID protections end

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is urging customers with past-due balances to explore financial assistance programs before the customer protections established during the pandemic end on June 30.

PG&E officials have been working with customers with past-due balances for more than a year and will continue to do so after the protections expire. Since March 2020, PG&E has developed more than 1.6 million payment plans for residential and commercial customers. Officials added that the company will not initiate disconnections immediately after the protections end.

“We are creating early awareness around the expiration of the protections and have tools in place to help our customers look to the future. With a goal of ensuring a smooth transition, we’ve incorporated feedback from customers, key stakeholders, and community leaders in the development of our transition plan once protections end,” said Marlene Santos, PG&E’s EVP of Customer Care. “Don’t wait until summer. Call us now. We’re here to help.”

From February 2020 to February 2021, the number of residential customers with past-due balances has grown almost 30 percent. When the COVID-19 protections end, PG&E intends to help customers in several ways, such as staggering the restart of the collections and disconnection process with a grace period after the protections end. Customers can contact the company at (800)743-5000 for help in making the transition.

PG&E is a natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California.