Utility Debt Collections

Addressing Unpaid Utility Bills

Depending on your utility bill payment type, you may experience issues that require unique solutions. For example, parking tickets are disputed more often than water and sewer bills. 

Your company needs an effective strategy for receiving your owed payments to help avoid these challenges. The utility debt collection statute of limitations varies by state, but it is generally between three and six years.

Utility Billing and Collection Strategies

Utility companies have used checks and envelopes to collect invoices in the past. This method often creates delays due to unpredictable postal systems and the possibility of letters getting lost. The need for stamps can also be harder to obtain in our technology-driven environment for those in larger cities. 

Technology provides opportunities to collect more payments on time than traditional methods. E-statements — or electronic statements — are generally more convenient for customers. If you are still using mailed invoices, consider switching to e-statements for the following benefits:

• Easier to use: With e-statements, customers can pay their bills online from the comfort of their own home. They often have step-by-step instructions, making electronic payments much more convenient and simple than sending in an envelope.
• Autopay opportunities: Online payments can offer autopay to ensure on-time payments. Customers sign up for the service, and the utility site automatically pulls the payment from their account on the same day each month.
• Less expensive: Traditional methods require customers to purchase stamps to send in their payments. Stamp expenses can add up and cause additional stress for customers who must pay their bills.

You can contact your bank to switch to e-statements. The process may vary, but they will be able to provide more information on how to get started.

Southwest Recovery Services, LLC: Your Solution for Utility Debt Collection

Southwest Recovery Services, LLC is a 20-year leader in utility industry receivables management. Our company services hundreds of thousands of utility accounts annually and returns millions of dollars for our clients, dealing with all issues involving billing disputes and fraud. We also possess top-tier technology that can assist in locating customers who have become non-responsive to your contact efforts. 

We can help you with:

• First-party collections: We can handle your first-party debt collection utility bills, as we contact your customers directly. They will then pay us, and we will transfer the amount to you.
• Third-party collections: We also deal with your third-party collections — or long outstanding balances. Our efficient debt recovery strategies ensure you receive the amount owed to you, even taking legal actions when necessary.
• Consulting: Even if you are waiting on outstanding balances, our consulting services can teach you how to optimize your cash flow. We utilize effective credit and collection policies to reduce your slow-pay and non-pay accounts.
• Skip tracing: Utility payments often go unpaid due to customers moving away, not updating their information or purposefully going missing to avoid responsibility. Our skip tracing services can help us find a person’s location to collect debt.
• Asset location: Our asset location services help your company take advantage of your investments to increase your cash flow. This service includes taxable accounts, tax-exempt accounts, tax-deferred accounts and more.

Our services follow all state and federal laws and regulations, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). We conduct our communications to maintain positive customer relationships for us and our clients.