MID office to close four days for new billing system

More than 100,000 electricity customers eventually will appreciate the Modesto Irrigation District's new billing system, the utility predicts, although hiccups are expected this weekend and beyond.

For example, don't even try to pay your MID bill from 2 p.m. Thursday (or 1 p.m. Thursday for payment kiosks) until 8 a.m. Tuesday, because you won't be able to. The district needs those four-plus days of dark time to transition to the new system, and the office will be closed Friday and Monday, which is Labor Day.

"We understand that this is an inconvenience to our customers," said Samantha Wookey, MID public affairs specialist. During that time, the district won't shut off anyone's electricity for failing to pay bills, and late fees and penalties won't build up then either, she said.

When the new system boots up Tuesday morning, many will find another frustration. Because all customers will be assigned brand-new 10-digit account numbers, all online customers must re-enroll with their new numbers using the self-service portal at www.mid.org, and online banking customers must notify their banks, providing them with the new numbers.

"I don't want to delude anybody; the first 30 days will be rough," Bruce Rankin, the district's information technology manager, told board members last week. He acknowledged that adapting to new account numbers will be "a pain" for online users.

Once the dust settles, people will see a more user-friendly product, Rankin said. For example, new bills will provide information on energy consumption, including numeric and graphic comparisons showing how much electricity you used in the previous month compared to the same month a year ago.

Also, people can go paperless, opting to do all MID business online. You also can request guest user access, allowing someone who isn't the account holder to see account info online, and you can request a variety of digital account alerts.

Changes are meant to make bills more readable and informative, Wookey said.

More information is available at www.mid.org/newcbs.

MID began providing electric service in 1923 and now has more than 96,000 residential and 12,000 commercial customers in Modesto, Salida, Waterford and Mountain House and parts of Ripon, Escalon, Riverbank and Oakdale.

Garth Stapley: 209-578-2390

This story was originally published August 29, 2017 at 7:11 PM with the headline "MID office to close four days for new billing system."