DeKalb County will waive late fees for customers who have trouble accessing its new water billing system.
The new system, enQuesta, was unveiled in January, catching many off-guard and leading to lengthy waits for people calling customer service for help accessing their accounts. It’s the latest hiccup for a utility that has long been criticized for billing errors and service issues.
As part of the switch, customers were all assigned new account numbers — something many have taken to social media to say they have not yet received. In a news release, county officials said the new numbers are being mailed to all customers and emailed to those who were enrolled in the previous online system.
Customers were notified account numbers would change on their November, December and January bills.
To request the new number, customers can also call (404-378-4475 and press 1) or email (dekalbwaterservice@dekalbcountyga.gov). Email is encouraged because of long phone wait times.
Customers who want to use paperless billing will need to register the new account number at myaccount.dekalbcountyga.gov. Those enrolled in automatic ACH payments will need to notify their banks of the new payment processor: Chase Payment Tech.
County officials say the new system has several perks that should ultimately improve service. They’ve redesigned the bill to show greater detail about account usage. Additionally, the new system will not charge fees for customers who make payments online or by phone and Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo and PayPal will now be accepted.
