Wake Forest, NC— Wake Electric will close its customer service offices in Oxford and Zebulon by December 31, 2012.

Members’ use of Wake Electric’s branch customer service offices has declined dramatically in recent years. The Oxford and Zebulon offices opened in 1991 and 1994 and were popular destinations for Wake Electric members, but now less than 3 percent of the members use each of these two offices. Because of this, Wake Electric has reluctantly decided to close the Oxford and Zebulon branches effective December 31, 2012.

Personnel plans have been put in place for the employees stationed at the Oxford and Zebulon offices and Wake Electric plans on accommodating them through relocation to other branch offices (in Wake Forest and Youngsville), or through voluntary severance packages.

As recently as 2003, over 40 percent of Wake Electric’s members visited one of our four branch offices each month, but now that percentage has declined to less than 15 percent. During the same period, online payments [such as electronic banking or payments made over the Internet] have increased from essentially zero to over 40 percent.

As a result, Wake Electric has invested in new technology, such as the newly announced SmartHub, that makes online interaction easier and more convenient. This new technology enables members to use mobile devices, such as tablet computers and smartphones, to monitor their energy use, pay bills and report outages.

At Wake Electric, we give our members numerous options to make paying bills simple and convenient. Those options in 2013 will include:

– by mail
– by calling our dedicated pay-by-phone number (866) 999-4593
– by calling our call center to speak to a customer service representative at (919) 863-6300 or our toll free number 1-800-474-6300
– in person at the Wake Forest and Youngsville branch locations
– via online payments through the Internet via www.wemc.com

Technology changes have also allowed retail stores, such as Wal-Mart, to offer in-store utility bill payment processing. Members are encouraged to explore those options and allow sufficient processing time for those payments. Please keep in mind that some retail stores that accept Wake Electric bill payment may charge a fee for this service.

For any questions on bill payment or payment locations, please call (919) 863-6300 or 1-800-474-6300.

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