Delayed Payment Agreement

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A Delayed Payment Agreement is a signed agreement between a qualifying customer and Prairie Grove Telephone Company. A delayed payment schedule is agreed on and can and can have as many as five payments on the total bill amount. In signing a Delayed Payment Agreement, the customer agrees that:

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• Should any of the terms of any agreement be violated, all outstanding charges which have been billed and which are due on the account, immediately become due and payable.

• Should service on this account be suspended (SHUT-OFF) or completely disconnected as a result of violation of the terms of this agreement, all outstanding charges billed and due, plus appropriate reconnection fees shall be paid prior to the restoration of service.

• Should any of the terms of an agreement be violated, an appropriate security deposit may be required before service will be continued.

• The customer shall be subject to immediate suspension (SHUT-OFF) and/or complete disconnection, without prior written notice, if:

  • Future charges on this account are not paid in full on or before the due date of each particular bill, for the term of the agreement, and/or

  • Any of the terms of the delayed payment arrangement is violated.

• Prairie Grove Telephone Company does not have to enter into a second delayed payment agreement if the customer currently is bound by a delayed payment agreement.

• Prairie Grove Telephone Company must recede a reasonable portion of the overdue bill as a down payment by the close of business on the third business day after making arrangements for the Delayed Payment Agreement. (Not more than 1/4 of the overdue bill.)

• The customer shall be allowed to make equal installment payments for at least 3 months from the date of the down payment. The down payment is not considered an installment payment.

• If the customer can substantiate a change in the ability to pay resulting from a serious medical condition or the loss of a major source of income, Prairie Grove Telephone Company must document its good faith effort to negotiate one time during the period of the agreement. The customer loses this right if any term of the delayed payment is not kept. A renegotiated agreement is not a new Delayed Agreement.

• A customer does not give up the right to complain to the Commission by signing a Delayed Payment Agreement or renegotiated agreement.

 

Preferred Payment Date Plan

 

The Preferred Payment Date Plan is available to qualifying customers and is intended to enable the company to change a customer's bill payment due date, at the customer's receipt of a fixed income. Customers who qualify under this plan and pay by the new date will not be considered late on their bill payment.

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Customers eligible for the Preferred Payment Date Plan are:

1. Persons receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), or Aid to the Aged, Blind and Disabled (AABD);

2. Persons receiving Supplemental Security Income; or,

3. Persons whose primary source of income is Social Security or Veterans Administration disability or retirement benefits.

 

We may require verification of the above sources of income.

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