By Holly Hays
So, you’ve moved into your own apartment for the very first time. Not only are you dealing with keeping your space clean, cooking and getting your homework done, but you realize that bills are real. And they have to be paid. But in the bustle of school and housekeeping, you’ve missed paying a bill or two and now one of your utilities has been shut off and you’re without water or electricity. Don’t worry — these things happen to the best of us. Here’s what you should do if your utilities have been shut off.
First things first: stay calm. If any of your utilities have been shut off because you’ve missed a payment, it won’t help to get mad at the customer service representative. If you’re calm and kill them with kindness, it’ll all get sorted out quickly. Anyone who has had to deal with the public — retail jobs, am I right? — will know that it’s not fun to get sass from a customer when it’s not your fault.
Water
You can either pay the water company a visit or give them a call to take care of this issue. In order to restore your service, you must pay the balance that is past due on your account (a.k.a. the amount that has been billed but not paid) as well as a turn off and turn on fee, both of which are $18.
City of Bloomington Utilities: 812-349-3930
Electric
To have your electricity service restored, you’ll have to call Duke Energy and pay the past due on the account and any reconnection fee associated with restoring your power. If you did not put down a security deposit on the account upon registration, you’ll have to put down some money. Generally, the fee will be about $70 up front and they’ll bill the rest to you, according to a customer service representative. The exact amount varies per customer. The security deposit secures your account and will be used to pay any other past dues that occur or any charges that come up after you’ve moved out.
Duke Energy: 1-800-521-2232
Gas
In this case, you will also have to pay the past due balance, as well as any reconnect fee, which should be around $60, according to a Vectren customer service representative. However, that exact amount varies per account and has external factors that influence it, including how long it has been disconnected and where it was disconnected (i.e. at the meter). Additionally, a charge for a deposit may be required.
Vectren Corporation: 1-800-227-1376
