Maui Electric Upgrading Customer Information System

MECO workers. File photo by Wendy Osher.

By Sonia Isotov

At the end of May, Maui Electric, Hawaiian Electric, and Hawaii Electric Light Company will start using an upgraded computer system to maintain customer records and manage billing.

“Our old system served our customers well for many years, but with continuing advances in computer systems, it’s no longer cost effective to maintain the old one,” said Darren Pai, a spokesman for Hawaiian Electric, in a written statement.

Changes that customers will see are the following:

• All customers will receive a new account number and their bill will look slightly different. A brochure explaining the new bill format will be included with June electric bills.
• Customers using Automatic Bill Payment do not need to take any action if they would like this service to continue.
• E-bill customers who view their bills online will need to re-register to continue this service. This process is necessary for security reasons, and customers will be emailed instructions on how to re-register.
• Customers using CheckFree for online bill payment will continue to receive notification of new bills and make payments as usual via this service.

If customers have questions, they are encouraged to email them through our online service center. The company websites are www.heco.com (Hawaiian Electric), www.mauielectric.com (Maui Electric) and www.helcohi.com (Hawaii Electric Light Company).

All three companies have increased call center staffing and provided customer service representatives with extensive training on the new system. However, it is expected that it will take longer for customers to reach the companies’ call centers for a period after this transition

To save time, customers are also encouraged to use the direct phone numbers for assistance with common non-billing questions and services rather than go through the main customer service numbers. These numbers can be found on the “Contact Us” page on their websites. For example:

Power Outage:
808-548-7961 (Oahu)
808-871-9777 (Maui)
1-877-871-8461 (Molokai/Lanai)
808-969-6666 (Hawaii Island)

Tree Trimming:
808-543-7836 (Oahu)
808-871-9777 (Maui)
1-877-871-8461 (Molokai/Lanai)
808-969-6666 (Hawaii Island)

Electric Service Upgrades:
808-543-7070 (Oahu)
808-871-2390 (Maui)
808-969-0311 (Hilo)
808-327-0500 (Kona)