Business & Tech
Georgia Power Closing More Than 100 Local Offices
The company will be expanding "authorized payment locations" at hundreds of grocery stores, pharmacies and the like.
More than 100 Georgia Power customer-service offices throughout the state will be closing this week.
On Thursday, the electricity company's busiest 27 offices — including 10 in metro Atlanta — will remain open out of a current total of 131.
The move, Georgia Power says, comes as customer habits are shifting and more and more people are opting to pay online or via other digital means.
Find out what's happening in Dallas-Hiramfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
And as the offices close, Georgia Power says it's roughly doubling its number of "authorized payment locations," mostly grocery stores, pharmacies and other retailers, from 2,700 to more than 5,000.
Company spokesman John Kraft said that more than 50 percent of Georgia Power payments are currently made online, via mobile phones or through auto-draft service — triple the number of customers who paid those ways 10 years ago.
Find out what's happening in Dallas-Hiramfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"We have definitely seen that shift," Kraft said. "That's not saying we don't still have a lot of traffic at some of our local offices, but that's a trend we've seen."
The company aimed to leave at least 2 or 3 service offices open in each of the regions of the state it serves.
About 270 jobs are being cut as a result of the change. Impacted employees were given opportunities to apply at other remaining Georgia Power locations.
The increase in authorized payment locations is due to be completed by the end of the year, Kraft said.
Publix, Kroger, Walmart, and Piggly Wiggly supermarkets are some of the most popular destinations that either already are on the list, or will be soon.
"These are the places where customers often are shopping or going to anyway and, in some ways, it would be more convenient," Kraft said.
There is a $1.50 fee to use an authorized payment location. And many locations accept only cash, or cash and debit cards, but not checks or credit.
Georgia Power will continue offering 24-hour customer service via phone at 888-660-5890 and with instant online chat at www.GeorgiaPower.com.
Photo by Atlantacitizen at en.wikipedia, via Wikimedia Commons
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
