Benicia tells residents to stop using third-party utility payment services
Water and sewer bills paid through these services sometimes do not arrive on time, city officials said.
(Graphic by Solano News Update)
City officials in Benicia are warning residents and businesses against paying their water and sewer bills through third-party payment processors.
The warning comes after city officials discovered some residents were incurring late fees after using third-party online services to pay these and other utility bills after the services failed to deliver payment on-time — or sometimes didn’t pay the bills at all.
Specifically, city officials said residents should avoid using Doxo, PaperGov and WaterZen, and it cautioned against using other third-party payment processes that claimed to affiliate with the City of Benicia.
“When using these sites, you’ll find that they may charge you their payment delivery fee with no guarantee that your payment will arrive on time, which may cause you to incur late fees,” a city spokesperson wrote in a social media post.
Instead of using these services, city officials say residents and businesses should pay their water and sewer bills through its official online payment service at https://beniciaca.muniselfservice.com. The official online payment service accepts Visa, MasterCard and electronic checks.
Water and sewer bills can also be paid through postal mail or dropped off in a secure utility billing box in front of City Hall at 250 East L Street.
Anyone with questions about the notice is asked to contact the City of Benicia’s Finance Department at 707-746-4225.
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