Arkansas Western Announces New Call Center And Billing Procedure

— Arkansas Western Gas Company (AWG), a subsidiary of SourceGas LLC (SourceGas) announced Monday the implementation of a new billing system and in-house customer care center (call center) for its Arkansas natural gas customers. The new center, located in Fayetteville, is operated and managed by SourceGas employees. In addition to Arkansas, the call center builds on AWG's pre-existing in-house call center expertise and will also serve SourceGas customers in Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming.

AWG announces expanded business hours for its customer care center, from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday. AWG will continue to provide emergency call coverage, including leak calls and priority calls, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

All customer inquiries including emergency calls, will be answered at one new toll-free customer service number, 1-800-563-0012.

The new billing system will be an upgrade over the existing billing platform and is designed to improve service to customers. New payment methods will be available after September 8, which include pay by phone, Internet, additional third-party payment locations, electronic/paperless bill and no-fee credit card payments. Customers may also establish recurring automatic payments with their bank card or credit card.

"We are excited to announce these enhancements to the delivery of our customer service system," said Dan Watson, President and CEO, SourceGas.

Each customer will receive a new account number and is encouraged to note the new number on their checks and to update their online banking information. A new address for mail-in payments will be shown on the remittance stub of customers' September bills. Customers who utilize the online account access feature or electronic bill option (formerly eBill) will need to set up new online accounts

and passwords. Customers will receive the guide "How to Read Your Bill New Bill" included with their September billing statement.

SourceGas is a natural gas local distribution utility headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado, with operations in Arkansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming and Hermosillo, Mexico. SourceGas serves nearly 420,000 customers.

News, Pages 7 on 09/02/2009