Paying bills?

[gracielle]

This is information for those receiving Edesur and MetroGas bills through email who pay them through the website which takes only a few minutes to complete.

After entering your billing information for payment to Edesur, you may receive a prompt that states your payment was rejected. The first time this happened to me, I processed payment a second time. Then I checked my bank account and saw that both payments had cleared. Edesur called me personally to let me know they would credit the next bill. I told the woman that the payment was rejected online, or so I thought. I processed another online payment on July 30, got the same rejection prompt, but checked my bank account first. The Edesur payment cleared immediately. I recommend doing the same and not processing another bill payment.

I have tried for days to pay my bill due August 18 to MetroGas, but the system says try at another time. I have tried for days to pay it. They are probably changing the system and give no information about the reason a payment cannot be processed. I'll keep trying until the due date. The utilities want to receive payments, so they have to get their online system running.

I utilize the Edesur/Metrogas websites only to view the statements. I have been paying my utility bills via Home Banking since the start of the pandemic. I had no issues when paying those bills this morning thru my local bank. I did notice that the amount due to Metrogas, showed a late charge of $6.00 pesos, although payment was actually due tomorrow. No way I am going to bother calling them re the discrepancy!

I received a recorded phone call from Movistar Hogar about a discount on the next phone bill, a gesture to help people who aren't working during the pandemic, but I couldn't find any more information on the website.
Their call center contacted me with their "gesture of savings" this week. The only service they provide for me is my landline. Their spiel...."you can save on your next tel bill by accepting one or both of our offers available this month": https://www.movistar.com.ar/productos-y-servicios/linea-hogar
My answer: I don't need "unlimited landline calls" as I use Skype for most calls. For 15 years my internet service has been thru Cablevision/Fibertel (50MG). Thank you!

 

[jantango]

I utilize the Edesur/Metrogas websites only to view the statements. I have been paying my utility bills via Home Banking since the start of the pandemic. I had no issues when paying those bills this morning thru my local bank. I did notice that the amount due to Metrogas, showed a late charge of $6.00 pesos, although payment was actually due tomorrow. No way I am going to bother calling them re the discrepancy!

Payment processing takes longer from a bank account to a utility company than making your payment directly on the website. A minute after paying Edesur, it was posted on my Banco Ciudad account.

Their call center contacted me with their "gesture of savings" this week. The only service they provide for me is my landline. Their spiel...."you can save on your next tel bill by accepting one or both of our offers available this month": https://www.movistar.com.ar/productos-y-servicios/linea-hogar
My answer: I don't need "unlimited landline calls" as I use Skype for most calls. For 15 years my internet service has been thru Cablevision/Fibertel (50MG).

Companies are always coming up with marketing plans to offer. Unfortunately, too many take the bait when they sign up for something they don't need. Who these days generates enough landline calls to justify the higher rate?

 

[gracielle]

Who these days generates enough landline calls to justify the higher rate?

I keep my landline only in case my electricity goes off...which has only happened 2-3x in the 15 years I have lived here.
I have a non-wireless phone. I have not used a mobile in ARG since 2007. I manage quite well without one.

 

[jantango]

Edesur sent customers the following email on July 21:
"Sanitary isolation has concentrated the use of electrical energy at times and places different from what normally occurs. This situation has generated extraordinary stress on the electricity grid that we are facing with the utmost seriousness.
With total transparency from our website we open the information in each match so that the neighbors know how the funds collected through their invoices are invested, remembering that of every $ 100 that is charged, only $ 34 is available to Edesur after taxes and the purchase of energy."

There was a power outage in Balvanera for two hours on the evening of July 25 and then on July 27 from 18 to 4hs. My empty freezer was defrosted. You are fortunate you haven't had a power cut during the pandemic.

 

[gracielle]

Edesur sent customers the following email on July 21:
"Sanitary isolation has concentrated the use of electrical energy at times and places different from what normally occurs. This situation has generated extraordinary stress on the electricity grid that we are facing with the utmost seriousness.
With total transparency from our website we open the information in each match so that the neighbors know how the funds collected through their invoices are invested, remembering that of every $ 100 that is charged, only $ 34 is available to Edesur after taxes and the purchase of energy."

There was a power outage in Balvanera for two hours on the evening of July 25 and then on July 27 from 18 to 4hs. My empty freezer was defrosted. You are fortunate you haven't had a power cut during the pandemic.

Sorry to hear that but it has been happening in other CABA neighborhoods....https://www.enre.gov.ar/paginacorte/tabla_cortes_edesur.html
In our case it's not a matter of luck. Edesur has a back-up ??? for the public hospital nearby. My block is connected to the same grid yet the hospital is 10 blocks away?

 

[jantango]

The bill payment operation on the MetroGas site hasn't worked in days. Yesterday I entered my information to pay the current bill due 8/18 and got a PAYMENT REFUSED message for the first time. I checked my bank account to confirm that payment didn't clear. Then I downloaded the bill, sent it to my local libereria by email, and picked up a copy to pay it at Rapipago -- less efficient way of paying, but the only way I could do so this month.

It's helpful that Edesur and MetroGas have the option of paying through the website when the system works.

 

[BankNote]

The bill payment operation on the MetroGas site hasn't worked in days. Yesterday I entered my information to pay the current bill due 8/18 and got a PAYMENT REFUSED message for the first time. I checked my bank account to confirm that payment didn't clear. Then I downloaded the bill, sent it to my local libereria by email, and picked up a copy to pay it at Rapipago -- less efficient way of paying, but the only way I could do so this month.

It's helpful that Edesur and MetroGas have the option of paying through the website when the system works.

Try using mercado pago. Its damn easy to pay almost any bill with it in seconds.

 

[gracielle]

The bill payment operation on the MetroGas site hasn't worked in days. Yesterday I entered my information to pay the current bill due 8/18 and got a PAYMENT REFUSED message for the first time. I checked my bank account to confirm that payment didn't clear. Then I downloaded the bill, sent it to my local libereria by email, and picked up a copy to pay it at Rapipago -- less efficient way of paying, but the only way I could do so this month.

It's helpful that Edesur and MetroGas have the option of paying through the website when the system works.

On April 4th you posted... I opened an account at Banco Ciudad a year ago.
Is there a reason you don't use the "PagoMisCuentas" function thru their Home Banking to pay your utility bills?

 

[jantango]

Home Banking requires a TOKEN obtained with a cellphone which I don't have. Banco Ciudad is on the LINK system, and I've tried to use LINK PAGO without success.

Using Mercado Pago requires a money transfer from my bank account to use. I may as well pay the bills at Rapipago with a debit card, which is a three-block walk from home.

I thought this would be simplified during the quarantine by online payments. Sometimes they work perfectly, and the payment is debited immediately.

 

[jantango]

Banco Ciudad has completely changed their website about a week ago. Although I paid my Movistar Hogar bill the day I received it via email, my phone bill is posted on my account with the final due date 3/29 and the amount. This tells me that I can skip the three block walk to Pago Facil or RapiPago and instead pay the bill online. I've never used Home Banking because of the previous TOKEN requirement.

I receive bills by email (no paper bills) from Edesur and MetroGas that I pay on the respective websites in about two minutes. The Edesur payment process usually indicates that the payment was not processed, when it actually was because it clears my Banco Ciudad account. My Edesur bill is a dollar and a few cents each month. Now I'll investigate paying all three bills through Home Banking.

I use the Banco Ciudad debit card to pay for all purchases and rarely have any cash in my wallet. It's nice not dealing with the dirty paper. I'm happy to have a free local bank account with a debit card that keeps life simple.