DTE Energy bill payment kiosks convenient for customers

DETROIT, Aug. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The DTE Energy kiosk has become the company's fastest growing bill-payment option over the past year.  Customers made nearly 15,000 transactions in July at the kiosks, which are not only quick and easy to use but are conveniently located at payment centers and select Rite Aid stores.  Since launched last year, more than 131,000 transactions were made via the kiosks.

Customers can use DTE Energy bill-payment kiosks to gain real-time access to their accounts and pay their electric and natural gas bills via credit/debit card, cash or check -- and they offer an alternative to authorized pay agents that charge service fees. This helps customers avoid costly shutoffs because payments are immediately applied to accounts.

"We always are looking at ways to make things easier for our customers," said David Johnson, DTE Energy vice president, Customer Service and Marketing.   "Our customers told us they would like more options to pay their bills.  The kiosks provide an ideal option for thousands of our customers who need to pay their energy bills with cash, or who lack reliable transportation to travel to a payment center."      

Johnson added that he is not aware of any other energy company in the nation that offers this bill-payment option to its cash-paying customers.   

He said that DTE Energy plans to install additional kiosks, and is talking to municipal water departments and other organizations that may be interested in partnering with the company to provide this payment option to their customers.  

The number of kiosks has grown from five to 25, located at DTE payment centers and neighborhood Rite Aid drug stores, primarily in Detroit.  Many of the drug stores are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for added customer convenience.

DTE selected a Michigan-based company, DivDat, to help develop the kiosk technology. In 2014, DTE spent $922 million with Michigan-based suppliers of products and services.  

"The team at DivDat used its expertise to create a convenient, easy-to-use tool that eliminates wait times and has a 98-percent customer satisfaction rate," Johnson said. 

Kiosks are located in Detroit as well as Centerline, Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Mt. Clemens, Pontiac and Taylor.  Visit http://www.dtekiosk.com/locations.aspx for a list of kiosk locations.

Customers also can make payments from their smart phones and devices using Visa, MasterCard, Discover, checking or savings accounts.  Download the DTE Energy Mobile app from the App Store or Google Play.  

About DTE Energy

DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric utility serving 2.1 million customers in Southeastern Michigan and a natural gas utility serving 1.2 million customers in Michigan. The DTE Energy portfolio includes non-utility energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, natural gas pipelines, gathering and storage, and energy marketing and trading. As one of Michigan's leading corporate citizens, DTE Energy is a force for growth and prosperity in the 450 Michigan communities it serves in a variety of ways, including philanthropy, volunteerism and economic progress.  Information about DTE Energy is available at dteenergy.com, twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com/dteenergy.

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SOURCE DTE Energy