JCP&L Offers Outage Reporting on Facebook and Adds Crew Status to Outage Maps

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Mar 04, 2014, 03:00 ET

MORRISTOWN, N.J., March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) is making it easier for customers to report outages and check the progress of service restoration efforts.

JCP&L is the first investor-owned electric utility in New Jersey to offer an outage reporting app on Facebook. Customers who visit the company's award-winning Facebook page at www.facebook.com/JCPandL can use the new "Report an Outage" tab to let the company know about a power disruption. The app is integrated with the company's automated reporting system to help ensure that outages are quickly and accurately recorded.

In addition, customers can now view the status of crews restoring service after a power outage on the company's 24/7 Power Center outage map. This enhancement lets customers know when crews have been dispatched, when they are working on a repair, and when additional crews or equipment are needed to complete restoration work. This information is also provided through JCP&L's web-based outage information, and its text messaging and alert services.

"We work continuously to improve the experience for our customers on two fronts: strengthening and enhancing service reliability, and making it easier for customers to connect with us and get the information they need if they do experience a power outage," said Jim Fakult, president of JCP&L.

To submit an outage report using the Facebook app, customers are asked to enter the phone number associated with their JCP&L electric account. Confirmation will be provided within the app once the outage is reported. Customers can receive status updates on reported outages by logging into their online account at www.jcp-l.com, or using JCP&L's text messaging service by texting STAT to 544487 (LIGHTS).

These new tools complement the broad array of communication services introduced by JCP&L in the past year. JCP&L's email and text message alert notifications contain billing reminders, weather alerts in advance of major storms, and updates on scheduled or extended power outages. Customers can also use two-way text messaging to report outages, request updates on restoration efforts, and make other inquiries about their electric accounts.

The company also provides current outage information, including estimated restoration times and outage causes, on its 24/7 Power Center map, which is optimized for mobile phones. Additionally, customers can download the JCP&L smartphone app for Apple^® iPhone^® and Android™ devices.

More information about JCP&L's communication tools is available at www.firstenergycorp.com/connect.

JCP&L is a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE). JCP&L serves 1.1 million New Jersey customers in the counties of Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren. Follow JCP&L on Twitter @JCP_L, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JCPandL, or online at www.jcp-l.com.