FAQs • Bentonville, AR • CivicEngage

How do I sign up for this service?: No need to sign up! On April 27^th, any electric customers with a mobile phone number as the primary contact on their account will be auto-enrolled and will receive the welcome message from 1-800-286-1262.

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Electric Department - Text Power

1. What is TextPower for the Electric Department?: TextPower is a text messaging service that provides BEUD customers with real-time information about electric outages. This can include estimated restore time, number of customers affected, and any known cause of the outage.

2. How do I sign up for this service?: No need to sign up! On April 27^th, any electric customers with a mobile phone number as the primary contact on their account will be auto-enrolled and will receive the welcome message from 1-800-286-1262.

3. How do I verify the correct phone number is on my account so I will be auto-enrolled?: You can verify or change the phone number on your account by visiting the online account portal. After logging in, navigate to “My Profile”, then “Update Account info”, and save changes to your phone number. You can also call 479-271-3100 option 1 to speak with a customer service representative to update your number.

4. How often will I receive text messages?: You will only receive text messages when your account is affected by a power outage.

5. Will I receive text messages that are not related to power outages?: No, you will not receive messages from 1-800-286-1262 that are not related to a power outage.

6. Is there any charge for using the TextPower service?: No, this service is provided by the City of Bentonville, however standard data and text messaging rates from your phone carrier will apply.

7. In the past, I have used 1-800-286-1262 as the after-hours phone number to report outages. Is the same number used to report outages via both phone and text?: Yes, the 1-800 number can be dialed to reach our automated outage entry system or a live operator. The number can now receive text messages from customers. Save this number in your phone contacts and you will always be ready to report an outage via whichever method you choose.

The system will ONLY recognize the following inputs:

OUT – reports power is out at the address associated with your phone number
STATUS – replies with known information about your address and any power outages
HELP – Provides a list of valid inputs and description of service.

9. What if I would like to add multiple phone numbers to our account to receive notifications?: A BEUD representative can add additional phone numbers to receive text messages by contacting us at 479-271-3135 Option 2, 7:30 AM-4:00 PM, Monday-Friday. All phones linked to the account will receive updates from the system. Please have your 11 digit account number available when calling BEUD.

10. What if I don’t want to receive text messages on my cell phone?: Simply reply to the welcome message with the word “QUIT”. You will receive a confirmation message that your phone will no longer receive messages about electric outages.

11. What if I manage multiple accounts with my cell phone number?: The system will auto assign numbers to each address during auto-enrollment. When you text the word "out", the system will respond that you have more than one account tied to your phone and will list all the addresses and a corresponding number. Respond with "Out" followed by a space and the corresponding number to report an outage (Ex. "Out 2" or "Out 4").

12. What if I would like to monitor a family member’s account?: Contact BEUD from 7:30 AM-4:00 PM, Monday-Friday at 479-271-3135 Option 2. A representative can assist you with adding your phone number to your family members account. Please have the 11 digit account number of your family member available when calling BEUD.

13. What if I opted out, but would like to re-enroll?: Text the keyword “COB” to 1-800-286-1262 to re-enroll.

14. I accidentally sent the word OUT to 1-800-286-1262, but I do not actually have a power outage. What do I do?: You will need to speak to a customer service representative to cancel the outage. call 479-271-3135 option 2 between 7:30AM - 4:00 PM, Monday-Friday. For all other days and times, call the after-hours outage number at 1-800-286-1262.

15. Will I receive text notifications if my account is affected by an outage even if I am not home to report the outage myself?: Yes, if your account is affected by a known device outage (such as a transformer, fuse or substation outage). If there is an outage that is only affecting your house, you must report the outage yourself in order to receive updates on the outage.

16. My power went out. Why didn’t I get a text message?: The power may be out only in your home our business, which may not actually be caused by a problem in the BEUD electric system. You will only receive a text message about an outage you did not report if a BEUD dispatcher has verified an outage in our outage system.

17. My friend across town has a power outage at their house. Can I report the outage for them via text message?: No, you can only use text reporting for accounts that are associated with your mobile phone number.

18. I received a message that my power has been restored, but my power is actually still out. What do I do?: First, check your breaker panel and make sure no breakers are tripped. Also, check your main breaker. The main breaker may be located inside the house in your breaker panel, or it may be outside by the meter. If you have checked all the breakers and the power is still not on, reply to the restoration message with OUT, or call 1-800-286-1262 to report the outage via phone.

19. I have a downed power line in my yard. Can I report this via text message?: No, do not report this type of problem via text message. If you see a downed power line or other potentially hazardous condition involving electrical equipment, call us at 1-800-286-1262 to speak to a live operator, or call 911. While you wait for BEUD crews to arrive, stay away from the line and keep others away from the area as the ground or surrounding objects such as fences may become energized.

20. I reported my outage via text message. Why haven’t I received a message with an estimated restore time or outage cause yet?: If you have reported a power outage during or after a storm, it is likely that there are multiple outage reports being entered in our system. If you haven’t gotten an estimated restore time or cause message yet, it is because BEUD dispatchers are still working to dispatch and assess all of the outages.

21. How accurate are the restoration times provided?: Restoration times are estimates based on the information we have about the outage. We can make good estimates on how long it typically takes to restore different types of outages based on historical data, but each outage time will vary based on individual circumstances.

22. It is past my estimated restore time but my power is still not on. Do I need to report the outage again?: No, the estimated restore times are based on historical data and feedback from the crews in the field. This is to give our customers an idea of when their power will be restored to help you plan and await restoration. However, the actual restoration time may be longer or shorter than the estimate.