Bill Pay: System Status and Resolution Log
We’re continuously working to improve your Bill Pay experience.
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See a special message from Geri LaChance, SESLOC President & CEO, which was included in our Summer 2023 newsletter.
Bill Pay Service Update: September 15, 2023
Transition to Former Service Provider Expected by Early 2024
No action is required from you at this time
In February of 2023, we upgraded our Online Banking platform and mobile banking app, which also included a transition to a new Bill Pay service. Whether you are a long-term member and used the former Bill Pay service, or have only used the new Bill Pay service, this information is applicable to you.
While we aim to deliver exceptional member services, we fell short with a key part of our Online Banking upgrade with respect to the Bill Payment functionality. We understand that making bill payments should be a quick and easy process and recognize that the new system is not user friendly; system specifications per our contract were not delivered. We truly regret the inconvenience this has caused for you.
After a great deal of consideration and due diligence, we have made the decision to transition back to our former service provider. Restoring Bill Pay back to its previous functionality remains the number one project focus for SESLOC. However, this change is another major transition and is not something that can be done in weeks, rather, implementation will require several months of thorough testing, extensive quality control checks, and robust training with our staff to ensure the quality and functionality of the system is easy to use and meets your expectations.
We anticipate the transition to be complete by early 2024, with a possibility that the service is delivered by end of 2023. We will notify you every step of the way, sending timely and informative updates on the progress of the transition.
What You Can Expect
A complete restoration of all of your Bill Pay services by early 2024:
- eBill users will be required to re-enroll in eBills in the new platform; however, you will not need to enter login credentials for those billers (e.g. PG&E, Verizon, So Cal Gas, etc.). Re-enrollment will be a simple click of a button.
- eBill users will not need to re-authenticate their credentials each month.
- Majority of major national and local billers will be available for eBills and AutoPay in the new system.
- Overall “clicks” are reduced.
Access to both “classic” and “enhanced” interfaces:
- Our former Bill Pay service provider has made minor enhancements to the interface since you last used the system, which improve functionality, speed and ease of use. We will be offering this enhanced version to you upon transition to this system.
- However, you will still be able to access the “classic” version of the service, which is the exact version available prior to the transition this past February. You will be able to easily toggle back and forth from the “classic” interface to the “new” interface with no interruption in your services. This toggle will be available through the end of 2024, at which point the provider will be decommissioning the “classic” interface.
If you enrolled in Bill Pay for the first time on after February 22, 2023:
- If you were never enrolled in the former Bill Pay service, you may or may not be aware of the degradation of functionality in comparison to the new Bill Pay system you are using today. However, we believe you will be pleased with the new features that will be available to you. Rest assured, we will provide guidance and technical support to ensure you get the most of the Bill Pay system.
How to Prepare for the Transition
At this time, no action is required from you. However, we recommend:
- Please keep your contact information up-to-date to ensure you get the latest news and updates regarding the transition.
Our Interim Plans
- In the meantime, we have been in close contact with our current Bill Pay provider to ensure online bill payments continue, to further resolve gaps in your services, and to make the process smoother and more streamlined wherever possible.
Please continue to report issues to our team via chat at sesloc.org, through Secure Message in Online Banking, by calling (805) 543-1816 or email at [email protected].
Please see our Bill Pay System Status & Resolution Log webpage for a list of improvements that have been delivered thus far, and for news and updates regarding the restoration of your services in early 2024.
Thank you for your continued patience as we work to improve and restore your Bill Pay services.
Please continue to report issues to our team via Live Chat, through Secure Message in Online Banking, by calling (805) 543-1816 or email at [email protected].
Bill Pay Resolution Log & Current Status
Below is a list of known issues and feature enhancements, reported by SESLOC members and/or identified by the SESLOC team and our service provider. We will update this log in real time as issues are resolved and/or as services are restored. Where noted, we have identified an alternative solution.
Last Updated: July 18, 2023
Known Issue or New Feature Request |
Status |
Details |
| Enhanced payment confirmation button | Added | Enhancement added July 18, 2023.
Now it is easier to see that you are required to click the button to submit your payment. The button is now clearly labeled “Submit Payment” and the checkmark icon was removed, which may have caused confusion. |
| Unable to change a biller from one category to another | Restored | Service restored on July 18, 2023.
Now you can change a biller category on the “View/Edit Biller” page by clicking on Edit in the category section. There are 19 categories the user can choose from. You can now also change the category of any biller labeled “Uncategorized.” |
| Enhanced security with “Session Timeout” | Added | Feature added on July 18, 2023.
A dialog box will appear after a period of no activity in the Bill Pay system alerting you the session may time out. The timeout will help us protect your information in the event your dashboard is left idle. As a reminder, always LOG OUT after your session is complete! |
| Unable to retain the date range I selected | Resolved | Service restored on July 18, 2023.
When you apply a date range in the “Bills & Payments” page, navigate away from the page, then return to the page, the date filter is retained. |
| eBills displays and Outstanding Balance when there is none | Resolved | Service restored on July 18, 2023.
If your eBills payment had no Outstanding Balance, you will no longer be able to see this itemized in the eBills Details. Only the Amount Due will be displayed. |
| Bill Pay not available in Spanish | Added | Service added on June 21, 2023
Members may select their language preference by navigating to the User Settings (profile) icon.
|
| Paying multiple bills at once (Multi-Pay) | Resolved | Service restored on May 23, 2023 |
| Paying “other” amount or “statement balance” | Resolved | Service restored on May 23, 2023
|
| Getting a “Server Error” message when attempting to add, edit or pay a biller | Resolved | Service restored on May 23, 2023
Seeing a “server error” message has been an intermittent issue reported by some members. This error was due to a special characters present in various bill pay fields Special characters may include: #, @, -, &, %, ^, * Going forward, a more clear error will display stating that special characters must be removed to proceed. |
| “Bills & Payments” tab only shows one month at a time | Resolved | Service restored on March 30, 2023.
See our helpful guide: How to change the date range view in the “Bills & Payments” tab |
| Missing an indicator for “Electronic” vs. paper “Check” | Resolved | Service restored on March 30, 2023.
This feature is is now available in the “Manage Billers” tab. See our helpful guide: How to see if a bill will be sent electronically or by check |
| Unable to pay from a different/multiple checking accounts | Resolved | Service restored on March 23, 2023. |
- Notice for July 28, 2023: For members who use Bill Pay or eBills for Verizon, you may have received a notification that your payment will now be sent via check due to a change in the way Verizon processes payments. You will receive another notification before your payment processes that confirms Verizon is switching to a different electronic vendor today. Your payment should still be sent electronically.
Get started with these general tips
eBills Connectivity Guide »
Printing a Confirmation of Payment »
Various ways to keep a hard copy record of your transactions
Tips for loading in your eBiller/payees
- It is important to know that even if a payee/biller of yours isn’t connecting via eBill or requires re-authentication each month, all billers all eligible for payment via regular Bill Pay.
- Some billers require authentication every month when the eBill is downloaded — examples include Verizon and Citi. You may get an email from Bill Pay instructing you to log in and “fix error.” Unfortunately, this is not an issue that can be resolved. Our recommendation is to pay the bill electronically using regular Bill Pay, or set up auto pay from a SESLOC account directly on the biller’s website. Please note this is a temporary solution or workaround until we are able to fully restore your Bill Pay services.
- A few billers, including Charter/Spectrum, Discover and CapitalOne, are not currently available for eBills. Charter/Spectrum is not allowing enhanced Bill Pay systems such as ours to connect for eBills at this time. Discover and CapitalOne eBills connectivity was removed due to extensive multi-factor authentication required by those billers, which created a very poor member experience. Unfortunately no resolution is planned at this time.
- If you have other billers that used to be on eBills and are no longer connecting, please contact us at (805) 543-1816 or send us a secure message from within Online Banking so we can determine if the biller in question should be eBill eligible and “upgraded” to eBills as needed.
Printing a Confirmation of Payment »
Various ways to keep a hard copy record of your transactions
Need assistance?
If you have questions regarding Bill Pay, contact us at (805) 543-1816.
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