LUMA firm in its plans to close 7 service centers

Senate Government Committee Chairman Ángel Toledo López

By The Star Staff

LUMA Energy announced this week that its decision to close seven of its 25 customer service centers on the island remains firm, although it has not yet announced an official date.

“We have made the difficult but necessary decision to close seven of the 25 service centers that LUMA operates in Puerto Rico,” the company said in a written statement.

“We are analyzing the options proposed by the mayors, and decisions regarding these considerations will be discussed with them and the central government,” LUMA stated.

The statement added that the company’s president, Juan Saca, will lead the dialogue process.

LUMA said services continue to be available at 25 regional centers, by phone, through the MiLUMA app, and at more than 900 payment points across the island.

“We remain committed to transforming the electricity system and providing our 1.5 million customers with the service they deserve,” the statement said.

LUMA issued the communique a day after a hearing was held before the Senate Government Committee, chaired by Sen. Ángel Toledo López, related to Senate Resolution 85 to investigate the decision to close the seven service centers, which are located in the municipalities of Cayey, Manatí, Naranjito, Santa Isabel, San Sebastián, San Germán and Utuado.

The preamble of the measure filed by Sens. Rafael “Rafy” Santos Ortiz and Wilmer Reyes Berríos states that “the possible closure of LUMA’s service centers is highly concerning. This closure would affect thousands of constituents who visit the offices daily to receive assistance with their needs. The measure would have a direct and immediate impact not only on employees but also on the senior citizens who visit the offices seeking services.”

“I’m from Utuado, and I have to tell you that I’m not from the most remote part of Utuado, and it easily takes me an hour to get to Arecibo [where the nearest LUMA service center would be after the closures]... [I]f I had to find the customer service office, or the ‘customer experience center,’ it would probably take me a little longer,” Toledo said. “We certainly have clients who, during various events in Puerto Rico, have limited access to main roads.”

The senator added that another difficulty is that in certain areas of the island the phone signal isn’t the best, making it difficult for clients to resolve their issues with LUMA by phone.

Noriette Figueroa, vice president of LUMA’s Customer Experience division, told the committee that the closure of the seven centers “is part of a broader initiative to strengthen customer service by reallocating resources to improve the remaining 18 centers and, at the same time, using technology to improve accessibility and convenience for all customers.”

Figueroa noted further that LUMA’s decision to close the seven centers is based on an operational assessment that identified those locations as among the least frequented by customers, receiving fewer than 15,000 visits annually for non-payment transactions.

“It is important to clarify that this figure does not represent 15,000 individual customers, as the same customer can visit our centers multiple times throughout the year to receive services,” she said.