Nashville Electric Service (NES) knows the city of Nashville continues to battle tough times. With the COVID-19 pandemic, tornadoes, derecho windstorms and now a downtown explosion that has severely impacted several businesses, NES wants customers to know it cares.

NES is ceasing disconnections for non-payment through Jan. 31. In addition, NES is waiving reconnection fees through Feb. 28.

Any customers needing help paying their bills are encouraged to visit <www.neshelps.com> to apply for assistance. NeedLink is also taking applications for assistance at www.needlink.org and has streamlined the process to minimize the wait time for approval. Those 75 or older or who have no way to apply online can call 615-269-6835.

NES also wants customers to be aware of utility scam artists during the holiday season. Scammers contacting customers are claiming to be with the disconnections department at NES and are threatening to disconnect power to customers if they don’t make a payment within 30 minutes of receiving the call.

NES employees have even reported receiving some of these scam calls themselves. These scammers usually try to intimidate customers into providing financial information, purchasing a pre-paid debit card for payment or calling a toll-free number to make the payment.

NES offers these tips to help customers protect themselves:

• If someone calls threatening to cut off your power if you don’t pay, hang up. This is a scam.
• NES does not provide a toll-free number to call for making a payment.
• If you have doubts about a phone call, email, text or on-site visit, reach out to NES at 615-736-6900 before taking any action.
• Never give personal or financial information to an unsolicited caller.
• If you think you are a victim of a scam, contact the local police.

Customers can contact NES Customer Relations at 615-736-6900 for assistance. For in-person service, customers may visit the NES lobby at 1214 Church Street, Monday-Friday from 8 am-6 pm. Customers may also handle in-person transactions at the Enbright Credit Union locations located at 2340 Jackson Downs Boulevard in Donelson and 270 Indian Lake Boulevard in Hendersonville.