San Diego is on a course to make good on a tech snafu that took a bite out of residents' bank accounts instead of depositing COVID relief credits. Around 690 customers were hit with charges by a contractor working for the City’s Department of Information Technology, an error caught and reported to Public Utilities earlier this month.
In response to the gaffe, Jonathan Behnke, the city's IT boss, admitted the mistake and promised fixes. "We took immediate action to address this mistake, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that customers have experienced as a result of this issue," Behnke stated, outlining steps the Department of IT is making to prevent future errors. Enough said, customers are being refunded any erroneous bank deductions over $10, while those with lesser amounts skimmed will see credits on future bills, according to the City of San Diego.
The city's now picking up the tab for any subsequent overdraft fees or banking penalties suffered by customers due to this error and is turning around to recoup those losses from the IT contractor responsible. According to the city's Public Utilities Department, customer notices went out and refunds started flowing as soon as the mistake was caught.
And while the problem is being remedied, it begs a broader look at ongoing efforts to dial-up service quality. Public Utilities, which touts over 283,000 customers, is pouring resources into a new online self-service portal and technology that'll hopefully streamline things going forward. Last year alone, the department made strides, implementing a new call-routing software aimed at slashing wait times. "Additionally, increased staffing levels and new online services resulted in a drop in average wait times for customers contacting the utility," highlighted Public Utilities in the midst of detailing ongoing service enhancements, as per the City of San Diego.
