Out of Power? Just Text Us!
When a big wind storm blows through or something happens that causes a major electric line outage, our telephones light up. When several hundred people all try calling at the same time, many will get a busy signal. We now have another way to report outages. Just Text us. Texting is faster and an easier way to report your power outage to. If many folks report their outage by text, those calling in their outage will have a better chance of getting through the first time. We know there are many members that do not Text. By reducing the phone calls, the non-texting folks will be able to communicate with us much quicker.
Here is how it works: You will need to complete a short registration process. Sorry, but we are required to comply with the laws governing Text. Your cell phone number must also be on file at Lamar Electric for the registration process to be completed successfully. If you have not provided your cell phone number to Lamar Electric in the past, please contact us at 903-784-4303 to do so.
The registration process to text reports of power outages to Lamar Electric is easy. Note, however, that your cell phone plan’s standard text messaging and data rates apply. To sign up, all you need is a computer and a cell phone to follow these steps.
CLICK HERE to access the Member Login page;
On the Member Login page, enter your email address and a password and click on the Register button;
Read and accept the website’s terms and conditions; and
On the Account Verification page, enter your cell phone number and click the Submit button.
After doing so, a text will be sent to your cell phone revealing an account verification code. Enter the verification code in the applicable web page field and click the Submit button. To confirm successful completion of registration process, you will receive a text message thanking you for joining the outage texting service. If Lamar Electric does not have your cell phone number on file, you will receive a message to contact us to provide the number.
You will then be directed to a screen listing the account number(s) associated with your cell phone number. On this screen, you’ll find the number to which outages should be texted. Make sure to add this number to your cell phone‘s contacts list so it will be readily available when a power outage occurs. In the instance that you may have multiple accounts with Lamar Electric, you will be provided with instructions on how to set up key word indicators for each account (i.e., home, well, cabin, shop, barn, etc.). This process will increase the likelihood of reporting individual or full outages successfully. After entering/verifying your outage information and clicking the “Submit” button, you’ll be all set to text your next power outage to us.
Texting an Outage
Texting your outage to Lamar Electric just requires a few simple steps:
Open a new text message in your cell phone,
Type “Outage” (without quotes, not case sensitive),
Enter the outage number provided during the sign up process in the “Send To” field, and
Send the message.
For multiple accounts, key word indicators (e.g., home, shop, well, barn, etc.) can be used in the outage report. For example, in the case of a power outage at your barn, you would type “Outage Barn.” If all your accounts are without power, you would type “Outage All”.
Once the text is received and verified by Lamar Electric’s outage management system, you will receive an “Outage Reported Successfully” text message. Once the outage has been restored, a text confirming the restoral will be sent to you. If you find you are still without power, it will direct you to call the cooperative with the contact number provided.
As always, you can still report your outage to Lamar Electric by calling 903-784-4303. When you call our telephone number, you will still be given the option of using our “Automated Outage Reporting System”, by pressing the number one and entering your outage using your phone key pad. Of course, if you don’t press any number, we will always have a real live person available to take your phone call, but you may have to wait till he or she can get to your call.
