By Matthew Monks
Electro Pay, which operated an office at 41-61 Kissena Blvd. in Flushing, failed to make “a few thousand” dollars worth of Verizon payments for Queens residents late last year, said Vincent Young, a Verizon spokesman. He said Verizon did not know the exact dollar amount because it had no access to Electro Pay's records. He said the company operated a handful of offices in Brooklyn and only about 100 of the 1,300 clients who had problems lived in Queens. “Electro Pay was an unauthorized (payment) vendor,” Young said. “It is unfortunate that these people were taken.”Wei Tang, 70, of Flushing, said Electro Pay took her $40 Verizon payment in December. She said she thought it was “strange” when the amount showed up on the next month's bill.”It shouldn't be like this,” she recalled saying at the time. She was among the 10 Flushing residents who complained about the utility bill collector to state Assemblyman Jimmy Meng (D-Flushing), who organized a news conference Friday in downtown Flushing to release the locations of two authorized Verizon payment vendors in Flushing.They are Lisa Page at 136-90 Roosevelt Ave., and Whitestone CC Parsons at 144-12 Northern Blvd. Unlike Electro Pay, the two vendors charge no fee for the service.Young said Verizon would continue services for customers whose payments were lost and that the company would seek to collect the money from Electro Pay.”We are not demanding payments for the amount that is in arrears,” Young said. “We won't go after anyone or interrupt their service.”Electro Pay officials could not be reached for comment. The Kissena Boulevard office was closed earlier this year and its phone number was disconnected. Brad Maione, spokesman for the attorney general's office, said Electro Pay was under investigation, but he could not disclose the details. Reach reporter Matthew Monks by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
