Are you being billed for services you don’t use or have previously disconnected?
Have you ever noticed that in life it’s straightforward to sign up for something but often very difficult to get out? Over the holidays I have been attempting to reduce the number of services I subscribe to, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify, and Apple Music. Of course, you know that it is usually a more involved process to cancel services.
So, you shouldn’t be surprised that the same applies to telecommunications services. In this situation, it is understandable because disconnecting the wrong telephone line can in some circumstances can result in disaster.
If you are moving or closing a down one or more of your sites, or reducing the number of telephone lines, it is vital that you use the right language. To disconnect and remove a telecommunications service is known as “relinquishing” a service. You need to state this explicitly.
In some circumstances, other services are operating through that number such as a simple diversion, fax, broadband or some other add on service. If you do not specify these additional services in the instruction, they may be left active and continue to bill.
In some circumstances, the service provider may try and make contact with you, the client, to clarify the services to be relinquished. If you do not respond, the request will be suspended and eventually cancelled. We have seen the effect of months of continued billing of cancelled services with many clients leading to claims for thousands of dollars. However, unless you can show sound written records showing the communication with the service provider, it will difficult to recover the credit!
The bottom line is that the request is only the start of the process. You must monitor every step and then double check it is no longer on the bill.