Found a mistake on your telecom bill? Here's how I'd dispute it.
My company reads business phone and internet bills and gets the mistakes fixed. If you found one on your own, good for you. Before you call anybody, look up how long you have to dispute it. That date is in your agreement, and once it passes the carrier can say no.
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The short version
- Look up the dispute deadline in your service agreement before anything else. If you're late, they can turn you down.
- Write to the carrier and include the invoice, the exact charge, the contract term it breaks, and your math.
- Pay the part of the bill you aren't disputing. Only hold money back if your agreement says you can.
- Write down the ticket number, the date, and who you talked to. Keep after it until the credit shows up on a bill.
- Check every bill against what you actually ordered and the rates in your contract. Do it every month.
- This post is about getting the credit once you find a mistake. If you're still looking, start with how to read a telecom invoice and what a real telecom audit uncovers.
Step 1: Find your dispute deadline
Finding the mistake is usually the easy part. Getting your money back depends on a deadline that's easy to miss. It's in your service agreement, usually in the billing or payment section.
Every carrier and every agreement is different, so don't guess. Here's one public example. Verizon's online master terms for business customers say you can hold back a disputed amount if you tell Verizon within 30 days of the invoice date. They also say an invoice is treated as correct if you don't dispute it in writing within six months. Your agreement may say something different. Read yours.
Can't find the agreement? Ask your carrier rep in writing for the master agreement and the service schedules on your account. Then put the dispute deadline on your calendar.
Step 2: Send the carrier what it needs
If you leave something out, they'll write back and ask for it, and the whole thing drags on. Send all four the first time.
The invoice
The invoice number, the invoice date and your account number. Attach a copy.
The exact charge
The charge, the circuit ID or phone number it's on, and the location. One line for each problem.
The contract term it breaks
The rate in your contract, the date the promo ended, or the disconnect order that says the service should be gone.
Your math
What they billed, what they should have billed, and the difference for each month.
Step 3: Put it in writing and keep notes
Use whatever channel your agreement names. It might be a billing portal, a dispute form or a certain email address. Calling first is fine. Just follow up in writing the same day.
Keep one record for each dispute. Write down the date you filed it, who you talked to, the ticket number and what they said happens next. Carrier reps come and go, and your notes are what keep it moving.
If the same mistake shows up at more than one location or on more than one bill, put every one of them in the same dispute. That way they see it's a pattern.
Step 4: Pay the part you aren't disputing
Pay the rest of the bill on time. Some agreements let you hold back the disputed amount while the carrier looks into it. A lot of them only allow that if you filed by a certain date.
Holding money back when your agreement doesn't allow it can backfire. You can end up with late fees, a collections letter or even a notice that they'll suspend service. If you do hold money back, make sure you're allowed to, and tell them exactly which amount you're holding and why.
If you're not sure, pay the whole thing and ask for a credit. It can take longer, but your service stays on.
Step 5: If the first answer is no
Getting a no the first time happens a lot. Ask them to put the reason in writing and tell you which part of the agreement they're going by.
Then go up a level. Ask for a billing supervisor or your account manager. If it's about a contract rate, send the signed quote or order with your reply.
Be honest with yourself about whether it's worth the time. A small one-time charge may not be worth months of phone calls. A rate mistake that repeats every month at every location usually is. If the charge comes from a contract you'd like to get out of, read how to get out of a telecom contract early.
Step 6: Catch the next mistake in the first month
It's a lot easier to fix a mistake the first month it shows up than a year later.
- Keep a list of every circuit, phone number and service at each location.
- Check each bill against that list and your contract rates every month.
- Write the promo end dates on the same list so a rate change doesn't sneak up on you.
- Save the confirmation every time you cancel or move a service.
- Look for charges at locations you've closed.
- Write your dispute deadline next to each carrier on the list.
No time for this? Our free bill audit goes through every line at every site and you get the findings in writing, whether you work with us or not. If you run a lot of locations, see multi-site telecom management.
How Buckeye helps with billing mistakes
You pay $0. The carriers pay us, and the contracts stay in your name. We've been independent since 2003 and we're based in Sugar Grove, Ohio.
Send us the bills
Send us your recent invoices. We go through every line at every site and write down what's wrong.
We fix what's overpriced
If a service is wrong for the site or priced too high, we get quotes from the carriers that serve the building.
We take the calls after
After you sign, billing problems come to us. Call 614-224-2003. It rings Jonathan and the team 24x7.
Questions we get about billing disputes
How far back can we dispute a telecom charge?
Can we withhold payment while a dispute is open?
Who files the dispute if we use an advisor?
What does the Buckeye bill audit cost?
How is this different from reading the invoice?
Related
Free telecom bill audit.
Send us recent invoices. You get the findings in writing either way.
Read → Cost controlHow to read your telecom invoice.
What each part of the bill means and what to check every month.
Read → Cost controlWhat a real telecom audit uncovers.
What we usually find when we go through a stack of bills.
Read → Cost controlGetting out of a telecom contract early.
What you can do when a contract still has time left.
Read →Send us a recent bill. We'll go through every line.
No obligation. You pay $0. The carriers pay us.
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