It happens every month. Your bookkeeper gets a bill in the mail, cuts the check, stamps the bill paid and files it away. What’s wrong with that, you ask? Your bookkeeper is doing their job paying the bills, but are you getting what you paid for?
On several occasions, our clients have asked us to audit their bills pertaining to technology and telecommunications. To their dismay, we have found unnecessary charges that range from services that they haven’t used for years to paying for too many services that they no longer need. Here are just a few examples:
- Old Internet services that have been disconnected but are still active.
- Telephone lines that are still active but no longer being used.
- Expired equipment contracts that could be canceled or renegotiated.
- The wrong services on an account that were not subscribed.
- Expensive old technology that could be replaced with newer, cheaper, faster services.
- Long distance per minute charges well over today’s average rate.
- Expired contracts on copiers and printers that are well beyond their duty cycle.
Could you save $10,000?
In a recent case, we found that one customer had been paying for an old, high priced telephone circuit for almost 10 years before they realized it. Their total bill for the past 10 years was almost $10,000! Needless to say, they were a bit taken back.
Here’s how you can take action today.
So, how do you make sure this doesn’t happen to you? Here’s what we suggest:
- Call your Internet and/or telephone service provider and find out if you are still under a contract and ask for the expiration date and the number of days required for advance notice fortermination of service.
- Find out if any of your service contracts have an auto-renew clause that continues your contract unless you request a cancellation.
- Enter your contract cancellation dates in your calendar with advanced reminders.
- Ask your service providers for itemized bills.
- Audit your bills for phone numbers you don’t recognize, features you don’t use or didn’t know you had.
- Call the numbers you’re paying for on your bill. You may be surprised who answers!
- Don’t buy toner from the big box store down the street. Shop the price online and look for less expensive recycled cartridges.
Many telecommunications and Internet services have changed drastically in recent years. If you’re paying the same rates for the same services from 2 or 3 years ago, you’re probably paying too much or missing out on better features for the same price.
If you’re not sure where to start, your bills look like their written in a foreign language and you’re afraid to open the door to your telephone closet, give us a call at 866-529-1568 or email us at info@bridgenetllc.com. We’ll be happy to do a do a full audit for you.