NetGain Communications
Telecom expense management and network optimization consulting for T1, PRI, MPLS, conferencing, VoIP,
local & long distance, mobile services.
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RESTON, VA, July 28, 2009 – iTEMize Technologies, a leading provider of easy to use and affordable Telecom Expense Management (TEM) solutions, announced today that its iTEMize 3.0 software identifies surcharge anomalies, which is often a totally discretionary method of inflating telecom invoices, causing customers to pay more for services than they anticipated.
Competitive pressures are causing carriers and resellers to become more aggressive in their service pricing. When the first invoice arrives, however, customers may experience sticker shock – the savings they thought they were getting may dissipate with the addition of hefty surcharges that were never revealed to them when the deal was presented.
“The effect of surcharges can be a significant increase in the total invoice amount sent to the customer,” said Peter Callowhill, CEO of NetGain Communications. “This is like carriers in the airline industry charging passengers extra fees for everything from baggage to blankets and aisle seats to bathroom usage – it all adds up to real money.”
iTEMize 3.0 offers businesses the ability to identify new surcharges and add-on costs. iTEMize provides the automated discovery and documentation to challenge these junk fees and track dispute resolution.
Mr. Callowhill said the use of surcharges shows the means many service providers use to portray themselves as price competitive. “They only detail their main pricing elements to win the business, then attempt to get it all back by charging the customer extra fees that were never mentioned in the original price quote.”
Callowhill noted the negative impact surcharges have on one customer: “Our client identified and questioned ‘Carrier Cost Recovery’ and ‘Regulatory Administrative’ fees that appear on their bill. These fees amount to over $1,200 on their monthly invoice, which is a 5.25% increase on the overall bill from that carrier.”
Callowhill advises businesses to confirm with the service provider what charges will appear on their invoice and find out the remedy for non-compliance. “Get the remedy written into the contract and monitor your invoices. When you spot an anomaly, challenge them on it and keep pressing the issue. iTEMize makes this process easy,” he said.
About NetGain Communications
NetGain provides the mid market and large enterprises with carrier services and telecom inventory and expense control solutions, including iTEMize, which drives direct cost savings, improved management, and real-time visibility of an organization's entire wired and wireless service portfolio. For additional information, please visit www.netgaincom.com.
"Your firm was a valuable asset to Essex and worked as key team members in the design and implementation of our integrated voice and data IP network."
-Office Manager, Essex Construction, LLC
Upper Marlboro, MD