Keep Phone Bills Under Control: Review Your Charges
By Ted Mallires & Judy Wright
Communications & Networking
Universal Advisor , 2004 Issue No. 1

When it comes to landline or wireless services, consumers have more choices than ever before. When faced with these many options, however, most consumers don’t take the time to evaluate what they have or how it stacks up to what’s available in the marketplace. Moreover, consumers often neglect to review their telephone billing statements on a regular basis. Failure to consider these factors can result in a variety of costly oversights — oversights that, in the cellular world, can amount to additional airtime charges and “hidden” fees for ostensibly free features and, in the landline realm, may result in overcharging on usage and fees for unused features.

It’s extremely important for consumers to review their telephone bills on a regular basis to ensure current plans continue to align with their needs. For example, some consumers may find themselves paying additional airtime charges month after month on their cellular bills, rather than revising their plan to include more minutes. In addition, failure to read bill statements often results in missed opportunities. With cellular bills, many service providers select this forum to introduce new service plans, either in the statement itself or in a separate insert.

Because service plans can vary, it’s important that consumers know what their calling plans include as well as the respective charges they’re assessed each month. For instance, cellular consumers who travel outside of their provider’s home calling area need to understand the associated “roaming” costs to determine if the charges on monthly statements are correct. On the landline side, users are charged several tariff fees, which differ from provider to provider. Service providers make mistakes from time to time, and if statements aren’t checked regularly, these errors can add up.

Finally, there are all the “extras.” Features like voicemail, call waiting, and call forwarding are often presented as “free” incentives to prospective buyers. While many service providers include these features free as part of a service plan, there may be fees associated with using them. If consumers don’t pay attention to their statements, they may never realize how much these “free” features really cost.

Service plan pricing and equipment options are changing at an unprecedented rate. To be sure you’re getting the most for your money, carefully review your statements on a regular basis. If something doesn’t look right, or you think another plan may be better for you, don’t hesitate to contact your service provider. This is an easy way to save real money.