To the editor:
I just read your editorial about bundling and discounting, and, as a consumer, I could not agree more. I also subscribe to your adage to never, never pay retail. I wish I could avoid it where my wired and wireless services apply.
On another note, something I do not know if you have addressed lately, but which causes me as a consumer a tremendous amount of time, is billing accuracy. My husband is firmly convinced that long-distance providers make their money by “misbilling” and through the carelessness of many consumers in checking their bills for accuracy. As a careful consumer, I have spent hours on the phone with my service providers to correct billing errors-in my 16 months living back in America, I can honestly say I have spent about 20 hours correcting billing problems.
In fact, we got so fed up with one major carrier, we switched to another for one of our phone lines, and the first month billed, we found we had been billed differently by a third party carrier who had basically pirated our account through yet another carrier (i.e. I had to call three different states and never did reach the company who collects the money for that bill.) My headaches with long-distance service continue and I am desperate for a solution. What is wrong with these companies?!
I hope my reflections on long-distance service providers is useful to you.
Jody Steinberg
