Most people are billed once a month for services. But are you really getting billed once per month?
You'd better double check.
Standard practice is a new bill is generated every 30 days (or on every “xth” day of the month)
There is a little known “trick” that died out years ago due to customer complaints. Be sure it is completely dead for you too.
IF YOU ARE BILLED EVERY YOU WILL RECEIVE
30 days 12 charges per year
29 days 12.6 charges per year
28 days 13 charges per year
The key is the 28 day billing cycle. Companies did this and it seemed reasonable to customers because it is close to a “month”. After all some months have 30 and some have 31 and then one even has 28 days, right?
The explanation was, “Sir/Madam, you have a monthly service, due to our accounting systems, we just produce statements every 28 days.”
Click Here to see what GOOGLE says when you search “28 Day Billing” the #1 result for me is an article written by an owner of an answering company ENCOURAGING people to use this as a way to increase the bottom line. It was written for connections magazine back in 2000. Connections magazine is a trade publication for call centers and answering services.
Sadly, this gentleman is right in my home town of Tampa Bay Florida. Google uses geo tracking to help with results, so he may not be first on your list –so just in case, here is the link: www.connectionsmagazine.com/articles/0/116.html
I DO NOT recommend anyone attempt such practices as it is misleading. If you do this, ask yourself, is ONE month of extra billing worth making a customer feel taken advantage of?
If you find a vendor of yours subjecting you to this type of billing, call and protest. Insist they credit you or put you on 30 day billing – of course this only works if you purchased a service based on “monthly” usage.
Blessings to you all this CHRISTMAS season,
Maurice Evans