Not all carriers are created equal.B While most would have you believe that all the extra charges that are tacked on to your telecom bill are mandated by the government, the truth is quite often a different story.
There can easily be a 10 to 15% difference between carriers in the overall amount of fees and taxes that are added to your telecom bill every month.B And, while there are a number of taxes and fees that are government mandated and just pass through the carrierb s books, many amount to additional revenue streams for the carrier.
For example, if you are using the telecommunications companyb s router or other equipment, there will typically be a recovery charge on your telecom bill.B The company collects this amount to offset what they will pay in property taxes and the cost of depreciation.B But, what if you arenb t using their equipment?B They may still charge the fee b just because they canb .
Many telecommunications companies charge an administrative fee that amounts to nothing more than a way to improve their profit margin.B And, while most companies wonb t negotiate these fees, it is important to know in advance what they are to do an b apples to applesb comparison of the various company quotes for telecom services.
Voice services are notoriously b taxed to deathb .B The basic amount that you are charged is typically only 70% to 80% of what you end up paying.B When I put together a financial analysis comparing the incumbent carrierb s charges to a proposal for new services, I am careful to net out the additional fees and taxes (to the best of my ability) to make sure that we are not unpleasantly surprised when the telecom bill arrives.
And, while I have little control over the taxes and fees that are charged, I have quite a bit of control over how informed our customers are in their decision-making.B As your telecommunications consultant, we can help you put your telecom bill b under the microscopeb .
