Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: Rich Sims Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Billing of Multi-Lines Message-ID: <11019@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 17 Aug 90 05:13:54 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 57 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 579, Message 6 of 9 In-Reply-To: message from la063249@zach.fit.edu >> [Moderator's Note: My two lines are both BILLED on the first line. I >> get one bill each month, with long distance charges from the second >> line appended on a separate page. > Here is Southern Bell Land ... There are two ways to have lines billed > together.. The first way is that they set up two separate accounts and > put a 'pointer' on the second line that says to print billing info > with the first. This cause AT&T reachout billing to show up on only > one line. > The second is when you have one account with two numbers. > [Moderator's Note: I get the 'benefits' of Reach Out America on both > lines for a single fee. All LD charges go through ROA .... I'm about as deep into "Southern Bell Land" as you can get (South Florida), and my billing operates precisely as described in the Moderator's Notes. I have two lines that are separate accounts, but BILLED to one line for convenience. When I started up ROA, I gave AT&T the second number (the non-billing one) but have the ROA rates on both lines. Each bill shows a full breakdown of all ROA-eligible calls, grouped by number, and a "total" ROA charge which includes all eligible calls made on either line. According to the folks at AT&T, the criteria is purely the "billing" arrangement. From discussions with them, it seems that I could apply the ROA rates to any number of lines for a single fee, as long as they are all BILLED to a single number. That obviously works out in my favor, but is a bit surprising, since the billing arrangements are not made with AT&T, but with the local telco. I did notice several occasions where calls made on the first line were charged at the standard rate, but I *always* received a "credit" on the next month's bill for the difference between the actual charge and the charge that should have been applied using ROA rates. At least, I assume it was the correct difference, I never bothered to figure it out. The impressive thing (to me) was that I got the correction and credit from AT&T automatically, I have NEVER had to call and question the bill! This hasn't happened for quite a long time now, though, so perhaps they have a different system for figuring it all out these days. My other lines are also billed to a single number, not the same as the first two I mentioned, and are not included in the ROA plan. In the summer months, this results in a monthly "reminder" from AT&T that I could be saving money by using ROA on those lines. I have never felt the need to do this, but I'm curious as to what happens if I simply call Southern Bell and arrange to have ALL the lines billed to the same number as the first two. I am fairly certain that's not EXACTLY what AT&T has in mind with those reminders, though! :-)