Partner Article

Telecom Rottweiler takes on overcharging

Jillian gets companies back thousands of pounds in call charges, Telecom services and equipment charges

Phones are an essential cost in every business but too many people are paying for things they shouldn’t be and paying over the odds for the service they receive, according to self-proclaimed consumer Rottweiler Jillian Scott.

She runs Broadband Telephony VOIP Auditing Limited, which analyses the service, quality and the cost of telecoms that her clients are using, uncovering hidden costs and highlighting overpayments that in many cases can add up to thousands of pounds.

Jillian, who is based in Alnmouth said: “Telecoms is now a highly competitive sector attracting huge sums of money and unfortunately that brings with it a lot of greed and unnecessary charging.

“But because firms aren’t always aware of the different types of packages that are available they can end up paying much more than they should. Sadly too, in most cases, their supplier doesn’t tell them if they would be better off on a different tariff .We carry out a free audit and analysis and in many cases, we can obtain substantial credits for our clients without them having to change their telecoms supplier.”

Jillian, who specialises in contract law, has worked in the telecoms industry for nearly a quarter of a century with leading Telco companies across the UK and she and knows the Telco sector inside out. She has an in-depth knowledge of service level agreements, Contract law, the Telecoms Act and the Ofcom regulations governing the industry.

Her business specialises in troubleshooting with particular reference to landline and mobile call charges, Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) Data costs and landline to mobiles costs. She also looks at mobile contracts, the costs of running a particular system, be that an ordinary landline-based service or the newer broadband or VOiP services, and can advise companies of different ways to use their phones to reduce costs. In addition, she will fight her clients’ corners in billing and contract disputes with their telecoms providers that has given her the nickname of the Telco Rottweiler.

One key area where clients commonly face problems is when they are changing their mobile equipment or contract.

Jillian said: “Mobile communications is a very complexly priced industry, with both price plans and equipment changing all the time.

“An education on how the mobile industry works, and how deals are stacked up would be very advantageous for any customer who is tendering for their mobile contract.”

Jillian provides free telecoms audits and charges a commission based on the cost savings she identifies and credits that have been raised. In effect, she offers a ‘no win, no fee’ service, so if she cannot find any savings, her clients are not charged.

“I believe that I can save any company or receive a better level of service with existing suppliers and introduce ways of cost cutting and obtaining credits without implementing any capital cost,” she said.

“However, If I do advise clients to swap suppliers it’s because I uncover evidence of a lack of customer care, that the supplier has breached its service level agreement or when I’ve identified that the client would make large annual savings elsewhere.”

Jillian and her team work with businesses of all sizes around the UK. She was recently able to obtain credit notes of £24,000 from a telecoms supplier for one Manchester-based recruitment firm that has just one office and six members of staff.

Both the costs of calls, service and equipment vary hugely between telecoms suppliers, and there can also be massive variations in costs charged to different customers using the same supplier. In some cases, people find themselves paying for services they had not contractually agreed to, and Jillian has also uncovered examples of both errors and fraud that had cost her clients dearly.

She said: “I am totally independent of any single supplier, manufacturer or network and I work across the Voice, Data-Internet and Mobile/Mobility telecoms services.

“I’m not affiliated to any supplier or network, and my only loyalty is to the client on behalf of which I’m working. I’ll never give up on a client – I always get them the best possible deal I can and their money back.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Keith Newman .