Just wrapped up a major audit win I had to share with everyone. Client here in Corpus Christi had Verizon FiOS business service with what they thought was a standard PRI setup for their call center. Turns out Verizon had been billing them for THREE separate PRIs when they were only using one, plus charging enterprise-level SLA fees they never requested. Total overbilling was $67,000 over 18 months! The scary part is this client thought they were getting a good deal because the sales rep offered a "package discount."
Verizon FiOS business - found massive overbilling on PRI circuits
Vivian, that's incredible! $67K is huge. I've seen similar issues with Verizon business sales reps here in Arkansas - they seem to have quotas that encourage overselling services. How did you discover the multiple PRI billing? Did their phone system logs show they were only using one circuit? Also, what's the timeline looking like for getting that money back?
That's an amazing recovery! In Montana, Verizon's billing for PRI services is notoriously complex. The circuit IDs often don't match what's actually installed, and their provisioning system seems to add services that were never ordered. Vivian, did you have to get their network operations center involved to verify the actual circuit configuration? I've found that's the only way to get definitive proof of what's really connected.
Vivian, similar situation in Omaha last year. Verizon FiOS business billing seems to have systematic problems with PRI provisioning. I found a client being charged for 4 PRIs but their PBX was only configured for 2. The enterprise SLA fees are a red flag too - most businesses don't need that level of service but sales reps add it anyway because it's high margin. Did your client specifically request enterprise SLAs or were they just added automatically?
Helen, I discovered the multiple PRI issue by comparing their phone system capacity reports with the circuit inventory on their Verizon bills. The PBX logs clearly showed only 23 channels in use (one PRI) but they were being billed for 69 channels total. Marilyn, yes I had to escalate to their NOC to get actual circuit verification. Elisa, the client never requested enterprise SLAs - the sales rep just included them in the "comprehensive business package" without explaining what they were.
This is exactly why I always request complete service inventories when auditing Verizon accounts. Their billing system seems to add services automatically during upgrades or moves. Vivian, how long did it take to get Verizon to acknowledge the errors? In my experience with their business billing disputes, they tend to push back hard on large credit requests and try to claim the services were "available if needed."
Wow, $67K recovery! That's got to be one of the biggest telecom audit wins I've heard of. Here in San Jose, I've found Verizon FiOS business sales practices are questionable at best. They bundle services and make it sound like you're getting a deal, but individual service pricing is often inflated. Vivian, did you have to involve any regulatory agencies or was Verizon cooperative once you provided the technical evidence?
Fantastic work, Vivian! In Kentucky, I've seen Verizon business reps oversell PRI capacity all the time. They'll claim you need multiple PRIs for "redundancy" but most businesses don't actually need that level of failover. The enterprise SLA charges are pure profit for them - it's the same network infrastructure with a different support phone number. What percentage recovery fee did you charge on that $67K? That's a life-changing commission!
Here in Pennsylvania, Verizon FiOS business billing has similar issues. The PRI overbilling seems systematic - I think their sales system defaults to multiple circuits even when one is sufficient. Vivian, did your client have any service outages or performance issues that might have justified the extra PRIs? Sometimes businesses think they need redundancy after a single outage, but proper PRI configuration usually handles failover automatically.
Cindy, it took about 8 weeks and three escalations to get Verizon to acknowledge the errors. They initially claimed the extra PRIs were for "load balancing" but couldn't provide any technical documentation showing they were actually configured that way. Pete, thankfully didn't need regulatory involvement - their executive complaint resolution team finally approved the credit. Mike, I charge 35% on telecom recoveries over $50K. Sylvia, no outages or performance issues - they were paying for redundancy they didn't need or even know they had.
Vivian, that's an incredible audit! Here in New Orleans, I've found Verizon's business sales practices border on fraudulent sometimes. The fact that they couldn't provide technical documentation for the "load balancing" claim speaks volumes. This thread is a great reminder to always verify actual circuit configurations against billing. I'm definitely going to be more aggressive about requesting NOC verification reports on my Verizon audits.
This is why telecom auditing is so lucrative! Vivian, that 35% commission on $67K is a nice payday. In Indianapolis, I've started specifically looking for PRI overbilling on all my Verizon accounts after hearing similar stories. The enterprise SLA fees are particularly egregious - pure profit margin with no actual additional service. Did your client's contract have any language about PRI capacity requirements, or was it just based on the sales rep's recommendations?
Outstanding work, Vivian! Up here in Seattle, Verizon business billing has the same problems. I think their sales compensation structure incentivizes overselling because reps get paid on monthly recurring revenue. The PRI capacity issue is huge - most businesses have no idea how many channels they actually need. This thread is gold for anyone auditing Verizon FiOS accounts. Thanks for sharing the details!
Vivian, congratulations on an excellent audit! This is exactly the kind of systematic overbilling we see with major carriers. Here in Memphis, I've found similar issues with Verizon business accounts - their billing systems seem designed to maximize revenue rather than match actual service delivery. Your approach of comparing PBX logs to circuit inventory is spot on. For anyone reading this thread, always request detailed service orders and circuit maps when auditing PRI services. The carriers often can't provide them because the services were never properly provisioned in the first place.