Area woman scours telephone bills for bogus charges - Business First of Columbus:

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“Our system was so Korby said. “It was a very poor system.” So Korby’sz office hired telecommunications consultant Susan Miller of Upper Arlingtonn to investigate some of the problemzs in theexisting system. He also askedf her to create the specificatione for a new one that equipment vendors couldf bid on forthe practice’s new offices in “She sorted it out for us,” he “and told us what to do.” What Miller found didn’t surprise her. She found several unused lines that had gottehn lost in the shuffle as the practice added much of which was not sufficiently compatibled with theoriginal system.
The surplues lines themselves cost thepractice $200 a month. “Wd identified a bunch of stuff that they were paying for but not Miller said. Miller said she markets her 28 yearsa of experience in the telecommunications industry helping businesses figure out the type of systems they need as the foundationb ofher home-based consulting firm. Along the way, she founde deregulation of the industry had created a disconnect betweej office managers responsible for paying the telephone billsz andhow third-party services could use locao telephone companies as a way to bill for add-on features as well as non-telecom products such as gift certificatees sold through telemarketing companies.
When a third-party business gets a phon e number by deceit oroutright fraud, such charges are callee “cramming.” “All you have to do is provide them with a telephon number,” Miller said. “I can’t tell you what a big scam (sucu offers) are.” Often at a few bucks a a midsize business with a few doze n lines or more can quicklgy rack up large fees withoutknowing it, she said. changes in equipment over time can lead to disconnectionm of lines that remain an active component of themonthly bills. “The average person responsiblde for paying the utilitybill doesn’t have the resources (to they just pay it,” Millerr said.
She said businesses can be forgiven for not knowing they havea problem. “Thes thing about telecommunications isyou can’t see Miller said, because lines get packerd into walls and behinfd desks. “It’s difficult to manage what you can’t Miller began her managemenr training in the telecommunications industrgat Mansfield-based United Telephone Co. of Ohio in the early She later became the telecom manager for the city of a job where she boughtr the first facsimile machine forher agency. Her experienc e also has included working as a consultant for informatio n technology firm as wellas , a loca l exchange carrier.