Fri Feb 1 18:05:27 PST 2002 — Sonic.net posts first phase of SBC-ASI DSL pass through billings.
SBC-ASI (formerly Pacific Bell) has changed the billing relationship for DSL customers.
Where previously SBC-ASI charges for DSL services appeared on your telephone bill, Sonic.net will now begin passing through billing for these charges to your Sonic.net bill. The first of these charges have been applied to the accounts of Sonic.net customers who ordered DSL after the middle of October, 2001. ASI-SBC DSL charges will begin appearing on the remaining DSL accounts in the coming weeks.
Please note that Sonic.net must pay in full all amounts to SBC when we are presented with the consolidated bill, so your prompt payment is appreciated. Additionally, Sonic.net now bears bank and credit card processing and collections costs for handling these payments, which creates an additional burden for us of about $3 per customer. These costs will not be added to your fees, but will be absorbed by Sonic.net.
There are some positive elements included in these changes:
We do believe that having a single point of contact for all of your Internet billing is likely to mean easier resolution of DSL billing issues, as Sonic.net will be able to coordinate with SBC-ASI to resolve questions for you. This eliminates lengthy telephone calls to Pacific Bell billing, and could be a big time savings for you.
Additionally, if you are a home worker and are receiving reimbursement from your employer for home office expenses, having a single invoice from Sonic.net to present may simplify this for you.
A few other notes:
Currently, Sonic.net offers term discounts of 10% for yearly pre-payment of Internet service fees. However, since Sonic.net is simply passing through the SBC-ASI DSL charges we are billed for, no discounting can be applied to these fees. Sonic.net will post charges on a monthly basis for all SBC-ASI DSL fees. These charges will include monthly service fees, equipment charges for new installations and repair technician time as billed.
DSL customers must remain paid and in good standing, as delinquent accounts will still be billed to us by SBC-ASI. If your account becomes unreasonably delinquent, we may be forced to disconnect your DSL service. Please keep a current credit card on file with Sonic.net, or send check payments in promptly to avoid any problems.
We are working to make the most of this change, and to attempt to use the benefits to our mutual advantage. If you have any comments about the changes, please feel free to join discussions on:
news://news.sonic.net/sonic.dsl — Dane, Chuckc