Tab 29 Treatment and Collections Table of Contents

Transcription

1 Tab 29 Treatment and Collections Table of Contents Overview... 2 Treatment and Denial... 2 Detailed Process... 3 AT&T Telco Collections... 3 End-user Education... 3 Suspension Notice... 3 Bill Block Notification to Billing and Collections Customers... 3 BILL BLOCK NOTIFICATION REPORT ENTRIES... 4 BILLING TELEPONE NUMBER... 4 WORKING TELEPHONE NUMBER... 4 BLOCK NOTIFICATION... 4 EFFECTIVE DATE... 4 BILL BLOCK NOTIFICATION REPORT SAMPLE... 5 Extensions of Credit... 6 Telecommunications Revenue Interactive Management System... 6 Denial of Service... 6 End-User Claims... 6 Single Balance Due... 7 Security... 7 Suspended Accounts... 7 Final Account Write-Off... 7

2 Treatment & Collections Page 2 of 8 CA, NV April 2006 TREATMENT & COLLECTIONS Overview Treatment and Denial End-user accounts are considered for treatment based upon factors such as the date, amount of the bill, length of service and history of prior treatment. The type of treatment administered is based upon the type of service, i.e., Residence or Business service, in accordance with guidelines approved by Regulatory Commissions in each state. AT&T Telco s Information Systems organization supports programs for mechanized storage of end-user account information and treatment of enduser customer accounts. Treatment of the remaining manually handled accounts is performed by the Credit & Collections centers. The initial treatment step of a delinquent end-user account is generally the issuance of a mechanized suspension notice. If the bill remains unpaid, additional treatment action will be taken. Credit & Collections centers treatment may consist of contacting the end-user customer to verify if payment has been made and to advise of impending action to suspend the service for non-payment. Depending upon the size of the bill and the presence of other risk factors, (i.e., new account, active treatment history, lack of sufficient security on the account), the system may suspend or disconnect the service without additional end-user notification based on predetermined risk criteria. However, AT&T Telco will not suspend the end-user s account for non-deniable charges. Prior to issuance of a service order to suspend service, AT&T Telco s representatives are responsible for reviewing all available account information, when the account is manually handled, to ensure that payment has not been received or that extended arrangements for payment have not been previously negotiated, with the end-user customer. Most suspensions are processed by the system using collection models developed using risk criteria and are processed automatically. Once service is suspended, the account is followed up for continued treatment action. If payment of the account is not made by the 10 th business day following suspension, an order is issued to disconnect the service.

3 Treatment & Collections Page 3 of 8 CA, NV April 2009 Detailed Process AT&T Telco Collections End-user Education Every effort will be made to keep the end-user s account current. We maintain current contact information for an end-user. Suspension Notice The end-user receives a bill each month itemizing all current charges and carries a due date for those charges. The bill also includes a statement referencing the past due balance from a previous bill if applicable. If payment is not received by the due date, a past due notice may be generated. The past due notice explains that payment in full or arrangements to pay are expected within a specified number of days or service will be suspended. Bill Block Notification to Billing and Collections Customers When an end-user fails to pay their non-deniable charges and meets predefined, threshold criteria for bill block, a bill block warning (BBW) will be issued on a daily report, Bill Block Notification, for that billing telephone number. If no payment or payment arrangements have been made for past due, non-deniable charges within 90 days of bill block warning, bill block will be initiated (BBI). On the date bill block is initiated, another entry will appear on the Bill Block Notification report, BBI, alerting the billing and collections customer that any third party billed charges on that billing telephone number will be returned with one of the following return codes: 35 for ESP and Message Ready Platform Customers 2X35 for Generic Invoice Ready Platform Customers 2635 for returned invoice records and 2636 for returned adjustment records for all other Invoice Ready Customers not on the generic, ICBS, AT&T Invoice Ready platform. If a customer makes payments to bring the balance due for non-deniable charges below the bill block threshold or makes payment arrangements within 30 days of bill block warning, the bill block warning will be removed (BWR).

4 Treatment & Collections Page 4 of 8 CA, NV April 2009 Additionally, if a customer has been bill blocked (BBI) and subsequently makes payments to bring the balance due for non-deniable charges below the bill block threshold or makes payment arrangements, bill block will be removed and an entry will appear on report the Bill Block Notification report (BBR). As a result of bill block, a Bill Block Notification report will be generated on a daily basis. There is no cost to subscribe to Bill Block Notification. The report is available via Connect: Direct/NDM or high speed dial-up. Dataset names are required if you wish to receive this report via Connect: Direct/NDM. For B&C Customers who have high-speed dial-up connections, the Bill Block Notification report should begin appearing on the existing UNIX server where you currently receive your third party billing reports. The Bill Block Notification dataset name is C.EOS.AF51100x.Cxxxx.x. It will run daily, therefore you will notice a different cycle date in the fourth section of the dataset name where Cxxxx is indicated. The xxxx represents the cycle date. BILL BLOCK NOTIFICATION REPORT ENTRIES BILLING TELEPONE NUMBER - Master Account Number (NPA/NXX/Line Number) in AT&T s billing system. Customer code - Three-digit code that distinguishes among different customers. Customer code is not currently used in AT&T s guiding logic; however it is helpful in researching potential issues. WORKING TELEPHONE NUMBER The working number on which charges were placed by a B&C customer (NPA/NXX/Line Number). BLOCK NOTIFICATION BBW - Bill Block Warning indicates bill block is possible. BBI - Bill Block Initiated indicates account has been blocked. BBR - Bill Block Removal indicates block has been removed. BWR Bill Block Warning Removal indicates account is no longer considered for bill block. EFFECTIVE DATE - Date bill block warning was given or removed, or bill block was initiated/removed.

5 Treatment & Collections Page 5 of 8 CA, NV April 2009 BILL BLOCK NOTIFICATION REPORT SAMPLE AT&T, INC. CYCLE: 2451 PAGE: 1 REPORT NUMBER: XXXXXXXXXX REPORT PERIOD: DAILY, 04/20/2006 REPORT NAME: BILL BLOCK NOTIFICATION PROCESS DATE/TIME: 04/21/ :23 CUSTOMER NAME: Billing and Collections Customer Name CIC: 1234 BLOCK BILLING TELEPHONE WORKING TELEPHONE NOTIFICATION EFFECTIVE B W BBW 04/20/ B W BWR 04/20/ B W BBI 04/20/ B W BBR 04/20/ B W BBR 04/20/2006 TOTAL BILL BLOCK NOTIFICATIONS: 5 ************ END OF REPORT ************

6 Treatment & Collections Page 6 of 8 CA, NV April 2006 Extensions of Credit Credit extensions are handled on an individual basis, and judgment is applied when considering the end-user s request. Factors such as length of service, previous payment history, security deposit, employment history, etc., are used in granting or denying end-user requests for extensions in accordance with state regulatory requirements. Telecommunications Revenue Interactive Management System (TRIMS) TRIMS is a system designed to monitor and respond to toll limits on specified end-user accounts. AT&T Telco will monitor the activity on toll-limited enduser accounts, 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, via mechanized systems. When an end-user s cumulative toll usage exceeds the designated limit, all further toll calling will be restricted. Toll usage will be restricted until sufficient payment is received. Denial of Service Suspension of service is initiated when the end-user s account has exceeded a certain dollar level depending on the classification of the customer and the customer has become a risk and will be overextended by the acceptance of further payment arrangements. Suspension of local service is subject to state PUC rules. A pre-denial call to the end-user or other responsible party may be made prior to suspension. Failure to reach a responsible party does not preclude the suspension of accounts. End-User Claims When an end-user is contacted regarding a past due account, AT&T Telco will ask for payment in full. Should the end user indicate a claim is pending involving the B&C customer s charges, the AT&T Telco representative will treat the account for the amount past due less the claim amount.

7 Treatment & Collections Page 7 of 8 CA, NV April 2006 Single Balance Due AT&T Telco s billing systems are designed to generate treatment referrals and suspension notices for payment based on deniable and non-deniable charges. However, AT&T Telco will continue to collect for a single balance due. Security Security is obtained on new accounts or on existing accounts when there is evidence to indicate a potential risk of non-payment. The criteria for requesting security is governed by the individual state regulatory agencies. AT&T Telco uses an automated process for evaluating customer applications to determine whether the account will be paid and restored. The process involves an analysis of each customer s personal credit record with the major credit bureaus in determining degree of risk and future credit behavior. Suspended Accounts Collection efforts are continued on a suspended end-user account to determine whether the account will be paid and restored. This effort also keeps the end-user aware of our concern for bill payment. These efforts continue until the account is paid or the account is written-off as uncollectible. Final Account Write-Off The B&C customer can elect to have (a) non-deniable written off charges adjusted and recoursed back to the B&C customer for collection or (b) all charges will be processed through AT&T Telco final write-off procedures. After an end-user s account has been disconnected, whether the end-user chooses to disconnect or AT&T Telco disconnects service for nonpayment or other reasons, the AT&T Telco billing system will automatically write the account off if the balance due is not paid and the account meets certain criteria. The following are basic rules that determine how a final account is written off:

8 Treatment & Collections Page 8 of 8 CA, NV April 2006 The end-user s credit history and class of service determine how soon an account will be written off after disconnect. The minimum period is 45 days from a final bill and the maximum is 90 days from the final with the following exception: 1. Any business account may be referred to Legal or held for collection efforts indefinitely by the Credit and Collections center. 2. Accounts can be referred for additional collection activity by an outside collection agency. 3. In addition to referring the account to an outside collection agency, AT&T Telco reserves the right to sell the written off account to a purchaser of the accounts. The AT&T Telcos will distribute any monies received from such sales according to uncollectible apportionment system.