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Inquiries, Claims & Adjustments

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Regional Definitions

Inquiries, Claims & Adjustments

Overview

The Wholesale Billing Claims Center (WBCC) is responsible for customers inquires and claims on Verizon Local Bills.

In the event that a CLEC believes its bill contains incorrect charges, Verizon has established a procedure through which the CLEC can submit a claim.

If after an investigation, Verizon finds that the claim is justified (that the CLEC has in fact been billed incorrectly), Verizon will make an adjustment to the CLEC's bill to correct the charge.

Difference between a claim and an inquiry:

Claim includes a CLEC request for a credit adjustment due to inappropriate charges.
Inquiry includes a request for investigation that may result from an errored order or just a request for information.

As is detailed on the standard form, a separate claim should be submitted for each jurisdiction and for each Master BAN. In addition, claims must be separated by reason, as each reason (claim type) must be investigated separately. If a claim is submitted for more than one jurisdiction or Master BAN or with multiple reasons on the same claim, it will be returned for separation. This is to allow all claims to be processed efficiently.

All claims must be submitted in the standard format. The new format requires the CLEC to submit a claim form for each individual claim (separated by reason).

The CLEC should have all the necessary information in order to submit a claim. Some claim types will require additional information in order to resolve the dispute. This information can be found on the Reason Code listing on the Standard Form.

The information required for all claims can be found below:

CLEC Name
ACNA/AECN
Master BAN telephone number or Invoice Point Number (only one per claim)
BTN (Component account) including Customer Code
State
Bill/Invoice Date
Dollar Amount Claimed
Claim Reason

In addition a CLEC should attach any documentation that may be helpful in resolving the claim.

When a claim is submitted, an acknowledgement will be sent within two (2) Business Days. This acknowledgement will contain a claim number. A CLEC can utilize this claim number in order to verify the status of the claim.

In most instances, the claim will be resolved within a 30-day period at which time the CLEC will receive a Resolution Notification informing the CLEC of the resolution and the appropriate adjustments. If for some reason, Verizon is unable to resolve the claim within this time frame, the CLEC will be notified and a new due date will be negotiated.

In most cases, the claim will be closed-out within a 90-day time frame. This will allow all adjustments to be processed and printed on the bill.

If a CLEC should have a general question about bills or claims, then the CLEC can call our toll free number for assistance in the North 866 455-Bill (2455), in the South 888-847-6288 and provide the Billing Representative with the claim number assigned.

Submitting a Claim & Receiving an Adjustment

Submitting a Claim
The claim submission process will occur in three steps.

CLEC submits dispute or inquiry Claim Form
Entry of the dispute into a Claims & Adjustments Tracking system
Acknowledgement to CLEC of receipt of dispute

For informaiton on how to use the Web Portal, please refer to the Web Portal Guide

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Claims should be submitted through e-mail. This is to help Verizon provide the CLEC with a prompt response, to maintain a paper trail of what has transpired in reference to the claim and to allow all claims to be addressed.

Table 1: Contact Information for Submissions of Claims

	North (NY & NE)	South (PA, NJ, DE, VA, DC & MD)
E-mail	tisoc.billing.north@verizon.com	billing.tisoc@verizon.com
Mailing Address	Wholesale Billing & Collections 240 E 38th St Floor 17; Room 1704 New York, NY 10016	Wholesale Billing & Collections 540 Broad Street, 8th Floor Newark, NJ 07102

NOTE: All E-mails should reference the CLEC name in the 'Subject' and indicate whether it is a claim or an inquiry.

Claims Investigation
Investigation of a claim, and in many cases documentation, may be necessary to determine if an adjustment is warranted. Upon completion of the investigation, when a billing error has occurred, the appropriate adjustment(s) will be made. The adjustment(s) will generally be reflected on the next bill after claim closure.

Terms and Conditions
An adjustment(s) to the account will be provided at the billed rate under the terms and conditions as specified in the tariff or contract.

Other Types of Adjustments

Out of Service Credit
CLECs are expected to test their Unbundled Network Elements (UNEs) and notify Verizon whether or not an Out Of Service condition is found in any Verizon-provided unbundled switch element in New York or New England. If an Out Of Service condition is Verizon's responsibility and lasts longer than 24 hours, the following terms apply in Verizon North:

The CLEC must notify Verizon of the Out Of Service condition.
Verizon North will make a prorated adjustment of monthly recurring charges for each Unbundled Network Element that is affected.
For the purposes of determining a prorated adjustment, every month is considered to have 30 days.

No Out Of Service credit will be provided when an Out Of Service condition is caused by the CLEC or the CLEC's end user.

Only charges applicable to the specified Out Of Service UNE or UNE feature are subject to an Out Of Service credit. When any line or trunk port feature is Out Of Service, the Out of Service Disposition will simply indicate that "features" were Out Of Service, and the billing system will apply a prorated credit to cover all monthly feature charges currently assessed for the specified port.

Each Out Of Service credit will be applied to the same account that is billed the equivalent monthly recurring charge or charges.

Operator Applied Credit
A CLEC's end users should call their own local service provider to obtain a credit for poor transmission, disconnect, etc. However, in New York and New England, if a UNE end user dials "0" and requests a credit for a sent paid, direct dialed or operator assisted call, the operator will process the request as though it came from a Verizon end user.

When a record of this transaction reaches the billing systems and the line is identified as a UNE line, the following will occur:

A flat rate, per event, Operator Applied Credit will appear on the Y40 bill.
A record will be included in the CLEC's usage data file, which tells the CLEC that Verizon North applied the credit at the request of the end user, and identifies the nature of the problem reported.

If a UNE end user requests a Directory Assistance (DA) or DA Call Completion (DACC) credit from a DA operator, because of a wrong number, cut off or poor connection, the operator will also process the request as though it came from a Verizon end user. This will include providing the original DA or DACC service again and suppressing the charge for the second service.

When a record of this transaction reaches the billing systems and the line is identified as a UNE line, the following will occur:

An Operator Applied Credit will appear on the Y40 or Y42 bill.
A record will be included in the CLEC's usage data file, which tells the CLEC that Verizon provided a second DA or DACC service free of charge, and identifies the nature of the problem reported.

The flat rate for Operator Applied Credits will be the same for Operator Service (OS) and DA based events and will reflect an estimated weighted average of UNE charges associated with problem calls in each category. When an Operator Applied Credit is applied, no unbundled usage charges will be applied.

WBCC Escalation Process

To begin Escalation Process, find the Claims Center associated with your service and state on the Contact Us page. Contact the Toll Free Number and speak with a Representative to discuss the issue. The Representative should be able to resolve the issue or make a commitment to get back to you with a resolution.
If the Representative cannot assist with the issue or the commitment time is unacceptable you may request to speak to a Team Leader.
If the Team Leader cannot assist with the issue or the commitment time is unacceptable you may request to speak to a Manager.
If the Manager cannot assist with the issue or the commitment time is unacceptable you may request to speak to the Director.
Lastly, if the Director cannot assist with the issue or the commitment time is unacceptable you may request to speak to the Vice President.