Specialty Answering Service

A great solution for our small companyThey take messages for non emergency calls and send the info over via text/emailThey also warm transfer calls that need immediate attentionI feel like our office is covered even when we aren't here and that's a great feelingCustomer Service is always helpful and friendlyJust an overall great company to work with

Dear Revdex.com, Thank you for providing the platform to mediate this disputeWe definitely don’t like having any unhappy customers! At it’s core, it looks like the nature of this clients dispute is due to an account suspension that occurred after payment for an automatic upgrade was denied due to insufficient funds on the client accountSAS performs automatic upgrades for our clients during the first months the client is on service, where after the first months, the customer has the option to upgradeDuring the first months, we upgrade an account automatically only when it is cheaper for the customer to be on the next plan, as being on the current plan would result in a base rate + overage fees that would exceed the cost of moving to the next planWe discuss this policy clearly on our website pricing page (https://www[redacted] /) as well as multiple support pages (https://support.specialtyansweringservice.net/customer/en/portal/articles/23767...⇄ https://support.specialtyansweringservice.net/customer/en/portal/articles/162342...⇄ https://support.specialtyansweringservice.net/customer/en/portal/articles/169790...⇄ https://support.specialtyansweringservice.net/customer/en/portal/articles/120984...⇄ etc.) as well as in our terms and conditions (https://www.specialtyansweringservice.net/terms/)In addition to the above, we recognize that most customers won’t read lengthy terms or website copyAfter a customer completes their agreement, they are also sent a confirmation email that discusses the policy, then another email after that which also discusses the policyAlso, if a customer signs up for service after their trial and they have chosen the wrong plan other than the recommended plan, our CSRs will again let the client know over the phone about the policy and over emailThe client in this Revdex.com case, [redacted] , was sent all of these alertsThat being said, there is much going on with the client’s disputeTo keep the response organized, I’ll respond to each point below: Customer: Frankly, this said company misrepresents itself as a humble answering seriviceWhen in reality, they are nothing more than a aggressive marketing company, whose sole purpose is to upsell, double bill and play on the small businesses emotionally, at the most opportune time to manipulate business into signing for bogus marked up invoices, along with unwanted, unnecessary useless upgrades and agreementsResponse: We love small businesses! Small businesses make up 99% of our clients and we appreciate the opportunity each time a new business starts gives us the chance to answer their callsWe have never marked up an invoice or required a useless upgradeAgain, any upgrades that are required are because it’s cheaper for a customer to be on the next plan then their currentWe monitor customer usage daily to make sure they are paying the lowest bill that possibly can with SASWe do not upsell, double bill, or ‘play’ on small businesses as suggested---- Customer: My original agreement with this said company was for $My the first questionable invoice was forwarded to me for $68.74, due on 8/21/On 08/18/16, I received an additional email, indicating my company [redacted] had exceeded there agreed upon plan and neeaed an immediate recommended (wink wink) plan for $to continue my service or my said service would be suspended and terminated immediatelyResponse: The customer signed up for our $plan (not $29.99) which includes minutes via an online agreement submitted on 2016-07-04:42:from IP [redacted] Each minute the client uses on that plan is billed at $per minutePlease see our pricing available here https://www[redacted] /When the client’s trial ended on 7/4, they received their first invoice for $(not $68.74)This invoice included a prorated base rate for days in July @ $+ the full base rate for the Economy plan @ $for AugustThe invoice was due on receipt and paid against a [redacted] ending in (Please see attachment [redacted] Invoice.PDF & Invoice [redacted] ) When the client signed up for service, the emails they received from our system during the trial plus the conversation they had with our customer service representative had recommended the minute plan(See Case***.pdf) You can see from that case that the customer was notified about being automatically upgraded if their usage went over the threshold amountThey were notified both by email and on the phoneOn 8/1, the customer received their regular cycle invoice, issued on 8/and due on 8/for $(not $68.74)This invoice was for overage minutes @ per, patch minutes @ per, and a $base rate for September(attachment [redacted] Invoice.PDF & Invoice [redacted] ) On 8/19, the customer’s account had usage in August beyond the threshold of the Economy plan where they used minutes for the month of August(Please see attached [redacted] .DOCX, Section 1: [redacted] Minutes)At this point, and based on the customer’s usage, the customers total bill for the month would have been $The cost of the minute plan is $109, which is why our system attempted the upgrade to ensure we were not overbilling the client by keeping them on a plan not suited for themPer our terms, automatic upgrades happen automatically once a threshold is reached and are due on receiptUnfortunately, the customer’s credit card voided for the upgrade amount so the account became scheduled for suspensionThe account wasn’t terminated immediately as the client suggestedThe client has hours from the time of suspension to fund the account (attachment [redacted] Invoice.PDF & Invoice [redacted] for the upgrade invoice, then Case***.PDF to see the CSR response on this case.) Per our terms, once an account is in suspension, the entire open balance is required to re-activate the accountIn the case of the customer, this amount was $148.43, which includes the $upgrade invoice + the regular cycle invoice of $In addition to agreeing to our terms after the client submitted their authorization online, they also agreed to our terms before they accessed our online portal on 6/21/ 9:27:AM from IP [redacted] and again when they signed up for our free trial on 6/19/11:AMAgain, we know customers don’t always read these terms which is why we make it a point to send multiple emails confirming the upgrade policyOur customers love that we have systems setup to make sure we’re providing the best service at the lowest cost! ---- Customer: I promptly contactated SASSpoke with the Floor MgrOn duty, who indicated it was an alert error and to disregardA followup email was recieved to corroberate this8/20/I receive consecutuve threating emails from SAS2/ inferring immediate ultimatums, that if I don't pay immediately for these recommended upgrades (wink wink) my services would be suspended and terminated 8/21/16, promptly at 8:18am in the morningattempting to bill my credit card on file for bogus marked up amounts, of which they were declined(All this activity is occuring a day before my invoice is even due.) Response: Please see the entire email conversation in Case***.PDF and previous attachmentsThe amounts were not bogus or threatening in any wayIn fact, our CSR was extremely helpful! We understand that sometimes clients may not have the funding in their account to handle an unexpected payment, so we give hours before any service is suspendedThe customer can either take their phone off of forwarding (if they can’t pay the invoice amount at that time), or fund the account to get it current---- Customer: I am a seasoned EntreprenuerI keep only $on any cards on file to prevent any unscrupulous companys such as this one from arbitrarily ghost hitting my card for any amount they desireof the exact same alert error emails that were corrected and one with an additional ficticious amountResponse: If customers keep little or no money on the cards they keep with SAS, we totally understand that! If a suspension occurs, the customer is given a hour grace period to fund the account or the customer can simply take their phones off of call forwarding until the account can be fundedThere were no fictitious amounts charged to any invoiceHowever, we do everything we can to let clients know that automatic upgrades may happen, are due on receipt, and if they are not funded the account will be subsequently suspended---- Customer: After expalaining, the legalities of the violations of the Fair Trade Practices Act, to some person named Barb A., whom sent a reinforced followup threatening email, reinforciing and justifying the emails that were already sentResponse: Barb Ais a seasoned CSR and would never send a threatening emailPlease see the entire email correspondence in Case***.PDFUnfortunately, the only threatening language in any correspondence is from the customer who mentions lawsuits, contacting the attorney general, refers to our customer service agent as ‘irreversibly stupid’, posted a damaging and blog, contacting the Revdex.com, refers to our staff as having ‘Kindergarten Education’ etcIn looking back through our records and recorded conversations, it also seems this client had a free trial with SAS in and cancelled service after receiving the first invoice, threatening the CSR whom he was speaking to that he would "peel my as like an onion" "Drive a truck through my office"Though we don’t agree with how the customer expressed his feelings during this interaction and the prior and nor do we agree with the language they used, we can understand their frustrationHowever, our CSRs interactions with this client have always remained professional---- Customer: SAS has continuously attempted to bill my card times all through the night for these bogus upgradesThey even re-sent new invoices via emailin totalResponse: Please see attached [redacted] .DOCX, Section 2: [redacted] Payment Audit TrailOur system attempted to charge the clients card 1x for the $invoice due on receipt on the 20th, then another for $for the regular cycle invoice issued on the 21stThe charges were attempted for invoices, not The customer may be referring to automated emails sent by our billing system requesting paymentAutomated reminders occur on day 1,7, and after a bill is overdueThese are not attempted charges, just notifications that an invoice is outstanding---- Customer: All re-dated 8/20/16, obviousley in an attempt to justify their illegal behaviorThese practices are malicuous, calculated and intentionalResponse: No invoices were changed or adjusted as suggestedOur billing system keeps an audit trail on each action performed on an invoicePlease see Section 3: [redacted] Invoice [redacted] Audit Trail and Section 4: [redacted] Invoice [redacted] Audit Trail in the attached [redacted] .DOCX---- Requested Action & Desired Settlement: Do straight business and bill as agreedBilling AdjustmentResponse: After looking over the entire case, there is no billing error on the SAS sideThe customer was on a plan that included minutes, accrued minutes, was upgraded, their payment subsequently failed, and the account was suspended thereafterAgain, we keep our billing very transparent and never like there to be any disputes like thisIt’s the reason why we communicate automatic upgrades clearly to our clients and through every means possibleAnd, we use the free trial period as a way to put the customer on the correct call plan from the start to avoid any upgradesIn the case of the client, they have an open balance of $that is required payment if the customer wishes to continue serviceIf not, no worries! SAS will not be pursuing the outstanding debt through a collection agency

SAS is great to work with We have been with them for a little over two months now and their support services are top notch!

The are very hands on with customer service I've never had to go back to an issue after it has been resolved We are a real estate company so there is a certain way we handle our calls Specialty Answering service has never let me down We've been customers for over three years I have referred them to other business owners and they have thanked me for the referral Since they started with Specialty Answering Service they have not left

Our organization had a very good experience with HVACThey performed exactly as they said they would and the customer service I personally experienced was above normalI would recommend using them if you need professional answering services for your business

We are a relatively new customer with Specialty Answering Service, and naturally had the need to contact their support department a few times in order to have our account properly set upEach time, issues are resolved very quickly and professionallyHaving switched from a company that we were having issues with in regards to poor customer service, this is so very refreshingMy most recent interaction with them was a technical issue that not only resulted in a rep contacting me at home just to make sure I knew my issue had their attention but would require a little research to fix, but then also really above & beyond service from their IT rep, who even after identifying the issue was resulting in my own device not being supported by their newest app, doing a global update on their app to ensure my device would be able to work! So glad we switched to SAS & really love working with them!

SAS is very useful for me

Great service provided. You get what they promise efficiently.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Look. We can go back and fourth. What we have here is some creative accounting. Along with smoke and mirrors. BT Speciality Answering Services, own admission in their reply to the Revdex.com, they indicated they had refunded $197.00 and change. Of which, all they did was inflate a figure, and then call it a discount. Along with this $49.00 and change, they so proudly indicate they refunded. Yes these Managers are irreversibly stupid. If they think you, the Revdex.com along with me. This $197.00 figure was based on their statement to the Revdex.com. I have lost money on advertising dollars that were spent, using that bogus toll free number, they tried to hold me hostage in an attempt to upsell me on useless programs they were attempting to sell me. That's where the $1699.00  balance comes in. I will not repeatyself 
Regards,
[redacted]

Dear Revdex.com, Thank you for providing the platform to mediate this dispute. We definitely don’t like having any unhappy customers! At it’s core, it looks like the nature of this clients dispute is due to an account suspension that occurred after payment for an automatic upgrade was denied due to...

insufficient funds on the client account. SAS performs automatic upgrades for our clients during the first 6 months the client is on service, where after the first 6 months, the customer has the option to upgrade. During the first 6 months, we upgrade an account automatically only when it is cheaper for the customer to be on the next plan, as being on the current plan would result in a base rate + overage fees that would exceed the cost of moving to the next plan. We discuss this policy clearly on our website pricing page (https://www.[redacted]/) as well as multiple support pages (https://support.specialtyansweringservice.net/customer/en/portal/articles/23767...⇄ https://support.specialtyansweringservice.net/customer/en/portal/articles/162342...⇄ https://support.specialtyansweringservice.net/customer/en/portal/articles/169790...⇄ https://support.specialtyansweringservice.net/customer/en/portal/articles/120984...⇄ etc.) as well as in our terms and conditions (https://www.specialtyansweringservice.net/terms/). In addition to the above, we recognize that most customers won’t read lengthy terms or website copy. After a customer completes their agreement, they are also sent a confirmation email that discusses the policy, then another email after that which also discusses the policy. Also, if a customer signs up for service after their trial and they have chosen the wrong plan other than the recommended plan, our CSRs will again let the client know over the phone about the policy and over email. The client in this Revdex.com case, [redacted] [redacted], was sent all of these alerts. That being said, there is much going on with the client’s dispute. To keep the response organized, I’ll respond to each point below: Customer: Frankly, this said company misrepresents itself as a humble answering serivice. When in reality, they are nothing more than a aggressive marketing company, whose sole purpose is to upsell, double bill and play on the small businesses emotionally, at the most opportune time to manipulate business into signing for bogus marked up invoices, along with unwanted, unnecessary useless upgrades and agreements. Response: We love small businesses! Small businesses make up 99% of our clients and we appreciate the opportunity each time a new business starts gives us the chance to answer their calls. We have never marked up an invoice or required a useless upgrade. Again, any upgrades that are required are because it’s cheaper for a customer to be on the next plan then their current. We monitor customer usage daily to make sure they are paying the lowest bill that possibly can with SAS. We do not upsell, double bill, or ‘play’ on small businesses as suggested. ---- Customer: My original agreement with this said company was for $29.99. My the first questionable invoice was forwarded to me for $68.74, due on 8/21/16. On 08/18/16, I received an additional email, indicating my company [redacted] [redacted] had exceeded there agreed upon plan and neeaed an immediate recommended (wink wink) plan for $149.80 to continue my service or my said service would be suspended and terminated immediately. Response: The customer signed up for our $29 plan (not $29.99) which includes 0 minutes via an online agreement submitted on 2016-07-03 04:42:54 from IP [redacted]. Each minute the client uses on that plan is billed at $1.19 per minute. Please see our pricing available here https://www.[redacted]/. When the client’s trial ended on 7/4, they received their first invoice for $54.26 (not $68.74). This invoice included a prorated base rate for 27 days in July @ $25.26 + the full base rate for the Economy plan @ $29 for August. The invoice was due on receipt and paid against a [redacted] ending in 4757. (Please see attachment [redacted]Invoice.PDF & Invoice [redacted]) When the client signed up for service, the emails they received from our system during the trial plus the conversation they had with our customer service representative had recommended the 100 minute plan. (See Case[redacted].pdf) You can see from that case that the customer was notified about being automatically upgraded if their usage went over the threshold amount. They were notified both by email and on the phone. On 8/1, the customer received their regular cycle invoice, issued on 8/1 and due on 8/21 for $68.43 (not $68.74). This invoice was for 32.89 overage minutes @ 1.19 per, 2.93 patch minutes @ .1 per, and a $29 base rate for September. (attachment [redacted]Invoice.PDF & Invoice [redacted]) On 8/19, the customer’s account had usage in August beyond the threshold of the Economy plan where they used 70.50 minutes for the month of August. (Please see attached [redacted].DOCX, Section 1: [redacted] Minutes). At this point, and based on the customer’s usage, the customers total bill for the month would have been $112.89. The cost of the 100 minute plan is $109, which is why our system attempted the upgrade to ensure we were not overbilling the client by keeping them on a plan not suited for them. Per our terms, automatic upgrades happen automatically once a threshold is reached and are due on receipt. Unfortunately, the customer’s credit card voided for the upgrade amount so the account became scheduled for suspension. The account wasn’t terminated immediately as the client suggested. The client has 24 hours from the time of suspension to fund the account (attachment [redacted]Invoice.PDF & Invoice [redacted] for the upgrade invoice, then Case[redacted].PDF to see the CSR response on this case.) Per our terms, once an account is in suspension, the entire open balance is required to re-activate the account. In the case of the customer, this amount was $148.43, which includes the $80 upgrade invoice + the regular cycle invoice of $68.43. In addition to agreeing to our terms after the client submitted their authorization online, they also agreed to our terms before they accessed our online portal on 6/21/2016  9:27:19 AM from IP [redacted] and again when they signed up for our free trial on 6/19/2016 11:47 AM. Again, we know customers don’t always read these terms which is why we make it a point to send multiple emails confirming the upgrade policy. Our customers love that we have systems setup to make sure we’re providing the best service at the lowest cost! ---- Customer: I promptly contactated SAS. Spoke with the Floor Mgr. On duty, who indicated it was an alert error and to disregard. A followup email was recieved to corroberate this. 8/20/16. I receive 7 consecutuve threating emails from SAS. 2/ inferring immediate ultimatums, that if I don't pay immediately for these recommended upgrades (wink wink) my services would be suspended and terminated 8/21/16, promptly at 8:18am in the morning. 2 attempting to bill my credit card on file for bogus marked up amounts, of which they were declined. (All this activity is occuring a day before my invoice is even due.) Response: Please see the entire email conversation in Case[redacted].PDF and previous attachments. The amounts were not bogus or threatening in any way. In fact, our CSR was extremely helpful! We understand that sometimes clients may not have the funding in their account to handle an unexpected payment, so we give 24 hours before any service is suspended. The customer can either take their phone off of forwarding (if they can’t pay the invoice amount at that time), or fund the account to get it current. ---- Customer: I am a seasoned Entreprenuer. I keep only $1.00 on any cards on file to prevent any unscrupulous companys such as this one from arbitrarily ghost hitting my card for any amount they desire. 2 of the exact same alert error emails that were corrected and one with an additional ficticious amount. Response: If customers keep little or no money on the cards they keep with SAS, we totally understand that! If a suspension occurs, the customer is given a 24 hour grace period to fund the account or the customer can simply take their phones off of call forwarding until the account can be funded. There were no fictitious amounts charged to any invoice. However, we do everything we can to let clients know that automatic upgrades may happen, are due on receipt, and if they are not funded the account will be subsequently suspended. ---- Customer: After expalaining, the legalities of the violations of the Fair Trade Practices Act, to some person named Barb A., whom sent a reinforced followup threatening email, reinforciing and justifying the 7 emails that were already sent. Response: Barb A. is a seasoned CSR and would never send a threatening email. Please see the entire email correspondence in Case[redacted].PDF. Unfortunately, the only threatening language in any correspondence is from the customer who mentions lawsuits, contacting the attorney general, refers to our customer service agent as ‘irreversibly stupid’, posted a damaging and false blog, contacting the Revdex.com, refers to our staff as having ‘Kindergarten Education’ etc. In looking back through our records and recorded conversations, it also seems this client had a free trial with SAS in 2014 and cancelled service after receiving the first invoice, threatening the CSR whom he was speaking to that he would "peel my as like an onion" "Drive a truck through my office". Though we don’t agree with how the customer expressed his feelings during this interaction and the prior and nor do we agree with the language they used, we can understand their frustration. However, our CSRs interactions with this client have always remained professional. ---- Customer: SAS has continuously attempted to bill my card 6 times all through the night for these bogus upgrades. They even re-sent new invoices via email. 4 in total. Response: Please see attached [redacted].DOCX, Section 2: [redacted] Payment Audit Trail. Our system attempted to charge the clients card 1x for the $80 invoice due on receipt on the 20th, then another for $68.43 for the regular cycle invoice issued on the 21st. The charges were attempted for 2 invoices, not 4. The customer may be referring to automated emails sent by our billing system requesting payment. Automated reminders occur on day 1,7, and 14 after a bill is overdue. These are not attempted charges, just notifications that an invoice is outstanding. ---- Customer: All re-dated 8/20/16, obviousley in an attempt to justify their illegal behavior. These practices are malicuous, calculated and intentional. Response: No invoices were changed or adjusted as suggested. Our billing system keeps an audit trail on each action performed on an invoice. Please see Section 3: [redacted] Invoice [redacted] Audit Trail and Section 4: [redacted] Invoice [redacted] Audit Trail in the attached [redacted].DOCX. ---- Requested Action & Desired Settlement: Do straight business and bill as agreed. Billing Adjustment. Response: After looking over the entire case, there is no billing error on the SAS side. The customer was on a plan that included 0 minutes, accrued minutes, was upgraded, their payment subsequently failed, and the account was suspended thereafter. Again, we keep our billing very transparent and never like there to be any disputes like this. It’s the reason why we communicate automatic upgrades clearly to our clients and through every means possible. And, we use the free trial period as a way to put the customer on the correct call plan from the start to avoid any upgrades. In the case of the client, they have an open balance of $148.43 that is required payment if the customer wishes to continue service. If not, no worries! SAS will not be pursuing the outstanding debt through a collection agency.

A great solution for our small company. They take messages for non emergency calls and send the info over via text/email. They also warm transfer calls that need immediate attention. I feel like our office is covered even when we aren't here and that's a great feeling. Customer Service is always helpful and friendly. Just an overall great company to work with.

Thank you again for the phone call and the alert. Attached please find the export from our merchant processor. This shows all transactions processed for the customer. You'll find:1. The only charge that went through successfully for the client was $49.26 on 7/52. The customer has successive attempted charges on 8/20 and 8/21 for an automatic upgrade (8/20) and a regular cycle invoice (8/21). Both of these charges voided (declined) for insufficient funds and were never processed therefore cannot be refunded as there was no successful transaction.3. The customer had a refund for $49.26 on 8/29 which was the full amount the customer paid Specialty Answering Service.I've also attached the larger screen so you can see the refund.If you are including the .PDF on the company file, please redact all sensitive billing data including account numbers and merchant numbers. I've attached the last correspondence we have from the customer from 3 months ago where he:- Acknowledges receiving the refund of $49.26- Demands a $1699.24 settlement instead citing that our we're 'the most stupidest individuals on earth' and calls one of our support managers 'Irreversibly stupid'.I'm sorry you have to deal with this case. Apologies from our company.Please review the attached and let me know if you have any other questions.

Great company great service thank you