BillFixers

BillFixers
Private
Industry Expert as a service
Founded 2014
Founders
  • Ben Kurland
  • Julian Kurland
Headquarters Nashville, Tennessee
Website www.billfixers.com

BillFixers is an American company that negotiates with television, Internet service providers, and cell and landline companies on behalf of consumers or businesses. It was founded in July 2014[1] by brothers Ben and Julian Kurland[2] with the goal of lowering household monthly bills from Telecommunications service providers.[3] BillFixers is an Expert as a service (ExaaS) or Justice-as-a-service[4] company, which optimizes on work that feels menial to individual consumers. As of May 2016, BillFixers has over 5,000 clients and claims a combined savings of over $1,000,000.[5]

History

Ben and Julian Kurland founded the company in Nashville, Tennessee in July, 2014. Later that year, a customer service call between Comcast and tech entrepreneur/journalist Ryan Block went viral.[6] The Kurlands posted on Reddit about their speciality in haggling with Comcast and thus received their first customers.[7] In the first year, the Kurlands and their cousin Peter Zimbicki were the sole negotiators.[8] By 2016, the business had grown to over 1,200 clients and was featured on NBC Nightly News[2] and in the The New York Times.[9]

Services

BillFixers works primarily on TV, internet, and phone bills, although their services may extend to satellite radio, home security, and propane bills.[5] They claim a 95% success rate and average savings of $300 per bill.[10]

How it Works

The service operates by hiring experts to negotiate on behalf of consumers. When a client submits their bill, BillFixers calls the provider (like Comcast or AT&T) to seek a lowered rate. Their success is due to industry know-how and expertise on promotional & custom deals. The business generates revenue on a contingency basis, meaning payment is reliant on customer's savings.[5]

Reception

BillFixers was praised by NBC News as an "ingenious idea"[11], and a CNET review reports 100% satisfaction.[12] In September 2015, BillFixers was nominated as the Small Business Innovator of the Year by USA Today.[13] In 2016, A New York Times article questioned the legality of negotiators representing themselves as clients, but found no violation.[9] BillFixers has also received positive feedback from My Money Blog[14] and Debt Departure.[15]

References

  1. ↑ Johnston-Taylor, Susan. "Should You Use a Third Party to Negotiate Your Cable Bill?". U.S. News. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  2. 1 2 "Bill-Fixing Brothers Turn Consumers' Mental Pain Into Their Gain". Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  3. ↑ Suddath, Claire (September 10, 2015). "The Fee Fighters". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  4. ↑ Zillmer, Henrik. "Justice-as-a-Service". henrikzillmer.com. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  5. 1 2 3 Flack, Eric. "Company says it can lower your bills, save you hundreds". Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  6. ↑ Stampler, Laura. "Recording of Man's Attempt to Cancel Comcast Will Drive You Insane". TIME.com. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  7. ↑ del Castillo, Michael. "Julian Kurland and Ben Kurland launch BIllFixers to renegotiate Comcast bills". Upstart Business Journal. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  8. ↑ McGee, Jamie. "Nashville startup BillFixers will haggle for lower cable bill for you". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  9. 1 2 Lieber, Ron (2016-02-05). "Tips on Reducing Cable and Phone Bills From Ethically Ambiguous Experts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  10. ↑ Chang, Ellen (2016-03-02). "Hire these brothers to fix your outrageous cable bill". The Street. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  11. ↑ "Bill-Fixing Brothers Haggle With Companies to Get Your Bills Reduced - NBC News". Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  12. ↑ Broida, Rick. "How I saved $150 a year on my cable bill without even trying". CNET. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  13. ↑ Jamie, McGee. "BillFixers takes on cable bills for consumers". USA Today. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  14. ↑ Ping, Jonathan (2016-04-06). "Bill Fixers: Let Someone Else Haggle Your Cable and Phone Bills For You". My Money Blog. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  15. ↑ "BillFixers Review". Debt Departure. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.