Late Payment Fees

• How much is the late payment fee, and how is it calculated? - The late payment fee is 1% of the portion of your payment that is not received by the payment due date, which is typically 21 days after you receive your invoice. For all amounts received after the due date, a 1% fee is charged.
• Will I get a late payment charge on the same bill amount more than once? - No. The late payment charge will be applied only once to an overdue bill amount. If, on your next invoice, you do not make your payment on time, an additional late payment charge will be applied to the new overdue amount.
• How do I know the amount of my late payment charge? - Late payment charges are itemized in your summary of charges on the first page of your invoice.
• Will you give me advance notice of what my late payment charge is? - Yes. Your invoice will list the amount due before and after the payment due date, on the first page of your invoice. The payment due after the due date includes the late payment charge.
• How can I avoid paying the late payment charge? - You can avoid the late payment charge by making your payment by the payment due date. An easy, convenient way to avoid postage and late payment charges is to schedule AutoPay with Birch eBill! It's free and takes just a few minutes to sign up at www.birch.com/ebill/login.php

If we haven’t answered your questions, ask one of our customer service experts by filling out our contact form for late fee questions, or give us a call at 888.772.4724.

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Prorating of charges

It's great to have a choice for local and long-distance, and many of our customers wisely choose Birch for both services. But as you peruse your first Birch bill, you may notice that it's higher than you expected. Don't panic! It's all on the up-and-up. It may just take a month or so to even out. Allow us to explain.

Local service fees are typically charged one month in advance no matter what carrier you select. That means your first Birch bill includes your local service fee and taxes for your next month of service. It also includes partial, prorated service fees, taxes, and usage charges for the month you switched to Birch, dating back to the day you started using our service.

So when you look at your first bill, remember that it covers more than a single month of service. In fact, depending on when you switched, it could cover up to seven weeks of service. You'll most likely be receiving a refund from your previous carrier for the amount you prepaid for local service with them. So you can use that refund to offset the higher charges on your first Birch bill. It all comes out in the wash!

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Combined local and long-distance

Obviously, for those of you who have both local and long-distance services with Birch, your bill for combined services may be higher than a bill for a single service. But having both services with Birch means there's only one bill instead of two, and you're saving money overall.

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Taxes

For a brief explanation of some of the taxes and surcharges you may see on your invoice, please select the type of customer you are below and then choose your state from the drop-down menu:

• All other Birch customers

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End-user and PICC charges

These are standard charges for local and long-distance carriers. But if you're not used to combined service, you've probably not seen them together before. The end-user charge (sometimes called Federal Subscriber Line Charge or FSLC) is levied only on local telephone service. The Pre-subscribed Inter-exchange Carrier Charge (PICC) is levied only on long-distance service. You've been paying these charges all along; it's just that they're now on one bill.

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Why your bill is a weighty matter

Birch provides each customer with a great amount of detail regarding account activity. Sure, it's a lot of paperwork on our end, but we think you're worth it. Of course, not everyone wants to sit down and read all this minutia, but isn't it nice to know it's there when you need it?

Here's an explanation of the various sections of your Birch bill. Not all of the following sections will show up on each invoice. A billing section appears only if you used that particular service during the billing cycle.

1. Invoice summary
2. Important messages and reminders
3. Basic local services, additional local services and taxes
4. Long-distance usage and taxes
5. Calling card usage and taxes
6. Toll-free long-distance usage and taxes
7. Other carrier usage and taxes
8. Account code detail

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Requesting a duplicate invoice

If for some reason you need to request another copy of your invoice, you may do so by signing up for Birch eBill, it takes just a minute to set up, and you can view your current and historical invoices, schedule AutoPay and more...

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Paying your bill

Paying your bills can often be a hassle. Birch offers a variety of payment options to help make paying your bill as convenient as possible. You simply choose the method that works for you.

• U.S. mail - If you choose this option, simply tear off the remittance portion of the first page of your invoice, enclose it in the return envelope with your check, and drop it in the mail. Our mailing address, in case you've misplaced the return envelope, is: P.O. Box 5149, Sioux Falls, SD 57117-514 . Payments made by U.S. mail will be posted to your Birch account within 48 hours after our receipt of them.
• Via the phone - If you choose this option, simply call us at 1-888-77-BIRCH (1-888-772-4724) and follow the voice prompts. You'll need to have your Birch account number handy, as well as a method of payment (i.e., check or credit card) at the time of the call. Payments made via the phone will be posted to your Birch account within 24 hours.
• Online - If you choose this option, simply click here . You'll need your Birch account number, your primary phone number, and a method of payment handy when you use this option. Payments made on-line will be posted to your Birch account within 24 hours.
• Birch Autopay - with Birch eBill it takes just a minute to setup, and you can view your invoices, schedule AutoPay and more...

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Disputing charges on your bill

We try hard to deliver an accurate bill to you every month. However, we're only human and mistakes can happen to anyone! If you should notice a charge on your bill that you think is incorrect, please complete our secure online form . Or if you'd rather, you can give our Customer Service folks a call at 1-888-77-BIRCH (1-888-772-4724) and they'll be glad to help you get it straightened out. Either way, it'll be taken care of in no time!

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