UG-BDRG-001 Issue 2-April, 2005

BellSouth has established a standard procedure for carriers to file a claim disputing a charge or charges. In most cases, the dispute process takes sixty (60) days. This time estimate is based on submission of the appropriate forms to the correct center. If BellSouth has to reroute a dispute to another center or correct inaccurate or insufficient information on a billing dispute form, the due date for processing the dispute may be delayed.

BAR Submission

The process for submitting a dispute to BellSouth is divided into three sections:

1. Reporting the Claim
2. Performing Dispute Analysis
3. Responding to the carrier

The process diagrams below highlight the multiple steps within each of these categories that are necessary for completing the dispute.

Figure 1. Diagram I: Reporting the Claim

• 1.0 When a carrier wants to dispute a charge, the appropriate dispute form must be completed. The Billing Adjustment Request (BAR) Form is used to dispute questionable service charges on a bill. The Wireless Dispute Usage Form is used to dispute usage minutes for wireless service. Resale, UNE-P, DS0, UNE-L, and Q account disputes may be entered directly over the Internet at the electronic BAR (EBAR) website
• 2.0 When the dispute is received at the appropriate billing center, it notifies BellSouth that a charge is being disputed and provides the relevant information associated with the claim.
• 3.0 To quickly and correctly resolve a billing dispute, it is important to submit a dispute to the correct Billing and Collections Center. EBAR disputes are automatically routed to the correct center, skip to Step 5.0
  • 3.1 When the dispute form is submitted to the wrong center, BellSouth reroutes the dispute to the correct center, which may cause delays in the time necessary for BellSouth to resolve the dispute.
  • 3.2 The carrier is notified if the dispute submitted must be rerouted. The Billing and Collection centers that process the dispute claims at BellSouth are organized by service type. These service types are:
    • Resale
    • Unbundled Network Elements (UNE)
    • Equal Access
    • Local Interconnection

When disputing a claim, the carrier should specify the type of service as it relates to the charge. The type of service identified by the carrier is used to determine where the CLEC should mail the dispute. For a detailed listing of the correct e-mail addresses, facsimile numbers and mailing addresses for the Billing and Collection centers click here. Preferred method for billing dispute submission;

1. EBAR (if applicable)
2. Email
3. Facsimile
4. US Mail

Figure 2. Diagram II: Performing Dispute Analysis

• 4.0 Once the dispute form has been received by the correct center, it is assigned to a BellSouth service representative. The service representative processes the dispute form in the order in which it was received. To validate the dispute form, the service representative first reviews the form for completeness. For specific information on entering information on dispute forms, go to the Billing Adjustment Request (BAR) Form or the Wireless Usage Dispute Form sections within this guide. For entering disputes via the Internet go to Electronic Billing Adjustment Request (eBAR) section
• 4.1 The initial review yields either an accurate or inaccurate dispute claim, determined by whether the required fields on the dispute form were populated. Based on the outcome of the initial review, the claim is either accepted or denied. If the fields on the submitted form are inaccurate or incomplete, the dispute claim does not pass the initial review and the process continues to step 4.3. When the form is accurate, the process continues to 4.2.
• 4.2When the form passes the initial review, the dispute claim is sent to a service representative for further sampling and analysis. The fields on the dispute form are checked to verify that the information provided is accurate.
• 4.2.1 When the dispute passes the screening, the dispute claim continues to step 5.0.
• 4.3When the claim does not pass the initial review or the screening by the service representative, the dispute claim is sent back to the carrier.
• 4.4 Once the dispute is sent back to the carrier, it is closed and BellSouth will take no further action with regard to the dispute.
• 5.0 Once the dispute claim passes screening and sampling, the claim is logged in the appropriate tracking system. The service representative then assigns the tracking number provided by the carrier on the dispute form (if applicable) and enters it into the tracking system. EBAR disputes go directly to the tracking system.
• 6.0 The service representative sends an acknowledgment to the carrier with the tracking number and contact information for the group or representative who will process the dispute. Carrier receives immediate confirmation with the tracking number on EBAR disputes.
• 7.0The dispute is passed on to the group or representative who will perform detailed analysis on the claim.
• 8.0 The group or representative is responsible for performing the analysis on the dispute claim. All available information including contacts, customer service records and bills, are reviewed to determine the appropriate resolution to the dispute. In some cases, the group or representative may need to contact the carrier to clarify information provided on the dispute claim.

Figure 3. Diagram III: Responding to the Carrier

• 9.0 After performing analysis on the dispute, the group or representative determines if any billing records need to be updated based on BellSouth's acceptance of the claim.
• 10.0Several resolution scenarios may occur based on the adjustment decision. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the resolution scenario is one of the following:
  • 10.1 Full Adjustment
    • 10.1.1 If the outcome results in a full adjustment, the carriers bill is updated and the dispute is closed.
  • 10.2 Partial Adjustment
    • 10.2.1 If the outcome results in a partial adjustment, the carriers bill is updated and the status of the claim is updated to Partial. The carrier must concur with the decision before the claim is closed.
  • 10.3 Deny the Claim
    • 10.3.1 If the outcome results in the claim being denied, the status of the claim is updated to Denied. The carrier must concur with the decision before the claim is closed.
  • 10.4 The group or representative notifies the carrier (via the dispute form) and updates the status of the claim to Closed, Partial or Denied in the appropriate tracking system. The group or representative is responsible for entering pertinent information on the dispute form and returning the dispute claim to the carrier via e-mail, facsimile or U.S. mail.
  • 10.5 In the case of a Partial or Denied claim, the carrier must concur with the decision made by the group or representative.
• 11.0 If the carrier concurs with the decision made on the claim, the status of the claim is updated to Closed in the appropriate tracking system and the dispute is closed.
• 12.0 If the carrier does not concur with the decision of the claim, the claim is forwarded to the Billing Adjustment Request Manager (BARM) for further analysis and collection.