I don't understand my online billing statement

Recent Statements

Why don't my “Current Charges” match the “Amount Due” on my statement?

And why doesn't the “Previous Balance” match the “Payment Received”?

Here's a quick summary of the items in the billing summary at the top of your statement:

• Previous Balance = Your “Amount Due” on your prior statement
• Current Charges = Any additional charges for the prior billing period⁽¹⁾ PLUS your monthly premium for the current billing period
• Payment Received = Total amount we have received since your last statement date⁽²⁾
• Total Amount Due = The remaining bill due for your prior AND current billing period, less any collections we have made for out-of-plan charges in the prior billing period.

(1) If you exceed your monthly plan minutes or use an add-on service option, the Halloo billing system will automatically process a collection on your credit card. This collection may be processed ANY time during your billing cycle if your account accrues a balance greater than your approved credit limit (or $10.00, whichever is greater). If your accumulated charges for additional minutes and features are below the limit, we charge you at the end of your monthly billing cycle.

(2) The Payment Received amount shown often includes the monthly premium for the billing period that has ended as of this statement date, as well as any interim collections we may have made according to the explanation above.

For additional information, please refer to our Terms of Service.

Why do I see multiple “monthly usage charges” on my bill?

If you notice Monthly Usage charges on your bill in addition to your regular monthly plan charge, you may have exceeded your monthly plan minutes and begun accruing out-of-plan minute charges.

To verify your current minute usage at any time, go to the “My Account” area of Your Halloo and scroll to the bottom of the page.

If you anticipate high call volume again this month, you may want to consider upgrading to a larger service plan. You can change your plan at any time either by clicking “Change Plan” in the “My Account” area of Your Halloo, or by calling Customer Service.

What is the difference between a “used” and a “charged” minute?

Many telephone companies count the total number of “used” of a forwarded call separately when computing the amount due for a given call. Halloo Office and Halloo Solo does NOT have double-leg billing. We bill you only for the total number of minutes your caller was on the phone. This amount is indicated in the “charged” column.

Why does it look like I've been charged double (or greater) the number of minutes of all calls that have been forwarded?

When the Halloo system forwards your call to a menu in your autoattendant or to a user extension, the record of the new leg “inherits” the total number of minutes from the previous call destination. So in effect each “leg” of the call counts separately, which is what makes the “legs used” column total look as if you may have been overcharged for your call. NOT TO WORRY. The “minutes charged” column shows you how many minutes were actually billed to your account for that call.

Although some companies will charge you for each “forwarded leg” of a call, Halloo does NOT. If you look at the bottom of the call activity portion of your statement, you will notice that the total number of minutes is the sum of the minutes in the right-most, “minutes charged” column.

Activity since last Statement

What is a Pay Phone Termination Charge?

This is the charge that the pay phone company charges for the use of its phone. When someone makes a call to your toll-free number from a pay phone, you are responsible for that surcharge, in addition to the standard toll charges you pay on any call. (Think of this as, in effect, the cost of using the phone – it would cost you $0.60 to make a local call from a pay phone, even if the same call from your home phone a block away cost you nothing.)

What dates are covered under this activity?

Each Billing Statement listed under the “Recent Statements” page in your “My Account” area covers a 1-month billing cycle. If you come to the “My Account” area during your billing cycle, you will see any calls made, charges, credits, and payments made since your last statement here.

Payment History

Why is the “amount paid” different from payment to payment, if I'm on a monthly billing plan?

If you exceed your allocated minutes in a billing period, we bill you when your outstanding balance exceeds your credit limit (e.g., $10.00) for accumulated charges, regardless of where this falls in your billing cycle. If your accumulated charges for additional minutes and features are below the limit, we charge you at the end of your monthly billing cycle. Your limit may be different from $10.00, and you may see larger or smaller incremental charges on your statement.

Please see our Terms of Service for additional details.

Why are there payment card charges appearing on my bill at all different times of the month?

If you go over your allocated minutes, we bill you when your outstanding balance exceeds your credit limit (e.g., $10.00) for accumulated charges, regardless of where this falls in your billing cycle. If your accumulated charges for additional minutes and features are below the limit, we charge you at the end of your monthly billing cycle. Your limit may be different from $10.00, and you may see larger or smaller incremental charges on your statement.

Please see our Terms of Service for additional details.

Annual Prepaid Plans

Why do I have to pay sooner than a year after my most recent payment?

If you exceed your allocated minutes, incurred payphone surcharges, added or charged features on your account then you may have used the credit on the account sooner than a year from your most recent payment. We charge the account when your credit has been used and there is a balance due. When we charge, we will include charges for an additional 11 months of plan fees (MRC) which means that you have prepaid for the remainder of the current month plus 11 additional months. This will be the new term for the account.

Please see our Terms of Service for additional details.

Why is a payment card charge appearing on my bill at a different time of the month than the billing date?

You will be charged when the credit balance runs out. This could happen on a billing date or when the credit limit has been reached (see above).

Please see our Terms of Service for additional details.