Business "Wasting Millions Each Year" on Cell Phones

The headline shouldn't surprise you, which is cause enough for alarm: Why on earth do we accept that we're wasting so much money on our cell phone plans and just keep forking over the cash like sheep?

Recently I bought a new phone and got a new two-year subscription, and it's amazing how expensive a $39.95 a month plan can be in reality. Not only are a bunch of absurd taxes and extra charges (roadside assistance?) tacked on, I also got billed 10 cents by Cingular for the text message they sent me to tell me they are processing the rebate for my phone. Wow.

The Register has an interesting story on how most businesses use one-stop billing and pay all cellular bills en masse. The employees never see their bills, so they (and in fact, no one) really know how much they're spending. Some users don't realize they've inadvertently signed up for ongoing subscriptions, for example.

This company is offering a free review of any phone bill for up to 200 users, and that could be a good idea if your company has a lot of mobiles on the loose. (Naturally they're going to want you to buy more services from them after that.) If nothing else, start showing employees what they're costing the biz: According the company, it has seen phone bills drop as much as 20 percent just by letting staffers see what they've been paying for.