Hosting Companies - Federal Universal Service Fee???

[Pleasurepays]

Is this something anyone knows about or has heard of?

From what i can find, its related to telecommunications (voice).

I have it on hosting invoices and I asked what it was and got some dodgy answers and then an offer to remove the 6.X% fee (under taxes) from the invoices.

Is this something that affects or applies to hosting companies at all?

I've never heard of this until I read up about it today.

[TidalWave]

It doesn't relate to server hosting

[maxprohost]

Originally Posted by TidalWave

It doesn't relate to server hosting

tidalwave is correct.

[XSV]

Who is charging you this?

[Pleasurepays]

Originally Posted by XSV

Who is charging you this?

i wouldn't put them in the top 10 adult hosts. they are more mainstream. i was just a bit weirded out to see this on the invoices... and thought it was even weirder to not be able to get a direct answer aas to what it was and then be told "i'll remove it from your invoices" like it was no big deal

[Pleasurepays]

First, let me say, i'm very tired. juggling many things at once and working 12-14-hrs a day or more, 7 days a week usually. I was trying to figure out why i was quote a price and nothing on the invoices indicated thats what we were paying.

A few days from the month before were pro-rated and we have several accounts as well and they got mixed together with personal/business. - That confused me. I was already kinda pissy in their defense.

But - I got increasingly interested in this idea that a company would just put something under "taxes" on the invoice that amounts to almost 7% of all bills and

1) have no clue what it means
and
2) act like its completely normal

After researching what it was, all I could see was that it was part of a government program related to voice communications. I couldn't find any connection to hosting

Anyway, i was more just looking to clarify that it had nothing to do with hosting or VOIP as its related to hosting or something else.

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Me ‎(12:53 PM): and additionally to 379.00 - there is 35,87 in taxes and the true cost is not 379.00 - its 414,87 or something
Hosting Sales Rep‎(12:54 PM): 405.47
Hosting Sales Rep‎(12:54 PM): fusf fee
Me ‎(12:56 PM): what is the fee?
Me ‎(12:57 PM): so its actually not 379.00 - its 441.00?
Hosting Sales Rep‎(1:03 PM): it is 405.47
Hosting Sales Rep‎(1:03 PM): federal universal service fee
Me ‎(1:05 PM): ah.. i see it all now. ok. what is that? FUSF?
Hosting Sales Rep‎(1:05 PM): federal universal service fee
Me ‎(1:06 PM): i get that .. i can read. i've never in my 39 years on the planet heard someone say "federal universal service fee"
Me ‎(1:06 PM): is that your fee?
Me ‎(1:06 PM): a government tax?
Me ‎(1:06 PM): its called a tax on the invoice
Me ‎(1:06 PM): you call it a fee
Hosting Sales Rep‎(1:06 PM): system does not differentiate
Hosting Sales Rep‎(1:06 PM): standard on all accounts
Me ‎(1:07 PM): is it your fee? or is it a tax?
Hosting Sales Rep‎(1:07 PM): not really sure
Hosting Sales Rep‎(1:07 PM): hadn't heard of it before either
Hosting Sales Rep‎(1:07 PM): and I don't handle the taxes
Me ‎(1:08 PM): as far as we know. 26.00 was randomly added to the invoice for an unknown reason?
Me ‎(1:08 PM): i'm just curious. i was quoted a price for 379.00 , so i'm trying to understand all this and understand why invoices don't bill for 379.00
Hosting Sales Rep‎(1:09 PM): i will request removal
Me ‎(1:10 PM): thanks.
Hosting Sales Rep‎(1:10 PM): credit of 62.34 issued for both accounts
Hosting Sales Rep‎(1:10 PM): anything else?

[Spudstr]

So in other words someone tried slapping a fee on your invoices in hopes to make more?

Great company to deal with.

[sandman!]

scam to make more $$$$

[BillyHoe]

Originally Posted by Spudstr

So in other words someone tried slapping a fee on your invoices in hopes to make more?

Great company to deal with.

that's what it sounds like. If it's a tax then they shouldn't be able to just remove it at will.

[Agent 488]

sounds like the rep just credited it because he didn't want to deal with it instead of some official policy.

[Andy CHOOPA]

Not knowing everything about the situation, yes that sounds shady

[dav3]

would like to know name to avoid

[Pleasurepays]

Now they've lost 100+ sites because supposedly 2 hard drives failed at the exact same time and they can't (claim they can't) recover any data... which assumes there was a backup drive to begin with and that is seeming highly unlikely given the conversations i've been reading between my guy and them

thank you - Righhosting.com

first for the fraudulent, non applicable "tax" on the invoice,... for which there was no explanation and now for losing all the sites within a month of being online on your server.

[Pleasurepays]

funny... i've screwed myself by having so many machines with phatservers for so many years.

Those bastards spoiled me with top notch service and absolute professionalism.

Phatservers, mojohost and NatNet... A

Everyone else i've tried in the last 12 months = F

[imabro]

Originally Posted by Pleasurepays

thank you - Righhosting.com

caz knows better

business must be bad

even owner pulled hosting

[XSV]

Originally Posted by Pleasurepays

funny... i've screwed myself by having so many machines with phatservers for so many years.

Those bastards spoiled me with top notch service and absolute professionalism.

Phatservers, mojohost and NatNet... A

Everyone else i've tried in the last 12 months = F

Why don't you email [email protected] with the login info and see if one of our techs can get lucky and grab the data over to one of our backup servers so you at least have a copy while you sort this out.

[czarina]

never got it from my hosting company

[LiveDose]

That is fucking shady. Run away fast.

[Khesser]

The Federal Universal Service Fee is a US gov't tax on your telephone bill to subsidize the building and up keep of telephone/internet networks in rural areas. They recently just did away with the Federal Excise Tax on your phone bill. That tax was to pay for the Spanish American War. Your Government at Work

[Kick Ass Chat]

Originally Posted by czarina

never got it from my hosting company

Me either...

[michael.kickass]

Never heard of it.

[SmokeyTheBear]

i dont know that hosting companies can charge that fee , but i know it is against the law for a company to charge its users more than it pays into the fund.

[baddog]

The current incarnation of the FUSF was introduced into tax law created by United States Congress, via the FCC in 1998. Title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, Sections 36, 54, and 69.

This surcharge is imposed for the purpose of providing telecommunications services at an affordable price to schools, libraries, rural health care providers, and low-income customers. The tax is a percentage of the interstate portion of the long distance charge on your bill. The surcharge is assessed to all telecommunications companies with interstate operations, including long distance carriers, wireless companies, pager companies and payphone companies. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates this surcharge.

Maybe they are a POTS now.

[CDSmith]

Originally Posted by GirlsFreePics

Me either...

Nice looking avatar you have there. :D

[GetInSpace]

Sounds like total BS!

[Net Money]

This sounds like a big scam to me, the tax, the hard drive...not good company ..