Type Private Founded 2014 Website www.billfixers.com | Industry Expert as a service Headquarters Nashville, Tennessee | |
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Founders Ben Kurland
Julian Kurland | ||
BillFixers is a bill negotiation service from Nashville, Tennessee that lowers rates for television, Internet service providers, cell and landline companies, and other monthly bills. Founded in July, 2014 by brothers Ben and Julian Kurland, it negotiates cheaper prices on Telecommunications service providers for consumers as well as businesses. BillFixers is an Expert as a service company and, like others, aims to replace the workload of menial or repetitive tasks by hiring experts to do the work. As of May 2016, BillFixers has saved more than 5,000 clients more than $1,000,000 on their bills.
Contents
History
Brothers Ben and Julian Kurland, founded the company in Nashville, Tennessee in July, 2014. A few weeks after their founding, a customer service call between Comcast and tech entrepreneur and journalist Ryan Block went viral. The Kurland brothers posted on Reddit specializing in haggling with Comcast and received their first customers after getting started with family and friends. For the first year, the Kurlands and their cousin Peter Zimbicki were the sole negotiators at the company, working out of borrowed offices. After a year, Julian graduated law school at University of Notre Dame, passed the bar, and the business became a full time job. By January 2016, the business had grown to over 1,200 clients and $300,000 in savings when they were featured on the NBC Nightly News along with an article in the The New York Times.
Services
BillFixers works primarily on TV, internet, and phone bills, although their services include things like satellite radio, home security, and propane by calling companies on behalf of consumers and small businesses to negotiate better rates. On average, they save clients $300 per bill and have a 95% success rate.
How it Works
The service operates by having experts negotiate lower rates on monthly bills on behalf of consumers. Clients submit a bill and then BillFixers negotiators call up providers like Comcast and AT&T on their behalf to find decreased rates and suggest better options. BillFixers doesn't change services or reduce channels or speeds–instead they use promotional and custom rates to guarantee lower monthly bills. Negotiators act either as authorized representatives or as the clients themselves. The business operates on a contingency basis by splitting savings over a 12 month period, so payment comes from savings obtained, rather than any fees.
Reception
BillFixers was praised by NBC News as an "ingenious idea" and a CNET review reported 100% satisfaction. In September 2015, BillFixers was nominated as the Small Business Innovator of the Year by USA Today. A New York Times article questioned the method of negotiators representing themselves as clients, but found no violation of either law or terms of service. BillFixers has also received positive reviews from savings websites like My Money Blog and Debt Departure.