Chess gives FPB members a square deal

Kept in check: Chess is hoping to minimise SMEs' payment headaches with an online system

Chess Telecom has teamed up with industry body the Forum of Private Business (FPB) to help small firms by providing flexible contracts and a price guarantee.

The FPB has slammed the practice of telecoms providers imposing rollover contracts on SMEs, where deals are renewed if they are not expressly cancelled. The body's utilities adviser Colin Beake, who is also managing director of consultancy Utility Options, claimed many FPB members had complained about shoddy customer service.

He added that many SMEs frequently found themselves tied into unwanted contract extensions with their utilities providers. "Most often, only a single letter is sent out and a non-response is taken as a business being complicit," he said.

"Business owners are extremely busy and unless notice is given within the specified time to terminate these evergreen contracts, utilities companies can just roll them over for a further year or two, sometimes at exorbitant prices. They rarely play fair."

FPB member Norwood Instruments, which specialises in scientific and medical instruments, also slammed the practice. Owner John Dickinson described telecoms firms' behaviour as "a self-serving system".

"The renewal date is often three or four months before the contract actually ends," he added. "You usually receive a letter a few weeks before then to tell you the contract is being renewed and a date up to which you can object or otherwise, but this seems to come out of the blue and catch you unawares."

But Chess is offering FPB members a guarantee that contracts will not be stretched beyond the originally agreed period. The telecoms firm is also providing a single online billing system, which aims to help SMEs manage their payments in a more efficient and environmentally conscious way.

But the pièce de résistance of Chess's offer is a guarantee to match any other provider's price on a like-for-like quote. FPB products manager Jonathan Britton claimed the Chess relationship would be mutually beneficial.

“We were looking for a strategic partner that was as keen to deliver a high standard of service to our members as we are,” he said. “Equally as important were quality products and cost savings, which many of our members take advantage of. Chess fits the bill perfectly.”