New low monthly
fee for local and
long-distance calls
ONCE UPON A TIME, telephone bills were off MCI’s standard monthly fee. After
a simpler matter. There was one bill that cov- the discount, the monthly price could be
ered both local and long-distance calls. Well, as low as $35.99 in many states. In
the folks at MCI, Costco’s phone-service California, the price is as low as $31.49
provider, want things to be just that simple after the Executive Member discount.
for you again, but with many more benefits. Business and Gold Star members
That’s what their new Neighborhood receive a 5 percent discount on this plan.
Connect 500 program is all about. “This plan was developed for callers
The core of this new plan is unlimited who use on average 500 long-distance
local calling. Added to that are 500 domestic minutes per month,” says Jon Zweig,
long-distance minutes per month that you’re director of business services for Costco.
free to use anytime, 24 hours per day, 7 days “It will also appeal to fans of the most
per week. And you pay a low 5 cents per popular calling features.”
minute after 500 minutes. These long-dis- And returning to simpler billing is a
tance minutes include domestic state-to- big plus: one company, one bill for local and and/or account. For complete details, visit
state calls, in-state long-distance calls and long-distance phone service with the MCI costco.com, click on “Services,” then click
local toll calls. Neighborhood Connect 500 plan. on “Unlimited Local & Long Distance
DIGITALVISION
Neighborhood Connect 500 also bundles If you join this program before Decem- Calling.”—David Wight
three of the most popular calling features: call ber 31, 2005, and are new to MCI, you will be
waiting, caller ID and voice mail. Anonymous eligible for two free months, applied to the Rates and programs are subject to change without notice. Additional taxes and surcharges apply each month, including a
call rejection is also included where available. plan fee only. You will receive your first month network access surcharge per line (first line is $6.50), carrier
The cost of the plan varies by state. Execu- free, plus another month free after one year. access charge-B of $1.90 per line, paper billing fee of $0.99 per account, carrier cost recovery charge of
1.4%, property tax sur-
tive Members receive a 10 percent discount This bonus offer is limited to one per cutomer charge of 2.3%, federal universal service fee and in-state fees.
Getting more out of business checks and forms
IS YOUR BUSINESS using checks and forms and MAS 200. That guarantee ensures that He advises businesses to explore the capa-that are fully compatible withyour accounting products and software will work together bility of their chosen accounting software:
software? Many businesses are missing out on from the very first use. And the value extends “Our products are compatibile with the full
the full potential of their software and are across the product line, such as 1,000 laser range of accounting functions, such as
wasting time with trial-and-error printing business checks priced at $45.99 after the accounts payable, multipurpose checks, pay-setups and redundant manual tasks. Executive Member discount. rolls, invoicing and account statements. The
Costco business check and form pro- form features found in accounting software are
vider HBS guarantees compatibility with Make workflow efficient largely underused, but using all the various
more than 1,000 major accounting software “Most Peachtree and QuickBooks users forms is not only more efficient, it also demon-programs, including Peachtree, QuickBooks, today are not taking advantage of the ability strates that a business assures accurate pay-
Quicken, Microsoft Money, Simply to print laser deposit tickets,” says Michael ment that is thoroughly documented with
Accounting, ACCPAC, Rutledge, HBS product manager of computer detailed information.”
MAS 90 checks and forms. “That feature alone could
save members time and from redun- Common misconception
dant tasks and errors associ- Rutledge is surprised by one popular mis-ated with using manual conception. “Most accounting software users
deposit books.” think they need to purchase their checks and
Rutledge knows forms directly from the software manufactur-his products, and sees er,” he says. “But the real benefit is the lower
countless opportunities prices and guaranteed compatibility.”
where those products can HBS provides Costco members up to 50
help businesses. percent savings off bank prices. All products
“If someone is already exceed industry standards for quality, and cus-using accounting software, tomer service is helpful and knowledgeable.
they are probably plugging in For more information or to place an order,
deposit information to keep visit costco.com, click on “Services,” then click
theirbooksbalanced,”hecontin- on “Check Printing,” or call toll-free 1-877-
ues. “They should go ahead and 534-3769.—DW
print the deposit ticket through
the software instead of duplicating
the process by doing it manually.”
