A knowledge base article about In-Depth Billing FAQ provided by the UC Berkeley IT Service Hub - Knowledge Portal
These are more less frequently asked, questions about billing with detailed answers. NOTE: "contact us" means send e-mail to istbill@berkeley.edu
Q: I don't know what this service is. Can you explain?
A: IST offers a variety of services, including campus phones, wireless products, web-hosting, database services, backup, web application services, desktop support, and many others. For a complete listing of our services and their descriptions, please see IST Services and Solutions website at: https://technology.berkeley.edu/ Use the "search" box to help you find who the Service Provider of your service is and to learn details about what the service offers.
Here are common services customers often ask questions about:
232-xxx-xxxx numbers: These are point-to-point data circuits, often dedicated lines used for alarm systems and secure ATM or computer systems, billed as one-time charges, but are actually recurring charges (see no.8).
Misc/Off Campus lines: These are non-campus lines which are "measured rate business service lines". For example, a professor's home phone which the department pays for, or an offsite research facility phone.
UCBackup: This is nightly storage/backup of your local machines/servers, charged at 14cents per GB (gigabyte) per month.
DS-DB-Database MySQL Server Pkg: This is a database service using the MySQL relational database management system, and the package is a monthly charge which includes 10GB of storage, server hosting, consulting, and production support.
Data Ctr Colocation Rack Unit: A secure, shared, physical hosting of computer equipment in IST's Data Center, where each rack unit is $10/month, with 1 Gb connectivity and reliable trunking behind an IST firewall.
Archive Data Blocks/ ReadyTalk: ReadyTalk is the campus conference call service. Most people use Web Conferencing, which is 20c/minute per participant. Therefore, if you have 4 participants and the call lasts 30 minutes, the charge will be 4x30 = 120 minutes (or 120 "Archive Data blocks") @ .20 = $24.00.
IS-VM Base: This is a cloud computing service (internet-hosted vs locally hosted) —a virtual private server with a reduced footprint in our Data Center. The cost (including 1 GB RAM) is $20/month. There are several additional storage options and additional RAM options also.
If this information still does not answer your questions, please see our IST Services and Solutions website (http://ist.berkeley.edu/services) or contact us.
Q: I know what the service is, but I don't think it's ours.
A: If it's a phone, try calling the phone number first. If that does not help, contact us and we will research the history of the service to find original ownership and/or how the service was moved to your departmental funds.
Q: This service is ours, but we've been overcharged. Help!
A: We produce several reports which check to make sure duplicate billing does not occur on most services. However, mistakes sometimes do happen, and we appreciate your monthly audit of your bill statement and letting us know of any suspected overcharges by contacting us.
Q: The phone number is on the wrong chart-string. Who made the funding change?
A: First, check your funding change history (select the Funding Change History link in the left-hand menu). You can sort by date, or search for the Service ID using the "text" parameter. Sometimes we must move a service from a defunct chart-string to one that is active, but we always notify the department when that happens. In other cases, please contact us and provide us the service number, the current (wrong) chart-string, and the correct chart-string.
Q: We are sure we did not make this phone call, but we were charged usage. Why?
A: Sometimes the phone is not hung up properly, or is malfunctioning. Once in a while, our vendor switch has buffering issues which show two or more simultaneous calls. In each case, please contact us and provide the date/time of the call usage and the phone number.
Q: Why are we still being billed for disconnected lines?
A: Are you sure the line is disconnected? Sometimes a department moves to another building, and has given us a list of lines to disconnect, but omits one or two lines. IST does not disconnect without specific instructions, so it's possible these lines are still active. Try calling them. If you get a disconnected signal, look at your bill and note the date of the usage. Is the date before your disconnect request? If not, and you know you have ordered the line disconnected but it is still active, please contact us.
Q: Do we have to pay for data network connections anymore?
A: If you simply want to activate an existing jack (or port), there is no charge. If you want us to install a brand-new data jack in a room, the cost for new Network Connection Premise Wiring is $307.00 per cable. Hourly cost for Premise Wiring is $71.