Recovery of 38,240 PLN from erroneous license fees
For Prod-Met, we detected errors in fee calculation by a foreign CAD software provider. After our intervention, the client received a full refund of the overpayment for the last 14 months.
Prod-Met from Częstochowa was paying significantly more for CAD software than resulted from real usage. Innovation Embassy conducted an audit that revealed errors in the accounts of a foreign IT giant. We recovered the full overpayment and secured the company against similar situations in the future.
The challenge
Prod-Met uses 14 design workstations, which generates considerable fixed costs. The owner, Mr. Andrzej, noticed that invoices from the German supplier grew by strange amounts every quarter, even though the number of licenses did not change. Attempts to explain the matter independently ended in conversations with automated systems or reading complex regulations in English. The company was losing money without even knowing what specific functions it was paying for. For 14 months, no one was able to stop this cash leak from the operational budget.
Our approach
In March 2024, we sent a two-person team to the plant in Częstochowa. For 3 days, we analyzed server logs and compared them with every invoice from the last two years. We focused on facts, not sales promises. Technology should serve you, not just generate costs. We discovered that the provider's system automatically added fees for simulation modules that were not activated at all on Prod-Met's computers. We prepared a technical report that left no room for discussion.
The solution
Instead of empty promises, Innovation Embassy provided hard evidence. We prepared an official complaint letter in English and Polish. We applied facts instead of promises, indicating exact dates and erroneous system session numbers. Additionally, we implemented a simple license monitoring tool on the client's server. Now Prod-Met has full control and sees who is using the software at any given minute. Your data stays with you, so no outsider will convince the company of higher usage than actual.
Results
Thanks to hard technical evidence, the provider recognized the error within 11 business days. Prod-Met recovered every zloty of the overpayment, and monthly costs dropped by a fixed amount of 2,730 PLN.
Timeline
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March 2024Initial analysis of invoices and system logs at Prod-Met's office.
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April 2024Preparation of technical report and sending complaint to the provider.
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May 2024Negotiations with the corporation's finance department and data verification.
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June 2024Refund of funds to the account and configuration of own license monitoring.
"At first, I didn't believe we would get this money back from such a large company. The process took 3 weeks longer due to the provider's slowness, but Innovation Embassy kept an eye on the deadlines. Now we know exactly what we are paying for."