Several Harvard students have recently complained that their phone lines were unexpectedly cut because their bills were never delivered.

"It's been very frustrating," said Priyanka Malhotra '03, who said her room did not receive a bill in February. "My parents came to visit on the day that my phone was disconnected. They couldn't reach me and we had trouble with their hotel reservations as a result."

Despite the recent rash of complaints, the Harvard Student Telephone Office [HSTO] said that a small number of unreceived bills is not out of the ordinary.

"We send out approximately 10,000 bills each month," said Nancy Kinchla, director of telecommunications services.

"If 100 people suddenly came in complaining that they hadn't received their bills and their phone had been cut off, we'd look in to it," she added. "But 10, 20 people not receiving their bills each month is no big deal."

Kinchla did not say how many phones had been disconnected this month, but said the number was not uncommon for the spring term.

Matthew B. Sussman '03 said that this was not the first time he had problems with phone bill delivery. He said that his bill had not been received since February.

"They were supposed to send the phone bills to my parents, but no one received anything, and my phone's been cut off twice without any warning," added Sussman, who is also a Crimson editor.