Call Your ISP And Lower Your Bill Say the crappy economy sent you... It has long been the case that if you're not happy with your telco or cable company bundle, calling in and threatening to cancel will usually net you some fairly significant savings. That's even more true in this climate, where consumers are feeling a pinch from the recession, and fewer dial-up converts means carriers are focused on trying to lock existing users into long-term deals. Comcast says they're seeing a spike in calls from customers looking to lower their bills. Meanwhile, at least one U-Verse triple play customer says they were able to cut their U-Verse bill in half just by asking. Share your experiences in getting a lower bill in our comment section below.
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approval from:
GeorgeCr 
| Comcast I called a month or so ago to complain about my bill and was offered $56.00 a month for digital cable and HSI (6Meg) together. The offer is good for one year. | |
|  |  NOZIREV
join:2008-07-10
New Bedford, MA | Re: Comcast Real nice... Do you also go out to eat and see all the prices on the menu and order the food knowing the prices well ahead of time and then when you are finished call your waiter over and say "you know this bill is too high, i know the prices were in the menu but its a recession and all so can you take some money off please????" some people have no shame at all. I can see if you had a legitimate issue with your service and asked for a credit but to just call in and say my bill is too high WTF? Everybody wants a hand out these days got to love it. 
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"Citius, Altius, Fortius" [Faster, Higher, Stronger] | |
| | |  pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | Re: Comcast What is wrong with 2 private parties bargaining over the price of a good or service? That's just the free market at work.
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Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty | |
| | |  Jim GurdPremium
join:2000-07-08
Plymouth, MI
2 edits | said by NOZIREV:Real nice... Do you also go out to eat and see all the prices on the menu and order the food knowing the prices well ahead of time and then when you are finished call your waiter over and say "you know this bill is too high, i know the prices were in the menu but its a recession and all so can you take some money off please????" some people have no shame at all. I can see if you had a legitimate issue with your service and asked for a credit but to just call in and say my bill is too high WTF? Everybody wants a hand out these days got to love it. The companies can always say no. If they really want the business they will be willing to negotiate. There is no such thing as fixed prices in a capitalist system.
If they are unwilling to negotiate then they are taking the risk of losing the business entirely. Maybe they are willing to do so or maybe not. It never hurts to ask.
Edit: Oh, and your example of a restaurant is invalid because you have already eaten the food. Cable service is paid in advance, not after the fact. You would be negotiating for future costs, not past ones.
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Calling an illegal alien an undocumented worker is like calling a crack dealer an unlicensed pharmacist. | |
| | | | NOZIREV
join:2008-07-10
New Bedford, MA | Re: Comcast Or you can do the responsible thing and cut back on your services like baineschile talked about. As far as i know you sign an agreement when signing up for services with a telco or cableco. It is down right dirty to call in and say i want my bill lowered because it is too high and were in a recession. People should start holding themselves accountable and stop trying to put the burden on businesses.
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"Citius, Altius, Fortius" [Faster, Higher, Stronger] | |
| | | | | Jim GurdPremium
join:2000-07-08
Plymouth, MI | Re: Comcast said by NOZIREV:Or you can do the responsible thing and cut back on your services like baineschile talked about. As far as i know you sign an agreement when signing up for services with a telco or cableco. It is down right dirty to call in and say i want my bill lowered because it is too high and were in a recession. People should start holding themselves accountable and stop trying to put the burden on businesses. Actually I did. I scaled back to limited basic service last month after they notified me of an upcoming rate increase.
There is no contract. Cable service is month to month. They can raise your rates any time they like and you can cancel their service any time you like.
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Calling an illegal alien an undocumented worker is like calling a crack dealer an unlicensed pharmacist. | |
| | | | | | NOZIREV
join:2008-07-10
New Bedford, MA | Re: Comcast "It has long been the case that if you're not happy with your telco or cable company bundle, calling in and threatening to cancel will usually net you some fairly significant savings." that is from the article and as far as i know you need to have a contract for a bundle package, right? i might be wrong.
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"Citius, Altius, Fortius" [Faster, Higher, Stronger] | |
| | | | | | | Jim GurdPremium
join:2000-07-08
Plymouth, MI
2 edits | Re: Comcast said by NOZIREV:as far as i know you need to have a contract for a bundle package, right? i might be wrong. I don't know. I'm not subscribed to a bundle package.
I agree that if there is a contract then both sides should be held to its terms but in most cases the service is offered month to month and there is no contract.
Also I don't know if part of the bundle discount requires a certain number of months commitment like a cell phone contract or else there is an early cancellation penalty. If so then yes they should be held to the terms.
Once the contract runs out then negotiation is fair game.
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Calling an illegal alien an undocumented worker is like calling a crack dealer an unlicensed pharmacist. | |
| | | | | | | | | said by NOZIREV:as far as i know you need to have a contract for a bundle package, right? i might be wrong. I don't know about all companies, but Comcast, at least here, has no contract requirements whatsoever. You can cancel at any time.
As to your original objection to calling in to ask for a lower price, what's wrong with that? If the company refuses, then you can go from there. If you aren't in a contract, then you can leave, and if you are in a contract, then you can elect to pay the Early Termination Fee and leave. And, BTW, there's nothing illegal or unethical about paying the ETF and leaving. It's a penalty for choosing to end the contract. It's written in there, and it's perfectly legal.
And if you think that a price is a price, take it or leave it, then you haven't traveled much. In many nations, haggling over a price is a time-honored way to do business. It's expected, and if you pay the posted price, you're a sucker. That price is merely a starting point for negotiations.
And if the companies weren't willing to lower their prices, they'd simply refuse to do so. | |
| | | | | | | | NOZIREV
join:2008-07-10
New Bedford, MA | Re: Comcast "And if the companies weren't willing to lower their prices, they'd simply refuse to do so."
which they are doing. your a fool i am not going to explain myself again read my previous post and KEEP YOUR HAND OUTT SOMEONE WILL PUT MONEY IN IT, thats the american way.
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"Citius, Altius, Fortius" [Faster, Higher, Stronger] | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Re: Comcast Nope, you're the fool. They are lowering their prices by accepting a lower, negotiated deal. That's called lowering their price. No one is forcing them to to ffer a lower price. | |
| | | | | | | | |  Combat ChuckToo Many CannibalsPremium
join:2001-11-29
Erie, PA | said by NOZIREV:your a fool i am not going to explain myself again read my previous post and KEEP YOUR HAND OUTT SOMEONE WILL PUT MONEY IN IT, thats the american way. Hate to tell you but you're the fool. That is how it is supposed to work, the consumer bargaining for the lowest price and the producer trying to sell it for the highest. That truly is the American way. Not this "let's ask the government to force them to lower prices" BS.
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The world’s elusive, remember
where love's the leaf
faith, the river
what's born as flame dies in ember
see for yourself! | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | Re: Comcast Last insult, please. Or thread is locked. I think we've expressed our thoughts on NOZIREV's opinion that smart shoppers will usher forth the apocalypse. | |
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| | | | | | | | | | I take it that you are also dumb enough to walk into a car dealership and purchase a vehicle for sticker price without even inquiring about incentives? Nevermind bargaining a price for your trade vehicle. You probably don't shop on black friday either, or ever use a coupon when purchasing products. Who's the fool? You are. | |
| | | | | | | | |  Noah VailSon made my AvatarPremium
join:2004-12-10
Lorton, VA
kudos:1
 ·Bright House
 ·Sprint Mobile Br..
| said by NOZIREV:" *&()%$## %$#@*^~`!! !)#*&$%@~`~ (*&^$$^^&)*** *#@*#+=$#~! $+**^%$~~!! $)(%$#@$^%@#@! and KEEP YOUR HAND OUTTTTTT SOMEONE WILL PUT MONEY IN IT, thats the $*!@+%#*#*! way. OK. You don't like someone rehashing their cable fees.
But you really haven't explained what harm occurs to our country, economic system or community by 1 person (or 1 million) people attempting to renegotiate their cable rates for a period of time.
If it's a bad thing, there is damage somewhere to evident that.
And the (clearly understandable) damage here is ...?
NV
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I support Little League RollerBall. | |
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| | | | | | | | said by NOZIREV:"It has long been the case that if you're not happy with your telco or cable company bundle, calling in and threatening to cancel will usually net you some fairly significant savings." that is from the article and as far as i know you need to have a contract for a bundle package, right? i might be wrong. No, not with Comcast or most cable companies. It is NOT a contract, just an introductory rate that usually lasts 3-12 months. | |
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approval from:
dodgetech2
| Duh, that's what's happening - people are calling in and cutting back services, and being offered the same services at a discount so the companies don't lose out 100% on each service - its really not that hard to understand, not immoral or unethical or irresponsible at all. From your posts, you obviously understand how they can "responsibly" raise the rates when their costs increase, its no different when the average Joe wants to pay less due to more costs themselves. | |
| | | | | | NOZIREV
join:2008-07-10
New Bedford, MA | Re: Comcast Duh, that not whats happening read the post "It has long been the case that if you're not happy with your telco or cable company bundle, calling in and threatening to cancel will usually net you some fairly significant savings."
If they were calling in to cut back there services like a normal person would do and they get offered a reduced price for there services then you know what great that i would take it as well.
So i guess that it is kind of hard for you to understand hopefully that clarified it for ya.
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"Citius, Altius, Fortius" [Faster, Higher, Stronger] | |
| | | | | | |  MemphisPCGuySenior Systems EngineerPremium
join:2004-05-09
Memphis, TN
·Comcast
| Re: Comcast Any bundle price is good for 1 year, then the price goes up but is only billed monthly. Pretty sure they are not talking about the initial bundle price ($99 month in my case went up to $155 after the initial contracted year)
I may just call myself and see if there are any specials going on or what I can do as well. Hell, I only use the digital phone service for my alarm system. Maybe ATT has a phone bill that will save me $30 - $20 my other two cable services would go up because I unbundled. Net savings for $10  | |
| | | | | | | | | TWC Mid Ohio allows you to do this. After your bundle promo for the one year is up you can call in and get into another bundle deal. Hell you can even ask for the Rention Dept. and see what they'll offer you. It's not a big deal for them either. | |
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| | | | DesdinovaPremium
join:2003-01-26
Gaithersburg, MD
1 edit | "It is down right dirty to call in and say i want my bill lowered because it is too high and were in a recession."
Except that none of the companies you mentioned follow the actions you're defending. If it's okay for my cable company to send me an invoice saying "Hey, costs have gone up and we can no longer afford to offer you service at this rate so you have to pay more" then I feel it's completely appropriate to do the same to them and say "hey, available finances have gone down and I can no longer afford to buy your service at that rate so I want to pay less."
They can say no. Just as I can say no when they try and raise the rate.
Businesses do this all the time (credit cards, banks, etc. raise interest rates without asking you if it's okay) so I have no moral compunction about confronting them with the terms of engagement that THEY defined. | |
| | | | |  badtripI heart the East BayPremium
join:2004-03-20
Albany, CA | Because the cable ans telephone companies always do the responsible thing?
The telcos and cablecos have been ripping people off for years. Plus it is the height of responsibility to negotiate for a price you feel is reasonable. It is irresponsible to do otherwise. I haggle and threaten to leave during easy times. In hardship, I wouldn't blink. The telcos and cable cos have absolutely no problem raising thier prices whenever they feel like it. | |
| | | | |  ptrowskiGot Helix?Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
kudos:4
 ·VOIPo
| said by NOZIREV:Or you can do the responsible thing and cut back on your services like baineschile talked about. As far as i know you sign an agreement when signing up for services with a telco or cableco. It is down right dirty to call in and say i want my bill lowered because it is too high and were in a recession. People should start holding themselves accountable and stop trying to put the burden on businesses. Good lord, are you going to give us the same junk that Rick does? "We don't want to weaken the cable company, do we"? Please....People have every right to call in and ask for a lower price. Any company also has the right to say no.
Their is no burden on business. Look at it this way, if someone calls in for a lower price and you tell them sure, then you retain a customer who also walks away with a positive feeling that the company helped them out in a tough time. Or...someone calls you and asks for a lower rate and you tell them no, so they cancel as they are on a stetched budget. So now you and Comcast are not making anything, and you lose your job there because subscribers and revenue are down.
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"So, Lone Star, now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb."
Have you been touched by his noodly appendage? »www.venganza.org | |
| | | | | | NOZIREV
join:2008-07-10
New Bedford, MA | Re: Comcast Ptrowski this has nothing to do with comcast, cox, verizon, at&t, or any other business. So you can stop with all that and me losing my job and whatever other nonsense you have to say like that. It has to do with society and how everybody is looking for a hand out PLEASE READ PREVIOUS POSTS before posting nonsense.
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"Citius, Altius, Fortius" [Faster, Higher, Stronger] | |
| | | | | | | ptrowskiGot Helix?Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
kudos:4 Reviews:
·VOIPo
1 edit | Re: Comcast said by NOZIREV:Ptrowski this has nothing to do with comcast, cox, verizon, at&t, or any other business. So you can stop with all that and me losing my job and whatever other nonsense you have to say like that. It has to do with society and how everybody is looking for a hand out PLEASE READ PREVIOUS POSTS before posting nonsense. I did. and will apply my post to any provider, I just chose Comcast as they are your employer and the topic of this thread.
Society has the right to request lower prices, and corporations have the right to tell them no.
I read all of your posts, and responded to them. Pretty simple. | |
| | | | | | | | NOZIREV
join:2008-07-10
New Bedford, MA | Re: Comcast great come back, you konw it all... | |
| | | | | | | | | ptrowskiGot Helix?Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
kudos:4 Reviews:
·VOIPo
| Re: Comcast said by NOZIREV:great come back, you konw it all... It's not a comeback as you put it, it's the truth. All the company has to say is "no, we won't lower the price." Now if the person is bluffing on leaving then they most likely will remain a customer. If they are not though then that company loses a customer.
Kind of black and white to me.
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"So, Lone Star, now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb."
Have you been touched by his noodly appendage? »www.venganza.org | |
| | | | | | | | | | NOZIREV
join:2008-07-10
New Bedford, MA | Re: Comcast i some how think that everything is black and white for you.
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"Citius, Altius, Fortius" [Faster, Higher, Stronger] | |
| | | | | | | | | | ptrowskiGot Helix?Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
kudos:4 Reviews:
·VOIPo
| Re: Comcast said by NOZIREV:i some how think that everything is black and white for you. Not always, but usually they are. I break things down into the simplest form.
It works the other way. The company raises their rate (really without asking though) usually every year. The customer can say "no" and switch to a different service if there is one to be had.
So what do you do for what ever company you work for? What butters your bread? | |
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| | | | | | | | |  geekamongusReal Slump QualityPremium,MVM
join:2004-07-27
Asheville, NC | The trick I learned is to go ahead and leave your current provider, then sign up for another service (which will practically beg you to come to them). Then, after about 2 weeks, call your original provider back and tell them you are thinking about coming back. Then, *they* will beg you to come back and give you an even better deal than you originally hoped for.
I did this and got upgraded to a 10MBps cable deal at the cost of the 3MBps package for the next 12 months.
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o o | |
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| | | | | | Jim GurdPremium
join:2000-07-08
Plymouth, MI | said by NOZIREV:It has to do with society and how everybody is looking for a hand out I'll agree with you there. It's starting from the top though with the auto bailout that looks like a done deal. 
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Calling an illegal alien an undocumented worker is like calling a crack dealer an unlicensed pharmacist. | |
| | | | | | | pbarrowPremium
join:2003-09-16
Montgomery, AL
kudos:1 | If companies have a right to offshore their support and manufacturing to other countries jsut to get lower wage employees and recuce cost and we customers have the right to ask for lower prices also.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander. | |
| | | | | | |  NOVA_GuyObamaCare Kills AmericansPremium
join:2002-03-05 | said by NOZIREV:It has to do with society and how everybody is looking for a hand out There's nothing wrong with asking for, or looking for, a handout. It only becomes an issue when one feels a sense of entitlement to getting the handout.
A relevant example:
If one calls the cable company (as I'm now thinking about doing myself, after reading this thread) and investigates ways of lowering the monthly bill, there's nothing wrong with that. The problem arises when the cable company says no and the person, feeling entitled to getting a price break for some unknown reason, starts complaining about the cable company and how they're ripping everyone off. Please keep in mind that there are many of us who, upon hearing no, would either (1) accept the situation or (2) start investigating other alternatives to reducing monthly outlays.
I don't feel bad about asking companies who I'm purchasing service from about getting better deals. I've done it with my cell phone, my home phone, my satellite radio, car insurance, home insurance, and would do the same with my electricity and water if competition for these services existed where I live.
Heck, when I was in college I had an economics professor who would haggle prices at restaurants! He had a better than 50% record for reducing the effective price, BTW. Every time he did this when I was with him it was done with the manager at the time the food was ordered. The first couple times I felt really uncomfortable about it, but getting to enjoy a free drink or dessert as part of the meal got to be pretty fun after a while (he usually haggled for a "bundled package" of sorts, rather than a dollars-off discount).
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Save us, oh Great Obamasiah. Peggy Joseph and I both pray that You come to pay our mortgage and fill our cars with gas. (Premium please!) | |
| | | | | | | | | A "handout"? Maybe you should consult a dictionary before you spout off nonsense... I'd be happy to send you one for free, as a handout! Sounds to me like they're negotiating a better rate... not getting the service for free. But, after reading your posts, I understand that you may not be able to fathom that concept, though.
I did something similar... when I saw that Verizon was offering a better rate for 3 Gb DSL than I was paying for 1.5 Gb, you bet I called. I ended up paying $7 a month less (total bill, with phone and cellular service) for my new "bundled" package with all the same services and twice the bandwidth. Verizon was all too happy to lock me back into a contract, since my old one had expired 3 years ago. It's called being a smart consumer. Sorry you're not smart enough to see the difference. | |
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| | | | | | Oh you mean like it is dirty for these same companies to sign you up with a contract on a service with a TOS agreement and then conveniently change it in their favor by applying caps, below the line fees, etc?
Sure you have the option to cancel when they change the TOS, but they have the option to say no and loose you as a customer.
Being able to negotiate your price is perfectly fine in a free market (or the appearance of a free market in the US). There is absolutely nothing wrong with this behavior and you are a moron if you walk up and pay asking price for everything. | |
| | | | |  SLDPremium
join:2002-04-17
San Francisco, CA | And it isn't dirty to raise prices on consumers once they sign up for the service at a listed price? Or change the terms of service, or start throttling, or start limiting "unlimited" service? | |
| | | | | | | | Re: Comcast said by SLD:And it isn't dirty to raise prices on consumers once they sign up for the service at a listed price? Or change the terms of service, or start throttling, or start limiting "unlimited" service? Totally off topic, but does CC still use sandvine? But I agree, there are many reasons why people should question the ever rising costs of CATV. To just pay the bill without questioning is sort of dumb. I mean, if everyone did that I am sure expanded basic would be at 80 dollars a month already. | |
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| | | | | | Are you serious? These same companies can not even give you the stability that they are advertising for their service( voice, internet, tv etc.). You dont even have to mention the recession. Just mention about crappy service should be enough not to mention terrible customer service. With all that being said they should be calling their customers with better offers  | |
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| | | | Faulty logic IMO. At a restaurant, you order, consume (thereby accepting the rates), and then pay.
There's nothing at all wrong with saying "If you want my future business, lets negotiate lower prices". If you did that a restaurant, there's a good chance that they'd tell you to accept their prices or eat elsewhere.
Its not shameful to negotiate. I suppose you pay MSRP for your cars?? | |
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See 38 replies to this post | |
| | | | Do you sign a contract at the restaurants that you eat at? If not, then it's fair game to negotiate price like this. | |
| | | | | said by NOZIREV:Real nice... Do you also go out to eat and see all the prices on the menu and order the food knowing the prices well ahead of time and then when you are finished call your waiter over and say "you know this bill is too high, i know the prices were in the menu but its a recession and all so can you take some money off please????" some people have no shame at all. I can see if you had a legitimate issue with your service and asked for a credit but to just call in and say my bill is too high WTF? Everybody wants a hand out these days got to love it. :huh: said by Jim Gurd:The companies can always say no. If they really want the business they will be willing to negotiate. There is no such thing as fixed prices in a capitalist system. I agree with Jim. Additionally, when you finish eating do you normally get a bill that looks like this:
Steak Dinner.............$14.50
Coffee....................$1.30
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TAX: .....................$1.11
TOTAL: ..................$16.91
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Seating Fee: .............$1.21
Parking Fee: .............$0.30
State Fee: ...............$1.11
Receipt Fee: .............$0.01
Environment Fee: .........$0.02
(For Receipt Printing)
Other Fee: ...............$0.05
-------------------------------
GRAND TOTAL: ............$19.62
No, even though some of them should be charging some of those -- like parking fee (some of their parking lots are horrible) -- they do not. They also don't charge misc or "other" fees that probably serve nothing but to line the companies pockets even more. In the end -- when it comes to phone/tv/internet companies -- you are certainly not paying the price you saw on the menu! At least the restaurant is not nickel & dimeing you.
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- "Techie" Jim | |
| | | |  jmn1207Premium
join:2000-07-19
Ashburn, VA | Re: Comcast You forgot to mention that the meal was "All You Can Eat"; but they really mean 2 refills on your coffee, and then they charge .75 for each additional sip afterwards. | |
| | | |  dvd536as Mr. Pink as they comePremium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
kudos:4 | said by jimbo2150:said by NOZIREV:Real nice... Do you also go out to eat and see all the prices on the menu and order the food knowing the prices well ahead of time and then when you are finished call your waiter over and say "you know this bill is too high, i know the prices were in the menu but its a recession and all so can you take some money off please????" some people have no shame at all. I can see if you had a legitimate issue with your service and asked for a credit but to just call in and say my bill is too high WTF? Everybody wants a hand out these days got to love it. :huh: said by Jim Gurd:The companies can always say no. If they really want the business they will be willing to negotiate. There is no such thing as fixed prices in a capitalist system. I agree with Jim. Additionally, when you finish eating do you normally get a bill that looks like this:
Steak Dinner.............$14.50
Coffee....................$1.30
-------------------------------
TAX: .....................$1.11
TOTAL: ..................$16.91
-------------------------------
Seating Fee: .............$1.21
Parking Fee: .............$0.30
State Fee: ...............$1.11
Receipt Fee: .............$0.01
Environment Fee: .........$0.02
(For Receipt Printing)
Other Fee: ...............$0.05
-------------------------------
GRAND TOTAL: ............$19.62
No, even though some of them should be charging some of those -- like parking fee (some of their parking lots are horrible) -- they do not. They also don't charge misc or "other" fees that probably serve nothing but to line the companies pockets even more. In the end -- when it comes to phone/tv/internet companies -- you are certainly not paying the price you saw on the menu! At least the restaurant is not nickel & dimeing you. Some of them are. some you pay, some the servers pay out of their tips. CC surcharge fees. the mexican restaurants that charge a cheese surcharge
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When I gez aju zavateh na nalechoo more new yonooz tonigh molinigh - Ken Lee | |
| | | | | | | Re: Comcast said by dvd536:Some of them are. some you pay, some the servers pay out of their tips. CC surcharge fees. the mexican restaurants that charge a cheese surcharge Maybe Arizona is different than around here, but I have NEVER seen that. Not once in this area. The only similarity: one place I know of charges extra for cheese on your burger... but it's right on the menu. It isn't some hidden fee that is added without your knowledge after the fact (which was my point).
And jmn1207 is right, it would be more like an all-you-can-eat buffet. It can go either way though, and they would charge per fluid ounce (or picoliter!) -- not per sip. A sip is not a valid unit of measurement -- it's just a gross estimate.
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- "Techie" Jim | |
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| | ptrowskiGot Helix?Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
kudos:4 Reviews:
·VOIPo
| said by NOZIREV:Real nice... Do you also go out to eat and see all the prices on the menu and order the food knowing the prices well ahead of time and then when you are finished call your waiter over and say "you know this bill is too high, i know the prices were in the menu but its a recession and all so can you take some money off please????" some people have no shame at all. I can see if you had a legitimate issue with your service and asked for a credit but to just call in and say my bill is too high WTF? Everybody wants a hand out these days got to love it. Jeez, I don't think Comcast is going to go under anytime soon due to people wanting lower bills. You will still have a job.
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"So, Lone Star, now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb."
Have you been touched by his noodly appendage? »www.venganza.org | |
| | | | | I think you have the analogy wrong.
A better way to put it would be going out to eat, enjoying the meal and paying the bill. Before you leave you tell the manager that you liked the food/service enough to come back, but the cost is too high for you to revisit the restaurant. Before you get out the door the manager promises to give you a better deal on your next x meals when you come back.
Of course you don't have to ever go back so the analogy isn't perfect. The point is that any deals tend to be for the months going forward. No one needs to make any deals but it's usually worth it for them to offer you some concession in good or bad times because the cost of getting a new customer is higher than the cost of the concession of giving you a reduced cost for some number of months. | |
| | | | | Just out of curiosity, when you get your bill and the company has decided to raise your contract rate (because they can) do you not mind?
To draw on your analogy, it's like going to the restaurant, ordering $10.00 meal and then being expected to pay $15.00 because of some fee they are being assessed and passing along to the customer.
And besides. If they didn't think they could profit on the customer still they wouldn't offer it to them at that price anyways. If anything it just shows how much lower our bills could be, or how much money they're already raking in off us.
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Ramblings Of A Gamer | |
| | | | | said by NOZIREV:Real nice... Do you also go out to eat and see all the prices on the menu and order the food knowing the prices well ahead of time and then when you are finished call your waiter over and say "you know this bill is too high, i know the prices were in the menu but its a recession and all so can you take some money off please????" some people have no shame at all. I can see if you had a legitimate issue with your service and asked for a credit but to just call in and say my bill is too high WTF? Everybody wants a hand out these days got to love it. wtf go away troll | |
| | |  MIRV
join:2000-12-01
Louisville, KY | It's called haggling. Nice use of the word 'handout' though(when referencing a service you are paying for.) | |
| | | | | Wow!!! WTF- somebody must work for Comcast!! These blood sucking ISP's are making billions and billions of dollars off us consumers! Without us there would be no Comcast, Qwest, Time Warner, etc. It's time to get a "fair deal", especially since these services are an OPTIONAL service and not a necessity. I totally believe in getting a good deal, if that means you have to lie about your bill and or service to save hundreds of dollars a year, than SO BE IT!!! I make plenty of money and don't want to give it all to these money grabbers. | |
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|  N3OGHYo Soy Col. "Bat" GuanoPremium
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs
kudos:1 | I've kicked around dropping the cable for a shile now. My TV has a digital tuner in it, and the only thing I watch on cable is FNC and History.
I listen to XM more than I watch TV any more. Given it's considerably cheaper than cable, and I can still listen to the audio of most of the news channels on cable, I may drop my cable.
It certainly isn't worth what they're asking.
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Petty people are disproportionably corrupted by petty power… | |
| | |  ToadmanHypnotoad
join:2001-11-28
Ohio
kudos:1 | Re: Comcast said by N3OGH:I've kicked around dropping the cable for a shile now. My TV has a digital tuner in it, and the only thing I watch on cable is FNC and History. I listen to XM more than I watch TV any more. Given it's considerably cheaper than cable, and I can still listen to the audio of most of the news channels on cable, I may drop my cable. It certainly isn't worth what they're asking. And you can do the same thing with XM. Tell them you can't afford it. Typically they will give you a free continuing trial or buy so much, get so much free. I paid for 6 months and got 6 months free. Always worth the try. | |
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|  GeorgeCrFunny it worked last timePremium
join:2003-07-18
Sheffield,UK
1 edit | Definately worth a shot. I saved around $25 per month that way.
Downgraded Broadband down to 10Mb instead of 20Mb but they never delivered more than 10Mb anyway. This would have saved around $6 but they were afraid I'd cut back more services so traded an extra discount for a 1 year lock-in.
(Edit: Different ISP but still worth a try all the same)
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Team Helix | SETI | |
| | | | IMO a contract is not smart.
I called comcast and lowered my bill from $110 to $72 just by asking to cancel cable . . .and I got 100 extra free channel for a year. . . the only other competitor had similiar rates but 1/4 the bandwidth . . i'm sticking with comcast.
They've had few problems over 4 years. | |
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 baineschile2600 ways to livePremium
join:2008-05-10
Sterling Heights, MI
·Comcast
·magicjack.com
| Multiple Ways calling and asking to lower the bill may work, but there are more fruitful things you may do just by looking at your bill.
make sure to get rid of any channels you dont watch. Almost all TV services have multiple levels of cable...trim what you dont watch, especially the premium stations (hbo, starz, etc..) Netflix is a whole lot cheaper.
Also, with cable co.s especially, make sure you are using all of the equipment. if you have digital boxes or dvrs that rarely get used, turn them back in, and that will lower the bill as well.
all isp's generally have levels of speed for the internet too. though fast is great, maybe going down a level and save $$ a month would help.
all things in conjunction with asking for new promotions or discounts. | |
| | pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | Re: Multiple Ways said by baineschile:Also, with cable co.s especially, make sure you are using all of the equipment. if you have digital boxes or dvrs that rarely get used, turn them back in, and that will lower the bill as well. I did that a few months back. I found that I did not need more than one box. A remote rebroadcaster, cheap component cable (thank you MonoPrice) and some RCA splitters turned out to be very useful. I've already saved more than enough money by dropping the second box to pay for all of those things and then some.
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Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty | |
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1 edit | said by baineschile:make sure to get rid of any channels you dont watch. Almost all TV services have multiple levels of cable...trim what you dont watch, The problem is that many of the content providers like Disney like to bundle many channels and use channel bundling to extort higher carriages for less viewed crappy channels. The only way to reduce you bill significantly is to drop to the limited basic or like a family tier (like dishes) which have very few channels left. The next step up has 10X more channels since they are all tied together with the content providers. This is why most people pay hugely for sports channels even though a small minority of subs actually view them. And as time goes on the content gets worse with the cheaper produced reality shows etc.. and the carriage costs keep going up. If it weren't for my wife I'd cancel my satellite years ago. But at least Dish is the best value.. far greater then CC. Dish generally does not negotiate much but I think their margins are thinner. Comcast on the other hand is definitely off the hook on their digital TV services and no doubt have allot of room for bargaining.
As it is, CATV rates are exceeding the rate of inflation and as the economy worsens, they will have to cave in. If someone in hard times has to cut back it will probably be stuff like CATV before electricity. I think allot of people will just go back to rooftop antenna's and get free digital and HD. Here in Albuquerque there is probably 20 digital stations that are broadcasted over the crest of the Sandia mountains with all the sub digital stations.. all free and one sub digital PBS station that has allot of cool 1080i digital content. | |
| | Reviews:
 ·Great Works Inte..
·Time Warner Cable
| People like me already have the lowest level of service. I have Basic Cable for $18/month with no boxes or anything.
My 7/512 internet normally costs $48/month, that is crazy. Every 6 months I threaten to switch to Earthlink Cable, and they give me the service for $35.
If you live in a TWC area, and have basic cable, threaten to switch to Earthlink. | |
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| | My wife does this on a fairly regular basis..... 90% of the time, she get our rates lowered and some free services thrown in there.
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God saved me from myself! Thank you, Lord, in the Name of Jesus! | |
| | | | Re: My wife does this on a fairly regular basis..... So does mine, she's great at getting our bills lowered. But we still failed at lowering our Comcast price. | |
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| | right If you live in an area as I do that comptetion is non existant how do you threaten them. AT&T is blocked from my area so cannot use them, Verizon tells me in a "rural" area as mine I am lucky to even have telephone service. So what does someone like me do? All I can do is at least ask them to use vaseline so the screwing I get doesn't hurt as bad | |
| | | ARG! I called and got the run around. They did nothing for me. When I was singed into their awful website, a bundle of double play was offered...$66.00 or $33 for internet and $33 for digital cable. I went through all the steps to find out in the end that I wasn't eligible.
I asked why then would they offer me something I wasn't eligible for? They said sorry and goodbye.
I hate Comcrap! 
BRian | |
| | badtripI heart the East BayPremium
join:2004-03-20
Albany, CA | Re: ARG! Comcast knows that a good portion of folks are going to bluff leaving. What you have to do is say. I want to cancel service (Period). They then send you to a retention dept. If you hymn and haw, you get the response you got.
Hell, you can actually cancel your service effctive a later date and if you don't get the deal you want, just cancel the cancellation. | |
| | | | | | |  RobIn Deo speramus, God Bless the USAPremium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL
kudos:2 | Re: ARG! said by djrobx:What I usually say is, "I'm considering leaving for (insert competitor here), but before I order their service, I wanted to find out if you have any offers available that might keep me." That way there's no lying or bullying involved. When I'm actually calling to cancel, I'll have already ordered and installed my alternative service. And then it's too late. I also I believe it's the way you act. There are callers who already call in with an attitude because they are paying too much and are very rude to the rep demanding a decrease or threaten to leave.
What's ironic is that when the rep offers to cancel the service because they cannot offer the customer anything that pleases them, the customer always "will call back".
Reps know you want a great deal, but if you treat them like dirt, they won't help you. They aren't losing out.
Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, etc will NOT go bankrupt over night if you cancel your service. | |
| | | | | ptrowskiGot Helix?Premium
join:2005-03-14
Putnam, CT
kudos:4 Reviews:
·VOIPo
| Re: ARG! said by Rob:said by djrobx:What I usually say is, "I'm considering leaving for (insert competitor here), but before I order their service, I wanted to find out if you have any offers available that might keep me." That way there's no lying or bullying involved. When I'm actually calling to cancel, I'll have already ordered and installed my alternative service. And then it's too late. I also I believe it's the way you act. There are callers who already call in with an attitude because they are paying too much and are very rude to the rep demanding a decrease or threaten to leave. What's ironic is that when the rep offers to cancel the service because they cannot offer the customer anything that pleases them, the customer always "will call back". Reps know you want a great deal, but if you treat them like dirt, they won't help you. They aren't losing out. Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, etc will NOT go bankrupt over night if you cancel your service. Exactly. I called my car insurance company and politely told them I wanted to review my coverage and rates so I can do some comparison shopping. I was very nice, didn't demand a thing. We went through my coverage and price for the two cars. He said that since they never recorded our education levels they dropped the price by $229/yr. Told him "that's great" and stayed a customer.
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"So, Lone Star, now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb."
Have you been touched by his noodly appendage? »www.venganza.org | |
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| | | | I did this with Time Warner, when they raised my bill after a year promotion was over, and when I said i want to cancell all and close my account, they said fine, what day would you like it turned off? This was a supervisor, and when I asked for retentions, I was told that there is no retentions dept, and when I asked for someone higher up I was told no can do, so i called her some names (I was VERY upset--we went round and round for almost an hour) and hung up.
My bill is now just under $100 and this was after calling back the next day and removing all my premiums and digital except the gateway tier (guide+stupid music choice channels) and my bill is still just under $100 basic cable , one digital box and one dvr.
I'm waiting for AT&T Uverse and I will dump Time Warner faster than a blink of an eye! | |
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| | A short interuption Vonage offered two free months and a $10/month (plus fees) 100 minute calling plan to try and keep me. Tracfone offers 100 minutes for $10/month without any bullshit fees, doesn't require another $30/month for an internet connection, and is cellular so I didn't budge. 
Time Warner Cable offered me $39.95 for one year for a digital cable package (I only had analog cable when I left - about $55/month and no boxes). I think digital is regularly about $70.00 month. The offer didn't indicate the fees for boxes, so I'm sure the bill would have been a lot more than $40. Antenna is free and is in HD, so I didn't budge on it.
Time Warner offered RR Lite for $15/month for one year, down from 29.99. I have internet at work so I didn't budge. I also received a letter from Time Warner shortly after disconnecting service. It indicated RR Lite was increasing from 29.99 to 34.99. So their offer to keep me cut the price more than half - at least for a year.
They all made decent offers. But none could compare to going from $110/month to $10/month. | |
|  morboComplete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000 | tag line "Say the crappy economy sent you..."
ha! | |
| | | I do this about once a year I do this about once a year. I never threaten to cancel though. Always really nice to them and just asked them if they have an better deals because I like the service (yeah right) but another company has a better deal. Last time I called wasthree months ago. I even told the guy that I am too lazy to cancel because it would mean I'd have to wait for a cable guy to come install it from somewhere else. My bill went from 126 - 94 and they threw in Showtime, hd dvr, and a modem for a year and up'd my internet speeds a tier. | |
| | | Worked for me with SureWest I had three services with Surewest - CATV, Landline and Broadband. I only ever watch PBS so I decided I could do without the CaTV (by buying rabbit ears!). I also wanted to move to the new Broadband phone service they had.
My call to 'cancel' the TV service ended up cutting my overall bill in half - and they left in the TV service!
I just kept saying that I really didn't want or need the cable TV service, but they just kept adding on more
'special rates' until it was a no-brainer!
I think it's more important to them to keep you as a subscriber (for CaTV) than anything else. | |
|  vrettePremium
join:2000-07-22
Lombard, IL | I switched when Comcast wouldn't match at&t About a month ago I called Comcast when at&t U-verse came to town and told them in an apples-to-apples comparison for my needs, at&t U-verse was $35 a month cheaper. I asked Comcast to match the price to keep me as a customer, they declined, so I switched to at&t. So I guess asking Comcast to lower their price doesn't work all of the time.
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Chairman of the Bored... | |
| wildboar
join:2005-11-07
Commerce City, CO | You better believe I got my bill lowered I see that Comcast is employing people that have obviously never taken an Econ 101 class.
"people looking for a handout" --- that would imply that somehow Comcast is giving ME something for nothing. Rest assured, that is NOT the case. There is definitely an exchange of consideration here and Comcast is definitely seeing green flow from my bank account into theirs.
Note:
Comcast Corporation is engaged in the development, management and operations of broadband cable networks and in the delivery of programming content. The company operates primarily in the US. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and employs 100,000 people. The company recorded revenues of $30,895 million during the fiscal year ended December 2007, an increase of 23.7% over 2006. The increase in revenue is due to rise of the cable division revenues. The operating profit of the company was $5,578 million during fiscal year 2007, an increase of 20.8% over 2006. The net profit was $2,587 million in fiscal year 2007, an increase of 2.1% over 2006. | |
|  funchordsHelloPremium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA
kudos:5
1 edit | Mine is lower -- but so are my services A few years ago, my Comcast bill was $99. Without adding one thing in the meantime, it managed to fly past $150. When you increase rates at twice the inflation and wage indexes, that happens.
Sure, Comcast has added features that were not requested, such as starting to broadcast in HD and digital and OnDemand -- that deserves some recognition, but free isn't free unless it's free. Well, they didn't do these for free -- they raised everyone's rates whether they used them or not. (And lest we forget, price has nothing to do with cost -- price has to do with customer's willingness to buy. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE. Anywhere you leak, the world will hang a bucket.)
So I've dropped the premium channels, DVR, and reduced the HSI tier to the bare minimum -- which still puts my Comcast bill at about $80. One or two more price increases, I'll be back at my $99 a month.
There's no "promo" pricing there -- it's just a service cut with the associated new pricing.
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Robb Topolski -= funchords.com =- Hillsboro, Oregon
More features, more fun, Join BroadbandReports.com, it's free...
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| |  FBGuyyippee ki yayPremium
join:2005-03-19
1 edit | congrats! its been awhile since a thread has been so lively.
here is your handout.
you win 1 internets.
 | |
| Chaldo
join:2008-03-18
West Bloomfield, MI | So what So what, if it can lower my bill I don't care. I been with the company for a very long time to see what they do to get new customers and give them a discounted price that I never ever got to get when I signed up and been with you for um 8-9 years now? So why can't I get that promotion for a while and enjoy something that other customers got just because they signed up for you. Once the promotion is done, I got treated fairly for that time period because I saved the money most new customers saved now on a promotion. | |
| | |  IowaManPremium
join:2008-08-21
Grinnell, IA
·Iowa Telecom
·Mediacom
| Re: Call Your ISP And Lower Your Bill works We are dropping service, and saving money. See in my neck of the woods, We have Iowatelecom: Reg Phone is $21+ $14 taxes = $35 just to talk on an phone +29.95 for 384 kbps (Yes 6 times faster then 56 K) We are droping them on the 22nd and going to go with Mediacom 3Mb for $35 a month for a year | |
|
|  ctceoPremium
join:2001-04-26
South Bend, IN
·magicjack.com
 ·AT&T U-Verse
·AT&T Midwest
2 edits | Doesn't Always work We have Basic At&t phone service, no frills, No Long Distance Carrier (which we used to pay a fee for not having), No Caller ID, No Call Waiting, No Voice Mail, Just plain ol' local only call service which has a 10% tax (state+federal) comes to $20.78/mo, and 6mbps DSL ($35.00). Our Bill for long distance is from 101-6868 (about 8.2 cents per minute) and runs anywhere from $0-17/month ($17 this month). Thus Our Oct-Nov Bill was $72.78. Which is on par for our phone bill.
We've tried several times to negotiate better prices but they always say there's nothing more we could do except reduce our speed package on the internet and stop making long distance calls. We'd reduce the speed package (to the slowest speed, cause the middle speed isn't priced the best per $), but there's 4-6 PC's always connected here, and 2 or 3 people on at the same time at any given time so we would consistently hit full throttle and lag each other a bit. Not to mention if we were to use that speed we'd have the 20gb/month cap (when they begin doing that) and we'd constantly be paying overages or limiting usage to a few minutes each day per person 'cause everybodies PC habits differ in this household.
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YOUR ISP MAY BE CAPPING OR GETTING READY TO DO SO BY EARLY NEXT YEAR. LETS PUT A STOP TO THEM. »www.ipetitions.com/petition/PMDBI/ | |
| ebubman
join:2002-01-17
Mechanicsburg, PA Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
·Comcast
| i got a deal... we have comcast w/ 2 hd/dvrs & the internet (no movie channels). avg bill was running a buck fifty. called about a month ago & they gave me an offer so good for 12 months that i have ceased any interest in direct tv. the call was not painful & although a disinterested front line rep offered the phone service----which i politely declined----the 2nd (retention?) rep got on & was quite sweet. with a 12 month great deal in hand, i'm on team comcast for at least a year. after that, whoever offers me the best deal gets my hard earned $$$$. bub | |
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See 6 replies to this post | |
maguidPremium
join:2007-10-23
Sebastopol, CA | FWIW $27.95 for 1kbs in Petaluma FWIW $27.95 for 1mbs in Petaluma. Quite adequate for most folks. | |
| | Noah VailSon made my AvatarPremium
join:2004-12-10
Lorton, VA
kudos:1 Reviews:
·Bright House
·Sprint Mobile Br..
| Re: FWIW $27.95 for 1kbs in Petaluma said by maguid:1mbs in Petaluma. Quite adequate for most folks. Well then, I must be an exceptional person.
I take comfort posting in a forum filled by identically exceptional people.
NV
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I support Little League RollerBall. | |
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