How to pay less for cable
January 5, 2010Jon Brooks Comments Off
This recent article in the New York Times details the likely rise in customer cable bills that will result from the various battles over subscriber fees going on between content providers and cable companies (the just-settled News Corp.-Time Warner Cable dispute, for instance).
The last thing anyone needs these days is to pay more per “SpongeBob SquarePants” episode. But what can ya do? Go without “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”? Unlikely. So they have us by the proverbial short hairs.
Unless…you ask them for a lower rate. That’s right. Perhaps you don’t know that just as you can do with credit card rates, you can get your TV bill reduced by playing a little poker with the provider. There are many blogs and web sites out there that outline the process:
Ask and Save On Your Cable Bill (Free From Broke)
My wife was getting sick of the cable bill…Whoa! I gotta admit, I’m an addict…but I also understand that we’re spending way too much money for the privilege of watching a ton of commercials on shows we mostly don’t care about. I told my wife to let me take a shot at calling the cable company to see what they can do for us.
So I grabbed our latest bill, a pen and gave them a call. I got a friendly woman who asked how she can help me. I asked her what can be done to lower the bill as the rates have gotten real high and we were ready to drop cable… Immediately she said they had a 12 month promotion (and) just like that we saved roughly $25 a month on our cable! I took the person’s name and company number in case any issues arise on the next bill….
Some things to keep in mind:
* Calmly but firmly state that you want to find out how your bill can be lowered.
* Always remain friendly when speaking to the customer representative. If the person you get can’t help you ask to speak to their superior or someone that can.
* Customer service probably gets hundreds of calls in a day, many of which are not too friendly. Being nice can go a long way in getting what you need.
* If needed, state that you are prepared to drop their service or go to another provider. Have an example of a competitor’s lower prices if possible. Many companies have a customer retention department who are equipped for these kind of calls. Remember, only go the drop route if you are really prepared to drop their service.
* You might not get the answer you want the first time through. Nicely hang up and call back in a few minutes to see if you get another rep.
* Ask about combination packages. You might get a lower cable rate if you combine cable service with internet and/or telephone service.
* Get the rep’s name and customer number or ID. Write down the details and repeat them back to make sure you understand correctly. Watch for deals that require a contracted time. That might not be an ideal situation for you.
How to Lower Your Cable Bill (eHow)
• Foster competition. If there is more than one cable company in your area, each is competing for your business. Contact the companies and detail their offers on a spreadsheet. Include the channels each company provides, the price of extra boxes, and the availability of DVR service and other extras.
• Contact satellite providers, even if you prefer receiving your television transmission via cable. You don’t have to sign with a satellite company; you simply want to elicit more competitive bids. Cable companies dread losing customers to satellite companies, so threatening to switch to the dish can spur your present provider to sweeten your current deal.
• Call your current provider. Explain that you have received several offers from competing companies and have decided to switch. Most cable companies empower their representatives to make counter-offers when a customer threatens to leave. The representative probably will begin negotiating without your asking.
• Start with the lowest offer on your spreadsheet and detail everything it includes. If the rep offers to match it, don’t agree. Ask him to top it. If he claims he can’t, ask him to loop in a supervisor, who may be able to provide additional enhancements. Employ the same strategy if the representative declines to match the offer you’ve quoted.
• If the final offer still doesn’t fit your budget, start negotiating over services you are willing to eliminate, including additional cable boxes, DVR, or higher speed Internet connections.
• Review the offer with the representative once more. If you are not satisfied, announce that you probably will switch to another provider when your current billing cycle ends. The representative may make one final offer… If he doesn’t, end the conversation.
• Wait a few days. Someone from the cable company may phone with yet another “final” offer. If that call doesn’t come, phone the company and ask the representative to cancel your service at the end of the month. Time your phone call for the beginning of the billing cycle. This will allow another week or two for your current cable company to make another offer.
• If you have not received another offer by the last week of the billing cycle, accept your cable company’s last offer, or sign with a competitor. Either way, you will end up with service that costs less than you currently pay.
How to lower your cable bill (Lifehacker)
When you make the call, you don t want to be demanding or set limits that force you into cancelling if you don t want to. Therefore, when you call, say something along the following lines:
Hello, I came across this advertisement for XX Satellite TV that is offering a monthly subscription for $XX. Although I like my current TV, this offer is making me seriously consider switching. I was wondering if you can offer a similar price.
This approach should work if this is the first time you are trying to lower your cable monthly rate. For those that have done it a number of times, some cable companies are becoming a bit stricter. I have one friend who insist on the way to continue to get the best price is to say you are going to cancel and if they won t offer you a better price, cancel. Most of the time they will relent before actually cancelling and the few times they haven t (he’s been doing this for years) he simply calls up the next day and says he s changed his mind and wants to continue the service.
I can tell you from experience these methods actually work. Most recently, I switched from satellite to cable, and lemme tell ya, the satellite company had layers and layers of customer retention people ready and willing to play ball. They were so desperate, I think I could have asked them to send someone over during the Super Bowl to stand there optimally adjusting the dish, and they would have done it. Unfortunately, by the time they got around to making me their best and final offer, which would have topped the cable company’s half-price deal, the cable guy was actually in my house doing the installation, and I didn’t have the nerve to send him home.
The one thing: Make sure you write down exactly what they offer you over the phone. I don’t want to say these companies are dishonest or anything, but mistakes are made, if you know what I mean. Several times I have been offered a customer retention discount only to find it mysteriously absent when the bill comes. Once, after offering me free HBO for six months, they charged me for it anyway, then told me the customer service person who made the deal was “unauthorized” to do so. So I had to threaten to cancel all over again.
Credit card late fees, broadband access, cell phone plans… you can play that game with a lot of these monthly services, but it’s not necessarily for everyone. You’re really entering into a negotiation, and if you’re not the type of person who likes or at least tolerates haggling, then it can be a little on the unpleasant side. Frankly, I like to either meditate or have a belt before I pick up the phone…
