My wife was getting sick of the cable bill.
It’s gone up recently to the point where we had to question whether it was worth keeping or not.
I mean, remember when TV was free?
Now to get reception you have to pay (at least until the digital boxes take effect in February).
So my wife said it was time to get rid of cable!
Whoa! I gotta admit, I’m an addict. I’ve been glued to the TV since I was a wee little pea. I know that’s not the best thing but I wasn’t ready to go cold turkey just yet. 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 too much 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 some paper 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 if the rates continued as they were.
Immediately she said they had a 12 month promotion that would save us $25!
Oh yeah!
I checked with the Mrs to see if this was acceptable (we’re cool like that in that we clear money issues with each other). I got the yes nod and told the woman we’d take it.
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. I also wrote the details down so I can refer to then when the next bill comes in.
Lesson – If you want something to change you have to ask! It won’t happen on it’s own.
Some things to keep in mind if you’re calling to change your cable bill:
- 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.
- Be nice! 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 service provider. Have an example of a competitors 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. They should have some sort of ID to trace the call back to them. 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.
Do you have any other tips? Let me know what’s worked for you!
