How to save $138 on your Cable bill? Just ask!
If you don’t have Comcast yet, don’t just call them and sign up. Be sure to get one of their own new customer sign-up deals, you can get $19.99 for 6 months, $75 in rebates, free wireless router,and cable modem! That’s well over $200 in savings.
If you’re already paying regular price for Cable Broadband Internet, then keep reading. I’ve been paying $42.95 a month for Cable Broadband Internet for the last couple of months after my initial sign-up offer expired. But after reading posts by Jim at Bargaineering and Cap at StopBuyingCrap, I decided it was time to save some money:
1. Call 1-800-COMCAST
2. Enter Phone Number
3. Go to Billing Dept.
4. Ask for discount (Insert competitor’s deal here. SBC is offering 1 year for $14.95/month)
5. Listen to them talk about how DSL is slow, they require a contract…
6. Ask again for discount. If they say yes, decide if you want to take it. If they don’t give any to you, or you don’t like the deal, ask to cancel
7. You will be transferred to the Cancellation Dept. Repeat Steps 4-6.
8. Now, you may have to cancel. This is OK. Just say that your DSL will take a while to set-up and you want a cancellation date 2-3 weeks in the future. You now have until that date to ask again or ‘change your mind’. My first guy stood his ground, and I chose Sept. 15th.
9. Repeat steps 3-7 again until you get what you want.
On my second try, I was offered $19.99 for 6 months. They said they couldn’t match the 12 months since I just finished another promotional offer. Still, ($43-$20)x 6 months = $138 saved! I took it. Remember to ask them to remove any previously scheduled cancellation date.
This could also work on your Cable TV bill, if you have a competing offer from DirectTV or DishNetwork in hand.
The reason I like this is because you have nothing to lose. Even if they don’t go for it you don’t have to lose your internet service. Just call back and say not to cancel. This also saved me from having to pay for landline phone service again (I have Sunrocket VoIP) to get DSL set-up, although it really is cheaper (but slower too).
Find more in Frugal Living | 8/30/05, 10:34am | Trackback
August 30th, 2005 at 11:52 am
I called and they offered me $29.95 for next 1 year. So thats a saving of about $156 for the year. Not bad. It was quite easy. Thanks for the tip!
August 30th, 2005 at 12:03 pm
To Comcast, $20 for 6 months beats $0 for 6 months anyday. Thanks for the link.
August 30th, 2005 at 12:16 pm
Yeah, tried it with my TIVO bill awhile back and I got it reduced to $6.
August 30th, 2005 at 12:37 pm
I just saw this at BlogHerald:
http://www.blogherald.com/2005.....oney-blog/
And thought it was you… but it’s not, it’s a MyMoneyBlog.NET! It would’ve been better if they spotlit you instead…
August 30th, 2005 at 2:34 pm
woohoo!
thats cool. although I wish time warner would have given me a better deal, but I’m calling again in 6 months!
btw, mine was a total bluff *giggles*
DSL is NOT available in my area whatsoever.
August 30th, 2005 at 3:41 pm
Great timing…I have been thinking about doing this for about a week, but just wasn’t sure of the exact “how to” so this info is perfect. I’ll try it tomorrow!
September 2nd, 2005 at 12:35 am
I talked to a comcast rep over the phone and tried to get another promo discount after my first 3 months expired. He stood his ground but couldn’t cancel my service over the phone and told me Comcast would cancel the service when I returned their modem to their service center. I went to their service center ready to cancel and return their modem, but asked for a promo discount, and she gave me 6 months for $20/month. So if the phone method doesn’t work maybe in-person would.
September 6th, 2005 at 2:37 pm
I forwarded this to my wife this morning and she got our rate down to $29.99/mo. for the next six months - for a six-month savings of $95.76 - it’s not $138 but it’s something. Thanks for the info!
September 8th, 2005 at 3:06 pm
I have used this tactic with the phone company cable television and with AOL also. You might think that the phone company has you over a barrel but with cell phones these days you never know how low they will go until you try. Any business with competition in your area will alsmot always give you a discount if you get to the right person. This is also true for long distance plans as well as local service. Works with mortage rates and buying big ticket items online also. Kate
September 29th, 2005 at 12:23 pm
Brilliant post!
December 6th, 2005 at 6:58 pm
Do you consider these “bluffs” moral? Is saving money, at the expense of being dishonest, helping you?
December 6th, 2005 at 9:27 pm
Interesting question. I guess I consider it as moral as bluffing in poker or in bargaining for a deal. Like walking away at a car dealership. They can say no thanks, and I can say no thanks. I still sleep soundly at night.
If you have qualms, you could just call and say that you saw some competitors commercials and want to know if they have anything similar. Don’t threaten to cancel, just ask if they’ll match it.
February 13th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
I tried calling Comcast today to try to get my rate lowered, but was unsuccessful. I pay my bill by the year and had recently verified that my cost would remain the same ($472.50) and they said yes.
Talking to the CSR today, the monthly rate for non-Cable Television subscribers is $57.95, so any savings I gained from any small promotion she could give me would be eaten up by the $57.95.
April 20th, 2006 at 5:00 am
Great write-up, and sound advice! I did something similar to DirectTV here in Portland a couple of months ago. What I did was to put myself into a mode of cancelling. I *was* going to cancel, no matter what. Knowing that I could call ten minutes later and reverse my decision, which was my plan if I had to go all the way.
$45.99 to $35.99. You know you’ve got a great chance when they transfer you to their cancellation department.
April 20th, 2006 at 10:21 am
That worked great!
Old bill: cable + internet = $127/mo
New bill: same w/ free showtime & HBO = $102/mo for 12 months.
Saves $300 over the next year.
Took 15 minutes of complaining (which was a mouthful of honesty about their already crappy service) and they caved. I also plan on transferring the internet service to my roommate to get the $19.95/mo for 6 mo. deal. That’ll jack up the savings to $408 for the year.
Got any ideas on how to screw Verizon?
August 15th, 2006 at 8:28 am
Thanks for the tip, it will save me $260 over 12 months.
August 17th, 2006 at 3:28 pm
Thanks for the information, I use Knology service in AL, Comcast cable competes here. I called and got to the cancelation dept. but they only allowed 50% off Internet for 3 months. Still that is about $70 savings for making a 10 minute phone call.
I’m wondering how long after the 3 months of this discount I should call again for another try?
August 17th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
Great stories everyone!
TW - Why not? The worst thing they can say is no!
September 1st, 2006 at 10:28 am
Just had a similar experience with my cable provider and actually saved the same amount of money. However, rather than calling them directly, I used Planet Feedback since it was late last night.
I’ve linked the article I just wrote about my experience above.
January 6th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
[...] 4) Save on monthly expenses: Haggle your cable bill down by $20 a month, Save 10-15% a month on Cingular by using your school alumni e-mail to get a corporate discount, or drop that landline and save hundreds by switching to VoIP phone service. Depending on your current services, each of these can save you $100 a year. [...]
February 22nd, 2007 at 12:29 pm
In reference to dpjax’s question on morality, don’t think they wouldn’t do it or haven’t already done something similar to you. This is my money and my business, so if I say I want a better deal and they can’t make anything from it, then they will walk away. I want to get the best deal possible but I understand they need to make money too. Since they bluff on how much they need to make I also have to bluff to balance the deal out to get a win-win situation. But its like Jonathan said, either of us could walk away at any time.
March 19th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
i just called my cable company and was offered $29.95 for 6 months (i was paying $44.95.
they also threw in SHO, HBO, CINEMAX for 30 days free
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR THIS TIP.
April 7th, 2007 at 11:05 am
I just called Comcast. Started out speaking to the Billing Dept., then was transferred twice. I reviewed my phone/internet/cableTV bill with them, which is at $193.40/mo including all taxes. My new bill for digital phone/internet/cable TV is $155/mo. I now have long distance service included and keep my HBO & Starz & Digital cable. Rate is good for 12months, no contract! Thanks!
May 10th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Tried but didn’t work for me.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Dog, have you tried Planet Feedback? My name above links to an article I had posted on my site about how I used Planet Feedback and had a response from Comcast the very next morning.
Since that experience, I’ve called them a couple of times and received additional discounts. Although it seems they cannot offer back-to-back discounts on the same service. For instance, my current discount is on my highspeed internet access so when that expires I can request a discount on the cable service.
Do you have Comcast service?
May 15th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
ICalled Comcast and followed menu to cancel. I told the rep. I wanted to cancel and go to BellSouth and DirectTV. Five minutes later, I save $205 over 6 months. Easy.
July 31st, 2007 at 11:13 am
I contacted Comcast and was transferred three times before getting to someone who could help me. I told them I had offers from other competitors and what could they do. I was able to save $240 over the next 12 months. I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner.
August 5th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Yeah so i called comcast, threatened to totally drop their service. They offered me a total package of internet, digital cable, free hbo, free stars, free sport channels. I dont know why i didnt look for this earlier!!! $405.48 TOTAL SAVINGS FOR 12 MONTHS!!!!
August 5th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Glad to see everyone having success with this. It certainly adds up over the length of a year! Wow Jeffrey, either you are smooth talker or they are getting more generous (or both).
August 24th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Just did this with Time Warner Cable in Brooklyn. I simply pretended like I wasn’t going to be able to afford my bill anymore and they took off $11/month for the next 12 months! That’s $132 in a year effective immediately.
I wonder if I could have gotten more off for threatening to cancel. I’m just afraid they’d say, go ahead and cancel, what do we care. Then what?
September 10th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Going to have to try this.
In response to Matt’s question, I’m wondering the same thing. I understand setting up a late cancellation date, but wouldn’t it sound fishy to threaten to cancel but then ask for a few weeks to think about it? Or would you have to mention the setup of the new service…that seems key.
I imagine if for some reason I did get “forced” to cancel, I could always just become a new customer again?
October 11th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Thanks! Comcast gave me 12 months @$19.99, saving me $276!!!
January 2nd, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Thanks for the great idea. I’m learning that almost all prices are negotiable - even the “fixed” ones. I’ve been with Comcast at my present address for 6 years and they were happy to renegotiate my rate - didn’t have to talk about cancelling at all. Will save $294 over the next 12 months.
January 29th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Worked with my TV cable company. Saved $90 total for 6 months ($15/month).
Repped!
February 6th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Whoaaa! I went in hard, just choosing cancel service from the start. I got to the cancellation guy, I guess, thinking he would actually be the retention guy. I told him I wanted to cancel and sat back and waited for the offers to roll in. Nope. He just wanted to know when he could send the technician out to disconnect and to pick up my DVR. Dang. No love. So be careful mymoneybloggers. You can always tuck your tail between your legs and back out, but defeat stinks.
It wound up being fine in my case, because it was all part of a ploy that was based on an underinformed premise, but which ended well. I was going to get them to lower my bill and only then tell them that I wanted to transfer service to a new location, because I’m moving. But my new location is out of state, and they don’t do state-to-state account transfers. So I have to cancel all services here and start anew there. But the good news is that now I can do all those new customer deals, because I’m apparently classed as a new customer in their system. So no waiting period apparently. So anyway once my new deals wear off, I’ll revisit this page and try again.
March 6th, 2008 at 10:19 am
It Works!
I asked my cable provider if there was anyway I could reduce my expenses. They suggested that I get fewer channels. I asked the agent if they thought Direct TV might be a cheaper option. They immediately offered me $20 off per month for the next 6 months. A savings of $120 for a 5 minute phone call. Thanks for the Tip!
Dan
April 10th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Karma is always around. You reap what you sow ~
Just remember that if it comes to a day that you no longer are given the promotion, then you may end up paying a higher bill because of all of the ‘cheating’ that is going on….
June 28th, 2008 at 10:53 am
If you can handle life without cable or the internet for a week or two, just return your box and modem. Then sign up as a new customer and get a great package deal for a year or so. Then repeat. This advice comes from a friend who works for Comcast. Who knows — in that week or two you do without cable or the Internet, you might read a book or have a meaningful conversation with a family member.
September 8th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Used these tips and a competitors add to save $60 per month for a year! Great dialogue. I used the cancel service option.
October 10th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
I’ve previously tried lowering my rates with Comcast on two different occassions, with no luck. My promo rate had run out, costing me almost $50 more per month.
BUT - I just used this technique and managed to save $340 per year on my comcast bill. After getting details on competitors’ rates together, I called them up and asked what they can do to remain competitive with the rate Qwest was offering me. They immediately started negotiating with me, and I managed to get a great deal. I spoke to the ‘New Sales and Upgrades’ department. I figured they had the most ‘dealing’ power over bundle packages. I was right.
I used the same technique with Tivo, and told them my cable service provider was offering me a free DVR. Didn’t save as much, just $3 per month. But better than nothing! THANKS!
October 27th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
[...] the past, I’ve already haggled $138 off my cable bill over six months. Then when I had to move, instead of moving my service, I canceled and signed up again in order to [...]
December 6th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Tried this and it really didn’t work at all. It worked about 2 years ago though. I had to stand my ground and cancel. Now I guess I’ll wait a day and tell them not to cancel…..
January 2nd, 2009 at 8:25 am
Great post; a bit dated now, but I wish I did sooner as well. The latest I just did was to pit Verizon FIOS offers vs. Comcast and I saved $250! I walked through the whole step by step process, arguments they’ll use and how they can split the savings to add up to over $20/month for life!
January 13th, 2009 at 10:49 am
I just tried the FIOS threat w/ Cablevision and they knocked off $15/month for a year. Glad to find this thread!
January 29th, 2009 at 10:55 am
It’s these kinds of calls that drive up our call volume for no reason.
February 1st, 2009 at 2:33 am
I just contacted Comcast in the Live Chat section of their website and got my bill lowered by $30 a month for the next 6 months. I just asked if they could offer me a lower rate. I didn’t even have to threaten to cancel or anything. I wish that I’d done this sooner. I just recently lowered my phone bill by $12 a month, also. I just removed all of the extra features that I don’t ever use. Every little bit helps with this economy.
February 16th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I contacted Comcast via the live chat as well and quoted the Direct TV “Choice Package” price. They gave me cable for $29.99/mo for a year and $10 off internet for 3 months. That saves me $330 for the year!
March 19th, 2009 at 2:45 am
[...] do it out of the goodness of their entertainment-providing hearts, they might have some kind of promo going that will allow you to save a few bucks by making an adjustment to your subscription [...]
March 24th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Well I just called comcast, and decided to go the non threatening route. Merely just asked for a rate decrease and said I was thinking about going to direct tv, but that I was “happy” with the comcast service and didnt want to switch. They lowered my bill from $95 a month to $59.99 a month for 6 months. And by the time that 6 months is over Verizon fios should be available in my area..and bam..another year of promotion deals.
As for those saying karma and yada yada this isnt honest…what about the ridiculous rates these cable companies charge us for a service that doesn’t cost nearly what they charge? Where are the morals in that? Why hasn’t “karma” effected them? What a crock. If there is ANY way to lower ones bills…why wouldn’t we try it? Save that bs for people who think backwards like you do.
April 17th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Called Cox, Comcast is not available in my area, and they reduced my entire bill by 25% for 4 months. It was $130 and now it’s about $100. Savings of about $120, cool! Just told them I wasn’t able to make the higher payments, bad economy etc., which was not even a lie at all.
I agree with obibyn, if you don’t want to save money, don’t. But don’t say that it is dishonest, because both parties agree to it and that’s how markets work.
May 8th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Wow. I had NO luck with Comcast. 18 months ago we bought their Triple Play (phone Internet Cable) for 99/mo. It “expired” and is now almost $200 month. they will do NOTHING to lower it. ATT is new to our area and offering 75/month, but I have to buy all new equipment. We are trapped. ;(
May 10th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
This had worked for me in the past, but lately every time I asked about a discount they pitched the “triple play” plan, which ultimately only saved me 3 bucks a month on internet and tv (who the heck wants home phone?). I read this article and did some research on AT&T’s prices, which were about 40 dollars cheaper, and called a Comcast rep.
I think it not only depends on the competition, but the rep you get on the phone. Almost immediately she took my bill from $135 a month to $99 a month plus upgraded me to Digital Classic from Digital Starter (100 more channels) and free HBO - this pricing is locked in for a year, which is over $500 in savings!
So if you don’t get the right person on their end (which I’ve had happen many times for tech or billing support), wait and give a call back until you get someone who isn’t a drone. But thanks for this post, it gave me a push to call back again.
May 17th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
I just tried this with Comcast, and had no luck. Didn’t threaten to switch providers, just simply asked if there was a way to lower my bill. The guy was pretty rude and said there was nothing he could do. I’m not giving up, I’ll just try again and hopefully get someone who is a little more pleasant!
June 15th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
[...] back on the air (my fellow Entourage fans – I’m talking to you). All it takes is one quick phone call to cancel or [...]