cable bill
Just because AIG last almost 100 billion dollars last year, doesn’t mean your pockets need to suffer, too.
My February cable and internet statement arrived. I was in sticker shock. Our cable bill had jumped almost 50%. Last month, it was 82 and our new statement showed a whopping $120.
I panicked and immediately googled the cable company, found their support number and started dialing.
After giving the support person all my information I told her that my cable bill had jumped from 82 to 120. If she could look up my records, could she rectify the mistake?
She put me on hold for a few minutes and informed me that the special promotion I had signed up with had only been for 6 months and now I was paying the full cable price.
Me: “I really can’t afford to pay this much. There must be something wrong?”
Customer Service: “Ma’am, you are paying the full price now. The statement is correct.”
Me: “Shouldn’t someone have told me that the bill was going up?”
CS: “Ma’am, the promotion was only for 6 months.”
After a few more “Ma’am” exchanges I asked the woman to see if there was anything she could do for me. Otherwise, I’d have to cancel my cable bill because it was getting too expensive. Could she possibly find another promotion that she could sign me up to?
After waiting for a few minutes, she found a promotion package for 6 months and switched me over.
This dropped my bill from 120 to $90. Not the same prices I was paying before, but pretty close.
The next morning I decided to splurge on a $.99 Dunkin Donuts latte. I had just saved myself $300 for the rest of the year.
You can use this technique and call back every month. They’ll do *something*
Negotiation Girl inspired me to put aside my aversion to the TIME SUCK that is Time Warner Cable Customer Service and try to renegotiate my bill.
While I’m one of these very cool Brooklynites who doesn’t have a tv or need for cable, I do have high-speed internet (Roadrunner). I suppose my even larger aversion to paying $59.95 per month to get on line….and trying to live with integrity by not stealing wireless from my neighbors….won out.
I quickly checked competitor prices online. Earthlink DSL, which is slower, was $39.95. I was prepared to negotiate.
And lo and behold….I didn’t have to! All I said was some awkward line about not wanting to pay $59.95 and they OFFERED me on the spot $39.95 at the same speed, and they’re adjusting my current bill, which went through today!
THANKS NEGOTIATION GIRL!!
Now if were only this easy to get a date….