Here’s what to say to customer service reps if you want to save some cash each month!
For many of us, it’s a yearly rite of passage – the phone call to negotiate a lower bill. Whether it’s cable, internet, phone, medical or something else, it feels good to save some money each month.
Follow KTLA Tech Reporter Rich DeMuro on Facebook or Twitter for cool apps, tech tricks & tips!
One of the bills I regularly call to negotiate every year is satellite radio. They charge me one thing, I call in and casually mention Pandora or Spotify and next thing you know I’m paying a better rate.
For instance, this year they automatically charged my card $192.01.
After a 10 minute conversation with two customer service representatives, I got a credit of $72.53. That’s pretty good for just a few minutes of work!
Problem is, you never really know what’s going to work when you call in – that is, until now.
Deal blog Rather-Be-Shopping.com is sharing customer service keywords that might magically lower your bill and save you big bucks! There are detailed instructions for Comcast, Dish, DIRECTV, AT&T, Verizon, Charter and Time Warner Cable. Of course, every situation is different but if you follow the instructions you might have a better chance of scoring a discount or at least a few free months of HBO!
Their basic advice includes being polite and knowing what the competition is offering. Other than that, here are some specific highlights for each company.
Dish Network – aim for $15-$25 off your monthly bill and/or free movie channels
Tell them you plan to use Netflix or Hulu along with an over-the-air HD antennae. This will typically work much better with DishNetwork than trying to use the competition for ammunition because Dish is pretty darn competitive on price.
DIRECTV – aim for a monthly credit on your current package
Start the conversation by saying, “I’d like to cancel my service because it is just too expensive.” See what they say to that.
AT&T
The truth of the matter is AT&T does NOT want to lose you as a loyal customer and is willing to bend over backwards to keep you on.
Time Warner Cable
Once you get a monthly rate you like, be sure to call back every 12 months to keep it going otherwise they’ll raise your rate without letting you know. Be polite, straight to the point, and hang up and try back if the person you talk to is not helpful.
Comcast
The best thing to say is I can’t afford my bill and I want to stay with Comcast, but if you can’t lower it I will have to stream my TV. Sling TV is a good option to use.
Verizon Wireless
There is no retention department, only customer service. And the system autogenerates loyalty offers. If you call and ask normally we give the best deal we can, but there is a limit, that limit is a lot of factors like length of time how much the company makes and etc.
The post is quite thorough and worth a bookmark as folks continue to add comments about what has worked for them with each company in the past.
My advice – you can’t threaten to cancel and not be willing to actually do just that. I’ve reached reps who really don’t care if I leave or switch services, so your argument has to be better than that. I find that a combination of kindness, loyalty and knowing the offers available for new customers go a long way in saving some cash. Good luck!
P.S. You can often save on medical bills too. I was about to pay an eye doctor bill online by credit card when I decided to call the office just to confirm the amount was right (seemed like insurance didn’t pay enough). They cut $60 off the bill just for inquiring. Now, I always call and say “is that the best you can do?” Lesson learned – call in and inquire if you think there is some wiggle room.
