Another way to possibly cut monthly expenses

[kfeuer]

Alot of companies have finally realized it costs them more money to get new customers then to keep old ones. Take a look at your monthly bills and see if you have any that are more or less "optional" where you're not under a contractual agreement (examples might be satellite service, alarm service, internet service, or cell phone service, but NOT things like electricty, gas, etc.). Call the company and let them know that while you like their company, you're researching rates and do they have anything better to offer you? It always helps to be very polite, and try to get to the retention department if they have one (customer no-service probably doesn't have the authority to offer you anything). Here's a couple examples of what I've been able to get recently:

Called my garbage company and got them to give me their new customer rate. Annual savings $48

Called my DSL provider and they offered me a $20 credit if I'd stay another 6 months (pretty weak offer, but better then nothing).

Called my alarm company and negotiated my rate down $10/mth. Annual savings $120

Called DirecTV and they gave us a Tivo receiver that they sell for $100 (we had to commit to another 12 months, but we love DirecTV so that was fine). The Tivo option does cost $5 more a month, but it's totally worth it.

Obviously this may not work all the time, but you might be pleasantly surprised by what you can get. It's worth a shot!

 

[Amirah95]

I totally agree, I just canceled my Netflix service. It was costing us 20 bucks a month. I also got Verizon DSL service to change from 30 bucks a month to 15 bucks a month (threatened them with AT&T). We are also looking to cut down our grocery bill too by 30%. Every little bit does help.

 

[Muushka]

Interesting post. I thought I was pretty $$ saavy! Say, are you a fan of Clark Howard:

customer no-service

Anyway, thank you for your great tip. I will start thinking about ways to cut down on those pesky monthly bills.

 

[kfeuer]

Originally posted by Muushka
Say, are you a fan of Clark Howard

Absolutely! I listen to his show all the time, he really gives great advice. For anyone not familiar with him, he's a consumer advocate who does a radio show and he has some books out as well.

 

[Muushka]

I could listen to that man all day long. Between his great insight, wonderful disposition and soothing voice .

 

[crisi]

Just a word of caution -

Companies - including Best Buy and Walmart - have also discovered it costs more to keep a certain kind of customer than to not have that person. The sort of person who only shops loss leaders, who returns a lot of stuff (sometimes worn or used), who regularly lodges customer complaints, who search racks looking for damaged merchandise and ask for discounts (and are often suspected of damaging the merchandise themselves) - end up costing the company more than they make in profits

So be polite and reasonable. Realize that if you are fighting for a "really good deal" its coming at the expense of increased prices someplace else for someone else (because WalMart isn't going to let their stockholders suffer). Its certainly worth a shot and never hurts to ask - just recognize there is a line there - companies will not do anything just to keep you as a customer.

 

[kfeuer]

Originally posted by crisi
Just a word of caution -

Companies - including Best Buy and Walmart - have also discovered it costs more to keep a certain kind of customer than to not have that person. The sort of person who only shops loss leaders, who returns a lot of stuff (sometimes worn or used), who regularly lodges customer complaints, who search racks looking for damaged merchandise and ask for discounts (and are often suspected of damaging the merchandise themselves) - end up costing the company more than they make in profits

So be polite and reasonable. Realize that if you are fighting for a "really good deal" its coming at the expense of increased prices someplace else for someone else (because WalMart isn't going to let their stockholders suffer). Its certainly worth a shot and never hurts to ask - just recognize there is a line there - companies will not do anything just to keep you as a customer.

What you're describing is a totally different ball of wax. I've never done (or would do) any of the things you mentioned.

My point was that companies have lots of different price tiers, but they're not going to call you up and say "Hey, we charge some people less then what you're paying so we're going to lower your bill". As long as they think you're content they'll charge you as much as possible.

I mentioned the savings on my garbage bill--the only way I knew about the new customer rate was that my mom just signed up with them and she told me the price she got. I was shocked because it was $12/quarter less then what I've been paying, and I've been with them for years. Is it fair for new customers to get a better deal then people who've been loyal? I don't think so.

If the companies weren't making money off my family, they wouldn't offer us anything to stay. I don't think it's abusing the system to ask for the best possible rates. If a company can't do any better (which rarely happens) then I will simply shop the marketplace and see what deals are out there.

However, people have to do what they're comfortable with. I just wanted to share a tip that I haven't seen on this board before.

 

[Amirah95]

I called VZN DSL and they knew about the ATT getting into DSL with their low price of 15 bucks so they were ready for customer calls regarding this. This really works. If not for this post I don't think I would have called up these companies to get discounts. I've only known to do this with credit card companies. Every little bit helps.