The Dreaded Annual Call

[leahgoogle]

You know the dreaded annual call, to keep your internet (cable, phone, or whatever it may be) bill rates the same. Every year the same song and dance of, "I'm switching if you cannot keep it the same because your competitor can!" Then the multiple holds to find a "deal" which isn't the best deal and I have to say not good enough. On hold ... again. A better offer then appears and it still stinks so I tell them I will call them back to cancel after I set up new service with the other provider. To which the magical supervisor gets involved and my rate doesn't change.

I hate these calls. I cannot be the nice version of me. I have to play hardball and waste 30 minutes to get the deal I should have had in 5 minutes. P-I-T-A.

I get why they don't keep the same rate, people won't or forget to call. I get why they make us jump through the hoops, many won't. But please put it in my file I fight every stinking year for the best rate so just surrender and don't waste your time and my time when there is no need.

*deep breath*

Ok, vent over. I know my fellow Dis'ers understand this hassle. I know you have to do the same. We can commiserate in knowing you have to fight for good rates as a loyal customer.

I feel you!! Directv is our nemesis....DH just mentioned it the other day. DH is our "bad guy" and is very effective at getting the best rates.

 

[Cadiewampus]

My post was blanket for all those calls and I get exactly why you cut the cord.

Unfortunately, this was for my internet which I definitely cannot get rid of.

we do use xfinity (comcast)for internet and have had for about 4 years and not had any problems.

 

[bluezy]

The way I knew to do it was the employees TOLD me to call them annually and ask if they have a better price. The rates automatically increase, but the employees can direct you to their new "specials." They WANT people to call them rather than just switch providers.

It depends on the provider. I gave up cable because the prices kept going up and they couldn't give me a better deal. No harm, no foul. It's not bluffing to try to get the best deal you can, it's reality. My internet provider always wants to work with me.

IMO, anyone not checking all their bills and comparing providers - including insurance, etc, every year or two is probably paying too much. That's not bluffing any more than reading the pricing on a menu before you go back to a favorite restaurant in case their prices have gone up. Choosing products based on price is pretty standard. Companies who have automatic renewals often benefit from people who don't check prices, but there's nothing wrong with people who make the effort to check.

I agree -- you need to check *everything* every year (or whatever the term is for that product's subscription/contract). I'm always surprised when people say then never call and ask for a better rate -- that they never knew you could do that. We review and negotiate car/homeowners insurance, power supplier, internet, etc. all the time. I think car/homeowner insurance is the big one that people lose track of. Those increase every year for no reason and most people just brush it off as "normal". We always call and ask for a reduction in rate without a reduction in coverage. Sometimes they can accommodate that request sometimes they can't. When they can't, if the increase is more than about $100/year, we just switch to a different insurance company and get that great "new client" rate. Insurance companies don't seem to offer loyalty discounts and benefits anymore other than the occasional waving of a deductible if you've gone X number of years without a claim -- but the reality is, we usually save *more* than that by switching to a different company and getting the introductory rate. We easily save several hundred dollars every year by reviewing these things and spending a little bit of time getting better rates.

And as a side note, I've been told by a former employee at Sirius that they can only offer the best rates if a customer says they want to cancel their service. If they just say they want a better rate, they'll get a certain offer. To get the best, they have to mention cancelling. This was a few years ago so I'm not sure if it's still the same as I always mention I'm going to cancel just to move the negotiation along faster.

 

[WEDWDW]

I think the percentage of folks who make these calls is very,very small.

Most just don't want to deal with the hassle and the time investment.

I actually enjoy making the calls-I look at them as a "game"-a game in which I can make MONEY!lol