Thursday, October 4, 2007

I saved $300 in 15 minutes thanks to my Satellite/Cable Provider!!




Well, this article won't be much different than the one regarding VOIP and Local Phone company service. To read that article, click here. It is basically following the same concept, which is that you need to call and renegotiate with your home service providers. These companies simply do NOT want to lose your business. There is too much competition out there, which is wonderful for us as the consumer.


Once again, I am not necessarily promoting any specific company. We really like Dish Network a lot. I have had cable in the past, and the price, before I even got them down today, was still better than cable. Now, I have never subscribed to DirectTV, so I really can't tell you which company is more worthwhile. I have had many friends that have been happy with their service as well.



Anyway, that is not the point. The point is to save money for your household. Recently, I realized my 18 month commitment would be up with Dish Network. Of course, that got me to thinking how the phone company came down in price, so I decided to try it out with Dish Network today.

I called them and explained I wanted to find out what I needed to do in order to cancel my service. The first person I talked to was not very helpful. She explained she could price out different packages for me that might bring my price down. I, of course, told her no thank you. I want the same service I am getting today. She then transferred me to an account executive, as she called them, to cancel my membership with them.

I went through the same story with her. I explained I didn't want service cancelled today, because the cable company wasn't coming out yet, but that I was just wondering how I got the equipment back, and what I needed to do. This, eventually, led her to ask me what they could do to keep my business.

I told her simply ( and extrememly nicely ), that we absolutely loved Dish Network but that it came down to price. I told her the cable company was running a 12 month special ( which they are ), and she asked how much I would need off a month. I asked for $20! She asked me to hold so she could talk to her supervisor. She came back shortly and told me they approved it for a year. Hooray! $20 less a month is $240! Easy money!

Then, I asked about the warranty on my account. I am NOT a fan of warranties!! I just find them to be a waste of money in most cases and not worth the monthly fees. Anyway, I had to have it when I was in my contract, but now that I was on month to month..it was no longer a necessity. So, that saved me another $6.

Basically, for a quarter of an hours time, I made a little over $312 for the next year! $26 savings for 12 months. I was so happy, and was thrilled I didn't need to switch service. That saves me work as far as learning new programs, having it installed, shipping back my Dish Network supplies, etc. So, it was a win win. I got a lower price AND I got to keep my same service!

So, if you haven't already called on your cable or satellite, please sit down tomorrow and do it. It is so worth $300 to be on the phone with a customer service rep for a few minutes. I also posted ads to some of the larger providers of service. Feel free to click on them and compare their prices and options. And if your current provider can lower their price ,but not match or beat the competition, don't be afraid to switch. That is what I initially did a year and a half ago when I switched from cable to Dish Network. And, I would have switched again if they wouldn't have beaten the cable companies special promotional pricing.

10 comments:

Carrie @ Moneysavingmethods.com said...

Good News! Dennis saved $264 on his cable bill with Time Warner this year! They called in on their account, said they were switching, and they lowered his bill to $31 a month. He is saving over $22 a month!

If anyone else out there has saved via this method, let me know. I am glad people are able to use my advice!

Carrie @ Moneysavingmethods.com said...

I heard back from another believer! David called in today and his bill was also lowered to $31! He is also saving over $20 a month!

I am SOOO excited I was able to help a few people save hundreds a year.

If anyone else has called in and saved money, let me know. You can either post your own comment,or I will post for you!

Tricia said...

I called today. I simply said that I was considering cancelling my service and would like to know what they could do to keep me as a customer. My bill is now reduced $19/month! thanks for the tip and "push"! :)

Lisa in ND said...

I'm still trying to figure this one out, but in today's SmartSource insert there is a coupon for up to $20 off any OneTouch Blood Glucose Monitoring System. In the Walgreen's ad, the Ultra2 model is on sale for $29.99 with a $29.99 mail in rebate, making it free. Could this possibly be a $20 money maker?

Now I am not diabetic, so I don't need the monitor. I would have to figure out what to do with it so it wouldn't go to waste. My dad is diabetic, so maybe he could use it.

What do you think? Am I missing something?

Lisa in ND

Kirby said...

Carrie, I love you!

I have been following your blog for about a month now and have just started implementing some of your wisdom. I just saved $20 a month for a year from DirectTV and got HBO for free for 3 months (without having to cancel at the end of 3 months!)

Verizon (my internet and phone provider) hasn't been as helpful, but I'm going to try them again tomorrow. :)

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you thank you and "come out" and introduce myself! I'm going to try and start some of the bank and online offers soon(once I get these monthly bills taken care of.) I'm sure you'll be hearing from me often!

Kirby

Anonymous said...

What do you do at the end of the year when your price is supposed to go back up?

Carrie @ Moneysavingmethods.com said...

Definitely call and have it lowered again.

If you were following the Marathon, you will notice I just called on mine again this month, as the price went back up.

Sure enough, they lowered it by $20 again for the next 10 mo.

In 10 mo, I will call back again.

Nichole said...

I just called Dish Network and got my bill lowered by $20 a month for 12 months plus they gave me free HBO for 3 months and Cinemax for one cent a month for 12 months. I am so excited to tell my husband!! Thanks Carrie for everything, you are truly an inspiration to me!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info. Had my husband call and we saved $15 a month for a whole year on our Directv, plus I knocked out an HD program that they were charging us $5 a month for a total savings of $20 month and $240 a year! I'm doing the phone next!

a busy mom getting through life said...

Carrie , first thank you for all your tips.
I have a question- are you going to be talking about cell phones in the future ? ex. the best plan or phone to get?
I startd looking at verixon the other day on the web and was totally lost. I would like to find a low cost deal for 3 phones , unlimited texting( teenager) unlimited mins. if possible. How do you know what to get ? Are there any really good deals on them?

 
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