How To Negotiate Lower Bills
Did you know that cable and cell phone companies charge “loyal” customers up to $2,500 more per year than new customers? You don’t have to switch providers to save money because you can negotiate directly with your existing provider to lower your rates.
At Bill Slasher, our main goal is to help people like yourself save money on monthly bills – by teaching you how to negotiate or by having our expert negotiators negotiate on your behalf. If you want to learn how to fight back and pay fair rates then you’ve come to the right place.
Enjoy our negotiating guide – it’s time to stop getting ripped off!
Time Required Per Bill: 1-3 Hours
The negotiation process is a bit time-consuming and includes doing background research to prepare for your negotiation call, calling your service provider, waiting on hold and then arguing with your provider to lower your rates.
Keep in mind that you may have to make multiple phone calls in order to get this done.
Background Research: 30 minutes – 1 hour
Negotiation Process: 30 minutes – 2 hours
Bills That You Can Negotiate
There are other bills that you may try to negotiate but these are the types of bills that generally have savings available:
- Cable
- Cell Phone
- Internet
- Satellite TV
- Satellite Radio
- Home Security
Using Bill Slasher To Negotiate
All of our expert negotiators are former insiders who used to work for the largest cable and cell phone companies and know how to maximize your savings. If you decide that you’d rather let us negotiate your bills for you, we’re always here to help!
The Main Problem
Everyone knows that service providers acquire customers by offering attractive promo rates that typically last 1-2 years. After the promotional period expires, they hike up the price year after year, hoping that you aren’t paying close attention. As a consumer, there’s always the option of switching to a different service provider once your promotional period finishes, but have you ever tried to find out when your contract ends? They certainly don’t show it on your monthly bills or within your online account, and they definitely won’t notify you.
These providers force you to go through the burden of calling their customer support line, waiting on hold forever, and then verifying all sorts of personal information just to acquire a simple end date. This deceptive practice is done on purpose because they know that most people don’t want to do this, and thus, won’t switch from their service. They make it as hard as possible to acquire simple information. Millions of people are being overcharged each month by this deceitful industry.
So what about negotiating lower rates? It is not a fun experience, but it can be done. You’ll just have to roll up your sleeves, do a little research, and carve some time out of your schedule to haggle with your service provider. As such, we have put together a quick explanation below that will help simplify the process for you.
The Negotiation Process
Before your call:
Review your bills to see if you’re still on a promotional plan. If you are, it is likely that there will be few, if any, additional savings to be had. If you aren’t, there’s a pretty good chance you can get your bill reduced.
Are you a long time customer? If you are then they are more willing to find ways to appease you. You can use this when negotiating.
Competitive analysis: Shop around and see what other competitors are offering for the same level of service. Similar to when buying a car, you need to use leverage here and quote specific offers from competitors.
Bundled services: Do you have separate phone, cable or internet companies? If you bundle your services together then there is usually more wiggle room for savings.
Cell phone bills: Check to see if you are using all of your data. You might be able to drop to a lower tier and find instant savings. This wouldn’t actually fall into the category of a “negotiation” but it is something you should certainly consider. Why get charged for data you aren’t using?
Making the call:
Be assertive and firm but also polite. You need to make it clear that you are happy with your current plan, but that it is too expensive for you and that you want to cancel and switch to a different service.
Navigate the phone tree until you get to the cancellation department. You’re not actually going to cancel your service, but convincing your company that you’re going to leave is the tactic you’ll need to use in order to make any progress. Don’t waste your time with the default customer service team. Ask for the retention department or say you want to cancel your service. Threatening to cancel your service is the only way to speak to someone who can reduce your bills.
Be sure to mention here that other providers are offering better rates. As mentioned prior, if you aren’t already on the lowest plan or a promotional rate, then there is a good chance that you will be offered savings. If you’ve been a long time customer, use that even more to your advantage.
Push hard for extra savings. The first offer is rarely the best offer and you need to politely fight the customer service rep as hard as possible to maximize your savings.
Make sure to take notes curing the call. It’s very important that you take notes during your call so that you have a record of who you spoke with, the date of the call, what was discussed and what was agreed upon (if anything). If you are offered savings, make sure to note the original bill price and the new bill price (both with taxes and fees included). Even though every call is recorded by the service provider, it is a good practice to document everything for historical purposes.
After the call:
Make sure to check your bill. If you successfully negotiated lower rates, keep an eye on your bills to verify that the correct changes did occur. Typically, you’ll see a prorated amount on the next bill, followed by the fully adjusted price on the subsequent bill and additional bills going forward.
If the agreed changes did not occur, then you can always call back and ask for a supervisor to pull the recording of the conversation to confirm the agreement. They record the calls to use as leverage against you, so you can do the same against them.
Sit back and enjoy your savings. Why pay more for the same service when you can pay less? You deserve to keep your hard earned money.
Ready to Save?
Now that you know what it takes, it’s time to decide whether you want to negotiate yourself or have our experts help you out. Good luck and hope this helps!
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