Ever since Fox came out demanding that Time Warner pay it subscriber fees for distributing its channels, we've known that Time Warner's services were going to begin to cost more. This is about the time that any negotiating skills you may have would really work to your advantage. The more you're able to negotiate with your cable Internet providers, the more reasonable your bill is going to look at the end of the month.
When I moved to a new apartment in the suburbs three months ago, just about the first thing I ever did, was to look up the cable and Internet providers in the area to decide on which one to get. I quickly decided on Comcast, and signed up. I didn't want to miss any American Idol episodes. I asked around a little, and found out that Comcast's best offer at the time was a $126 package with taxes; I got two set-top boxes with all the premium channels, and I got my high-speed Internet. Things seems to be affordable, and they seemed to cost exactly what I wanted; I congratulated myself on a job well done.
The bills came each month, I paid, and things went smoothly for about six months. That's when the bill arrived one day, and I saw that I was in for a rude shock. My package didn't cost $126 a month anymore - it cost about $210. It was the same cable, it was the same Internet, but it cost about $84 more. Needless to say, I was on the phone to Comcast in about 3 seconds, nervously tapping my foot to get past the infernal Muzak to speak to a real live human. The real live human told me that I hadn't paid attention to a little detail when I had signed my deal. I had an introductory offer which was only good for six months. He had me take out my contract, and had me notice the little x6 written next to where the price was mentioned.
There are lots of consumer websites out there that are crying murder over this kind of unfair trade practice. Check out Complaints Board, or Ripoff Report, and you will understand. So how do you get the upper hand on these cable and Internet providers when they switch and bait like professional con artists? A good way to begin negotiating would be to call your provider and say you have a better deal with a rival company - and you will switch, unless. Alternatively, you can just go right ahead and downgrade your service, and sign up for Netflix. When I did this, I got my price whittled down to $150 a month, but with fewer channels.
Most people have had similar experiences; calling the downgrade and disconnect department at the cable and Internet provider's toll-free number is that the best place to start. The economy is kind of low now, and the people manning the phone at these departments have instructions to do everything possible to keep a customer. Apparently, promotional offers that end a couple of months after you sign up are completely common. It is our responsibility to keep track of when they expire. If you call in time, you can save yourself an expensive price increase.
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