How to Save Money on Cable TV and Internet Service

With a little time on the phone, you can lower your Internet and TV bills.

With a simple phone call, you can save hundreds of dollars a year on your cable TV and Internet service. For example, cable TV companies bundle digital cable service with high-speed Internet cable service, and some companies offer VoIP services as well. You also can try to negotiate lower prices with your service providers. Review your current cable and Internet bills. If you have not negotiated a discount with your providers, you are spending too much.

Instructions

1. Review current cable TV pricing specials. If there are competing cable TV providers in your area, look for their specials. Many service providers now offer VoIP, so look for bundled phone service discounts. Most companies will publish a start-up period with a reduced rate in order to induce you to switch providers.

   This information is extremely valuable, as you can use the lowest-cost alternative to negotiate with your current cable TV and internet provider.

2. Call your cable provider and ask for a discount. Yes, it's that easy! Make sure you tell the customer service representative that you watch Internet TV or use Netflix, and let them know that you are considering switching providers based on the cheaper bundled service offers from their competitors.

3. Share the information you gathered about specials and competitors' rates with the customer service representative so he knows you did the research.

   The representative may offer you a reduced rate, matching a competitor's bundled service rates, or simply offering to reduce your rates a lesser amount for a few months. Do not be intimidated by haggling with the representative. At some point, the customer service representative will offer you the lowest rate possible at his level before having to refer you to the supervisor.

4. Ask to speak to a supervisor if the customer service representative does not volunteer to transfer you. It is possible to earn larger discounts on your cable TV and Internet service bill. Often, the supervisor has the ability to authorize a larger discount for a longer period of time.

Tips & Warnings

• Spending time to gather information on the cable TV and Internet service prices from competitors will help you significantly in the negotiation process. Be sure to compare the total costs, including fees and equipment.

• If the customer service representative reduce yours bill for a limited amount of time -- for example, three to six months -- make sure you call back before the deal expires to negotiate new terms.

• Don't overdo it. While you can ask for savings, do not threaten to turn off your cable services altogether. Doing so makes you sound unreasonable and can hurt the communications with the customer service reps.

References

• Kiplinger; Shrink Your Cable Bill; Cameron Huddleston; May 2010