We cut cable nearly 15 years ago and with it, we also cut cable costs, but forced ourselves to live beyond the TV. Yesterday, I made my annual call to the cable company to continue locking in a low $29.99/month rate for high-speed internet service. Like most people, I hate the cable company, but making this call annually is one of my most productive tasks. I mark this date on my calendar every single year, so that I don’t miss the date. I have been doing this for nearly 20 years. I hate that I have to do it, but the 15-30 minutes it takes is worth it if it means cutting my cable costs. For the speed that we have (200mbs), we are paying 50% of the going rate with my current cable company. The $360/year it saves us is well worth the 15-30 minutes it takes to get done. This is the equivalent of getting paid $1,440 per hour. I don’t know about you, but I make nowhere near that amount in my day job. When I’m done with this call each year, I feel extremely accomplished knowing that I’ve taken very little effort to protect a little portion of our net worth. This year was special. They actually locked us in for 2 full years at this rate this year. So, I’ve set my calendar to call the cable company 2 years from now (make sure its one month ahead of billing since cable companies pre-bill for the coming month).
We use A LOT of Internet service in our house. At the height of COVID, I was working from home full time, conducting all-day Zoom meetings, while my two children were also upstairs attending school on Zoom simultaneously to my work. Even with all of that, I’ve done the testing to confirm that we do NOT need any more than 200mbs speed Internet to run all of this together at once. Cable companies are in the business of upselling you packages and speeds that you don’t need. Each situation is different obviously, but I’ve found that 100-200mbs is the sweet spot for us, where I can feel comfortable knowing that whatever streaming we’re doing with two kids, running a business from home, enjoying Netflix binges, etc. we’ve got everything we need and have no need for more.
So, how do I lock in my low cable price and cut cable costs year after year?
- When calling, I immediately go for the menu option of ‘canceling’ your service. This ensures you get straight to the people who are solely employed to keep you with the company. Do not mess with ordinary customer service. It wastes valuable time! Go for the gold baby!
- I store up all of the competitor mailings, ValPak fliers, etc. leading up to “the day.” This way, I am an informed consumer in my conversation with them.
- I am extremely polite, listening to their name and addressing them by name when I address them.
- My talk track is the following:
- Me: “I have been with you for the past X years.”
- Me: “I recently received an offer from Y company, offering me gift cards, this super-low rate, etc. to switch over to their service. I have a lot of expenses with a family of four, and this is enticing to me.”
- Me: “However, I wanted to call to give you the courtesy before I do this to give you the opportunity to keep me as a customer since I’ve been with you for X years.”
- Agent: “Ok, I can’t meet their offer completely, but I can give you $10/off per month on your bill.”
- Me: “I really appreciate your offer, but the offer from the other company is much better than that. I would like you to match the offer they AND YOU are giving new customers. I don’t need the gift card, but if you could match the X rate, I’ll stay, and I’ll be happy with that.”
- Agent: “Let me put you on hold and see what I can do…”
- Agent: “Mr. Mach–let-me-butcher-your-name, it looks like we’ll be able to do that for you. We appreciate your business.”
- Me: “Thank you. I appreciate how professional you’ve been during this conversation.”
- Me: “Goodbye.”
- Agent: “Goodbye.”
I do NOT settle for their first offer. I always counter and ask for further assistance from managers (very politely and calmly) if needed.
Every little bit counts when it comes to protecting your nest egg. Treat your money with the respect it deserves (and you deserve). Cable service for the cable companies to deliver is VERY cheap. Do not let them take advantage of you and your hard-earned dollar. Do everything you can to protect what you’ve earned. Make it your mission every year. It could earn you $1,440 per hour, and that ain’t bad.
Good luck with your cable calling!