How to get my Cable Company to give me a Discount?

The economy is as turbulent as it can get. In such circumstances, you need to save up as much as you can if you wish to have a stable standing in the future. With cable TV costs rising swiftly, this maneuver sounds impossible. What makes it worse is the fact that you can’t live without cable, which enjoys a traditional value in each American home. Though streaming services and other alternatives do offer substantial entertainment, they fall short of the live broadcasting, scheduled programming, and the freedom to flip through channels that superior cable packages like Cox cable bundles provide. So, herein lies the dilemma. You can’t cut the cord and you can’t pay the expensive cable bills. What’s the way out? We recommend negotiating for discounts. Yes, it is very much possible to get your cable company to give you a discount on your subscription. You just need to do the necessary preparations before you pick up your phone and lay out your strategy, which the following pointers will help you make. Without further ado, let’s dive into the world of smart negotiation.

Evaluate Your Cable Bill

If you’re a conscious consumer, you’ll question everything that comes your way. This includes the cable service invoice that reaches your home at the end of each month. Begin with inspecting the charges mentioned on your bill. You might come across certain technical terms that you don’t quite understand. For this, call the customer service representative of your cable company, and inquire openly about the connectivity fees or ‘miscellaneous taxes’ mentioned on your bill. You can also head online to consumer forums of the respective cable company, and post your questions about the service charges in detail, or skim through already-made threads on the topic. Keep an eye out for crammed charges, which are the kind of charges that a company furtively adds to your bill, ‘under the radar’, for service that you have not specifically ordered, in order to extract more sum out of your pocket. So, understanding your cable bill is the first step in applying for discounts later on and lowering it to a bracket that you can afford to pay.

Get Your Negotiation Chip Ready

Leverage counts a lot when you’re trying to get the ball to come into your court. What is your leverage, in this case? Cancellation of service. Cable companies will do anything to keep you as their customer. More customers mean more profits. The provider, which has the highest number of customers, gains a competitive edge over others. So, the last thing that your cable company wants is for you to subscribe to their competitor. This is where you can step up. Research what the cable competitors are offering in the market. Note the comparison between the deals your provider is handing out and the ones that are advertised by others. Focus on the companies that are giving more for less, and get your negotiation chip ready.

Contact during Off-Peak Hours

Customer service representatives are humans. The agent you get on the line during the off-peak hours will have a better mood than the one you come across during the heavy traffic time. So, be mindful of when you make the call. You need the other party to be more pliant if you wish to bend them to your will. This is the information, which you’ll need to keep handy before making the call:

• Your account details, subscription longevity, and personal data
• Your payment history, which should ideally be on-time
• The competitor offers that give you more saving along with better service, etc.

Put off the cancellation chip to the last minute, and use it only tactfully. If the agent is straightforward and can’t read between the lines, he or she may cancel your service, when you only wanted to get a lower bill. When you call, state your purpose clearly, which is to get a lower service rate and more discounts. Then, give your reasons why they should lower your bill. Listen first, respond later. You need to win this negotiation, after all.

Keep Calm and Enjoy a Discount

The principle that you attract more flies with honey works in this case, too. If you let anger get the best of you and shout at the customer service representative of your cable company, then chances are that they’ll unnecessarily delay your request and even hang up on you, putting your efforts in vain. So, be gentle, kind and keep your tone soft yet assertive. Let logic rule your call since negotiation is no place for emotion. Even if you’re using emotion and empathy as a tool, make sure that it works out in your favor. By speaking mindfully, you’ll not only haggle better but also manage to get extra discounts than you had initially hoped for, from your cable company.

Wrapping Up

If you feel that your cable bill is draining your savings, then it’s time to pick up the phone and ask your service provider for discounts. This post gives you several tried-and-tested tips and tricks that you can use to win the negotiation with your cable provider. So, give them a go and enjoy one promotion after another.