An internet provider dealing with ME

[old2soon]

Bit over a year ago the folks that were providing my internet services kept raising the price with no resultant improvement in my service. My neck of the woods I have way more places to purchase vehicles than I do internet service.  So I made the switch to the other provider. Rocked on for a yea at a bit less than $25.00 a month. Back in Feb my monthly bill jumped/rose/skyrocketed - to $46.00 a month!  W T F-over?? So I called the company in question which has a local office about 27 miles north from where I reside. After wading thru their phone menu and some REALLY terrible elevator music and 2 dropped calls I got a live female with a Missouri accent that was very understandable to me! After giving her the information she required I was informed that while they did Not offer old geezer discounts they currently had a special goin on that would lower my monthly from that $46.00 a month to about $23.00 a month!  I wuz longer gittin a live person to talk with than it took her to lower my bill!  IF admin gives me the okey dokey I'll name the outfit here but if not P M me and I'll be happy to name them. Let's just say-at least at the Southern Missouri office-these people KNOW Customer Service!  RIDE SAFE.

[Wizzard]

Xfinity tries to double mine every time the 1 yr contract is up. I just cut to the chase and ask for the customer retention center and tell them I am cancelling if they don't offer me the same rate they are offering new customers. They instantly put my rate back to what it was. I have done this 3 years in a row now.

[Gavin_Sons]

Xfinity tries to double mine every time the 1 yr contract is up. I just cut to the chase and ask for the customer retention center and tell them I am cancelling if they don't offer me the same rate they are offering new customers. They instantly put my rate back to what it was. I have done this 3 years in a row now.

Every time i try that with them they pretty much say "see ya" They offer new customers a Triple play at 99 a month and i pay about 140 a month for TV Internet and phone.

[Wizzard]

What you need to do is ask them how long you have to cancel before you are a new customer again 

[Gavin_Sons]

What you need to do is ask them how long you have to cancel before you are a new customer again 

3 years

[Wizzard]

They told me 30 days,, I said ok,, see you in 30 days ,, and then they instantly reduced it

[Gavin_Sons]

They told me 30 days,, I said ok,, see you in 30 days ,, and then they instantly reduced it

I need to talk to your people.

[gordonv]

What you need to do is ask them how long you have to cancel before you are a new customer again 

3 years

Then you need to change the name on the bill. You, your wife, and your oldest spawn.

Or change providers.

Here, we basically have two national providers. I took the advertising from the competitor, and had them match it. Then I just had the comp at my door, and they said they would go lower. I've a date on my day timer, to call them back and have them match the lowered price again.

[Jess from VA]

This bargaining for service is not the kind of thing that leads to great consumer confidence, or respect.

I was with sirius/XM (sat radio for the bike) for a few years.  I already know to never give them a card as they automatically renew you at the highest (normal) annual fee (even if you tell them not to).  Since I only ride routinely in three of four seasons, I always had to ask to be connected to the Promotional People (in spring).  (Promotions could be found on line, but were unreliable).  I tell the promo people I am retired on fixed income (true) and I only want 6 months or so of service, and after some screwing around, they'd come back with a rate like 1/5 of normal (high) annual rate for 6-9 months (no rhyme or reason to this duration), and ask for my card.  No you don't , I'll send a check.  And I am not agreeing to continuous, never ending, perpetual renewal either.  OK.

And they'd switch me on.  Whenever it expired, they would not shut my service off, but leave it on, and  immediately start billing me for a year at full rate.  I'd call right away and say, I owe you nothing, I paid for X months, and that's all I wanted, and if you gave me a free few weeks trying to get money out of me, you can sue me if you want and I'll see you in court.  OK, then they'd shut me off, and stop billing me.   Next spring, I'd have to go through the whole thing again.  When my sat radio died last year, I decided I was sick of their BS and all the games you had to play, and will not get another.

My trash collection is expensive, considering I live alone.  I only have a big lawn and leaf pickup each fall (2 months), but the rest of the year I don't even have enough to put out a bag every week, and they come twice weekly for trash, once weekly for lawn and leaf, and once weekly for recycle (which I never will do). You cannot bargain for once a week, it's a take it or leave it.  So I'm talking to my retired nurse neighbor and she said she called and pleaded poverty (and she is not lying), and got a break.  So I called and said I was retired on a fixed income (true) could they do anything for me.  And they said sure, and cut a third off my quarterly bill, just for asking.  I could have done this several years ago.  Who knew?

Verizon also plays the promo game, if you want to play it with them.  They kept calling and offering me deals, but always on expanded service for more money (maybe a good deal if you want all those premium channels, but the good deal runs out quickly and then you pay full rate; and to get the deal, you have to promise to stay like 2-3 years with a penalty of you leave early).  Dealing with them is like playing blackjack at a casino.  So I asked if they keep customer notes, and they said they did.  So I told her to write this down.... This customer is only ever interested in any deal or promotion which results in his bill going down, never up.   This earned me long moments of complete silence.  And after about 50 minutes dicking around, transfer to promo, I actually got a monthly bill (phone/TV/internet) reduced by about $15.  Once that 2-3 year contract runs out though it will be back to fun and games and deals, and Monty Hall.  

In a year at 65, I can petition my county for a break on my real estate tax.  I already meet the income test (and will never exceed it), but I have a just a bit too much net worth to qualify for a full break, maybe only a partial break.  You have to meet both income and net worth tests for a break. I can hardly wait to start playing this game.  

I suppose I appreciate being given a break for old age, retirement and fixed income, but the game playing and promo people and apples and oranges deals are a PITA to wade through.

I have never owned a cell phone (neither need or want one) but I hear the wheeling and dealing here is also loads of fun.

[art]

Got to be carefull with that tax break,I read that it is a tax deferment until you sell and then they are there to collect all past tax money that was defered.  They take it out of your profit due to increased value at selling. Can't beat the tax collector.

[Jess from VA]

That is not the deal in my Fairfax County Art.  But thanks for the heads up.  It's not like any of them can be trusted.

BTW, just to give you an idea of how filthy rich my county is (and many of its residents), and the kind of taxes we pay..... the annual budget is now 3.99 Billion Dollars a year.  Just my county.

They long ago caught the neighboring DC tax and spend disease.  Which sadly, is not terminal.

[old2soon]

Xfinity tries to double mine every time the 1 yr contract is up. I just cut to the chase and ask for the customer retention center and tell them I am cancelling if they don't offer me the same rate they are offering new customers. They instantly put my rate back to what it was. I have done this 3 years in a row now.

Every time i try that with them they pretty much say "see ya" They offer new customers a Triple play at 99 a month and i pay about 140 a month for TV Internet and phone.

                  ALL I'm interested in is my internet service. Haven't had a land line in years-just my cell phone. Far as ANY of those cable/satellite T V providers go way Too MANY channels I'd NEVER use so really can't see payin fer stuff I no use.    I see on my Springfield Mo. T V stations they are advertising "packages" internet T V and phone at around 60 bucks per month per item-nudder words around $180.00 ish a month as an INTRODUCTORY pricing scheme. Haven't looked into what it costs after introduction as It's Not available here where I live AND I would NOT purchase the service at that price no how no way. On a fixed income gotta watch my money so "free" entertainment Very HIGH on my list. Sides-I'd much Rather RIDE!  RIDE SAFE.

[Jess Tolbirt]

when it comes to music, Pandora is the answer for me...

[cookiedough]

anything you get one introductory rates end whether 3 months or 1 year, etc.  just call and talk to their retention dept. and 90% of the time they will reduce  your bill by almost to what you were paying when you initially first signed up.

been doing that for decades playing dish network and directv against one another saving 30 bucks for 2 years forever.   Still 60-70 bucks per month is ENOUGH for the few tv stations I watch but is still better than 100 bucks per month for just TV which is too much for most of us to pay per month.

Where I live it is dish or directtv or pretty much netflix not many other choices in cable companies or satellite TV worth considering.  5-6 miles into the next town though they offer a great deal but not in this one horse town yet.