I thought it would be good to have a series on lowering my bills. It seems that everyone (including myself) has a bill out there that they would like to see lowered. Problem is most people have a hard time dealing with customer service or are unaware they can change their bills. You can read this series and all other posts by subscribing to my RSS feed or by entering your email address up top.

The first one I’d like to tackle is the dreaded cable bill. I recently bought a house and after years of suffering I moved my television to satellite. I will never go back to cable television unless forced against my will. This post isn’t about bad mouthing cable companies, so I’ll just say that I don’t feel you are getting your money’s worth from them. Television, radio, and print media are littered with great rates and deals for cable companies. The hook is that it’s for new customers only. Sorry, but in my commercial viewpoint, it’s your current subscriber’s that matter. Sure, cable companies have you by the short hairs when it comes to alternative options, but that doesn’t mean they can stick you with a bigger bill. Cable is (although some may disagree) not a necessity, and as technology progresses more options are going to be available to avoid paying for cable altogether (see hulu).

So, pull out your cable bill and head to the company’s website and let’s take a look. See those offers for new customers? Is your bill slightly (or grossly) higher than that? Time to make a call to their customer support service. Here are a few tips and tricks to make sure you lower your cable bill:

• Be like Fonzie. Above everything else, be cool. The person you are talking to isn’t pocketing your money and they aren’t the problem. They are the people who can make your life easier. Write down their name when they answer, and speak to them in a calm and collective voice. 
• Tell your story. Give a 20 second speech on what you are trying to accomplish and then open it up for the representative to respond. Some typical opening lines are “I am redoing my budget and noticed that my cable bill is pretty big. I like the service, but at these rates I might have to cut my service. Are there any specials or promotions going on to help?” There is also the tougher, more direct approach “Yes, I’m thinking of switching to satellite/FIOS/etc because they are offering me [repeat offer from their site]. Do you have a similiar offer?”
• Don’t be greedy. Unlike Gordon Gekko, greed is not good. sometimes you’ll get an offer for a discount rate for 3 months. Sometimes it’s 6. Sometimes they’ll offer you a free bump to the next level of service for a year (yes this happened to me). Whatever they offer, say thanks. You can do the math on the fly on how much you’ll save while saying “Wow, that would really help out alot. Can we make that change now?” Remember to be nice.
• Triple Dog Dare them. If they won’t help you out, simply ask to have service terminated. Don’t worry, there are a few questions that have to be asked before you do lose service. This will hopefully let them know you are serious and that if they want your business, they need to act fast. It’s okay to be more assertive if your call has escalated to this level. You can even ask for their supervisor or manager on duty. This is also a solid tactic for faster resolution.
• Try your call again. Not all CS reps are going to be easy to work with. Do you have additional information to support claims for lower rates like poor service or lack of programming? Did you threaten to cancel service and now they are going through the process? Looks like you lost this one. Simply say “I don’t have time to take care of this now. I will call back later. Thank you” and then hang up. Call back in 5 minutes and try your magic on another rep. I have had to call no more than 3 times in order to secure a deal.
• Take notes. Most of these offers are going to expire, so make note of when the promotion will end. When the time comes, call them right back up and follow the tips above. Sometimes it works best if you pay a full month’s service so you can have the argument of “My bill just increased x% and I just can’t afford it.”

So how much can you save? Your mileage may vary, however I’ve been able to cut my “listed” bill nearly 50% while still getting top service plans, HD service, premium channels, and DVR service. Currently I have to use cable for my Internet, and when my first bill came in they tried to stick me with a “non cable service fee”. That was an easy phone call as I let the rep know that I was never informed of this fee and that I wanted my service cancelled immediately and reimbursed. I noted that there was no listed fee on the application and no mention of this on their site. How did it work out? 6 months service 40% lower than what they wanted me to pay. These tactics work for all cable offerings including phone service

Some may think that this is cheating and that people should pay full price. I think those people are the same ones who pay sticker price for cars and don’t use coupons. Prices are haggled all the time, and you shouldn’t have to pay more than what the market demands. It’s like the old Meineke commercials.

Have you tried this before? Do you have any success stories or stories of doom?