Using your negotiation skills to lower your monthly bills

[Brendan M.]

There's a very good chance youre paying more than you have to for your internet, phone, or cable bill, and it only takes a few minutes on the phone with your provider to reduce it. Story time: 

I just signed up for Comcast internet a few days ago and the guy on the phone quoted me at $39/mo for 12 months. Got my first bill and paid it without taking too close of a look, then later realized I was being charged $59/mo for internet. So I just called Comcast and they tried to convince me that I was paying the correct rate, but I told them I had a screenshot of their promotional rate at $39, which is what I signed up for. The guy on the phone either pretended to or actually had no idea what I was taking about but after I insisted it be fixed, he transferred me to Customer Retention. She was much nicer, and willing to work with me, but also clever in that she tried to pretend like she was unaware what the advertised rates were, or that maybe I signed up for a slower service for that price. After further insisting that was the service and price I signed up for, she conceded that she could give me service at that rate. Further, I made sure to request a bill credit for the difference for the month I already paid, and somewhat surprisingly she obliged.

Best part about this whole process is that you don't have to be a new customer or have a bill error to lower your rate this way. Cable, internet, and phone bills are all negotiable, and your provider will try to get away with as much as possible until you call. If you see a lower advertised rate either from your provider or a competitor, or if you just feel like you're paying too much, call and ask them to match the rate or lower you bill. They'll probably initially push back saying that rate is for new customers only or some other BS, but some variation of the line "I'm either going to have a lower rate or your going to disconnect my service before I hang up this phone" is a pretty effective tactic. Keep in mind if you stay with your provider for a long time you might have to make this phone call every few months if you see your rates have been hiked up. By extension, if you haven't called your provider to request your rates be lowered in the last 6 months, you're almost certainly overpaying for your service.

Lastly, be firm but remember to be nice. You're talking to a human on the other end of the phone who probably gets paid a fraction of what you do just to get yelled at by disgruntled customers. It's not their fault their employer has predatory policies. Not only will being nice keep it a low stress experience for both of you, but your more likely to get the person on the other end to empathize with your concerns. 

Remember, cash flow is cash flow, whether it comes in the form of saving $50 on your monthly bills with a phone call or squeezing another $50/mo out of your rental. Don't get too hung up on increasing profits that you forget to consider your own expenses! Even if all this fails, at least you got out of out some good, low stress practice in negotiation, which goes a long way in real estate investing! Has anyone else employed this tactic with much success? What other expenses have you found are negotiable?