Is your cable bill too high? You’re not alone. Millions of Americans are cancelling their cable TV subscription because of their ridiculously high bills, and the trend continues to rise.
Cable companies are losing customers every day. So NOW is the perfect time to re-negotiate your bill with your cable provider.
That’s what I did. I’ve been paying waaaaay too much for my cable TV service for way too long. Finally, I got fed up and called my cable provider (Cox).
After a lengthy negotiation I was able to cut my cable bill by 45%, adding up to over $1,500 of savings a year!!! And all it took was a little research and a couple of phone calls.
Here’s how I did it, step by step.
1. Define Your Needs, Cut the Rest
Once I started looking into our cable bill, I realized that we had a “premium” bundle that included everything and a kitchen sink, at a whopping price of $296/month.
Every type of sports channel, every type of news channel, all the movie channels, every possible network showing everything that was ever filmed in the history of mankind. Excessive? You bet.
So the first thing I did was figure out what I’m overpaying for.
Do you have a bunch of channels you never watch? Are the premium channels worth the extra $30-$60 bucks a month?
Narrow it down. Make a list of channels you watch the most, and have it in front of you when you call your cable company.
Because the first thing the cable company rep is going to offer to lower your bill is downgrading your service.
They might say: “What channels do you watch the most? Maybe we can offer you a more basic package.”
Now that may be something worth looking into.
Do the same with the Internet. Do you stream a lot of videos, shows, movies and play video games?
Or do you mostly use the Internet for web browsing, email and social media? The answer will determine the level of service you need.
Don’t want to downgrade? No problem. You can still get a better deal.
2. Find a Better Deal From a Competitor
The second thing I did was google cable providers in my area and call them one by one to see who has the best offer.
Strictly speaking, this isn’t a necessary step. But knowing the specifics in your area will put you in the best position when you’re negotiating with your cable company.
Because they will try to confuse you.
So here’s what you need to do:
- Find out which cable companies cover your area. Just google your zip code + cable provider, and you’ll find a list of cable companies that are covering your area. Otherwise you’ll waste a bunch of time making calls to random companies, only to find out they aren’t servicing your zip code.
- Find an alternative package that’s comparable to yours. Cable companies make it intentionally complicated. With so many packages, promotional offers and hidden fees it can get confusing. Don’t fret! Just find an offer that resembles your current package or the package you want.
- Call the company and get a specific quote (their best offer). You might say: “I’m considering switching my cable provider. What is the best deal you can offer on the cable/Internet bundle?”
Other questions you might want to ask:
- What’s the Internet speed?
- Is it cable, DSL or fiber optics?
- How many channels are included?
- How much are the premiums?
- Do you have to sign a contract?
- Is that a promotional offer that will expire after 1-2 years?
- In case you’re not happy with the new service, is there a trial period?
- How soon can they complete an installation?
I know this sounds like a lot of work…But trust me, it’s worth the time. Once you have asked all the right questions and got a specific quote, you have the leverage to negotiate with your cable provider.
Whether you reach a compromise with your cable company, or actually go ahead and get another cable provider that offers a better deal, you are almost guaranteed to save some major bucks on cable.
3. Make the Call to Your Cable Company
This is the most crucial step! And the one I was dreading the most…But my desire to cut the cable bill was stronger.
So I called my cable company and the conversation went something like this:
Hi, I’d like to cancel my service.
May I ask the reason?
I found another cable provider in my area that offers a much better price for the same service.
OK, hold please.
Immediately I was transferred to the Retention Department. The people in this department aren’t regular customer service reps.
They’ve been trained to deal with disgruntled customers, and they have the power to offer the best deals and discounts in order to keep the customer.
So don’t waste your time talking to regular customer service reps. If you don’t get transferred right away, asked to be redirected to the Retention Department.
Side note: Always be polite with the customer service rep!
They get yelled at by disgruntled customers on a daily basis, don’t stoop to that level. They don’t set the prices, they’re just doing their job. So if you’re nice and courteous, they’ll be appreciative and more likely to get you the best deal.
4. Negotiate Until You Get a Better Deal
The first thing the rep asked was if I would be willing to downgrade my package to get a better price. I was. After trimming some fat (but still keeping most channels, including the premiums) the price dropped. But it was nowhere near the offer from AT&T, and I told him that.
At this point I was glad I’ve done my homework, because guess what? The Retention Department rep tried to downplay the major perks that the AT&T has promised me.
He also tried to confuse me with numbers and technical terms in order to convey that although the competing offer is cheaper, the service is worse. I was expecting that.
So I stayed firm and brought the conversation back to the negotiation:
OK, let’s cut to the chase. What’s your best offer?
The rep put me on hold and came back with a better deal, but it still wasn’t low enough. The first deal is never the best deal! I said:
This is closer to what I’d like to pay, but still not quite as good as the deal I was offered from <another cable provider>. Are you willing to work with me a little more?
The rep kept on insisting that that’s the best he can do, and that I won’t find the same high-speed Internet at another company. But I said:
I’m sorry, this just isn’t low enough for me. Is there anything else you can do to lower my bill? I wouldn’t want to cancel the service with you, but I might have to if we can’t reach a compromise.
He put me on hold again, and came back with a better deal. Although it wasn’t as low as AT&T’s, I decided to keep the service because I just didn’t want the hassle of switching cable providers. But I’m not done yet! In a month or so I’ll call again and try to lower the bill even more.
I’m also seriously considering switching to SlingTV and cutting the cable altogether…and that is the true source of power in cable bill negotiations!
5. Be Willing to Cut the Cord
This is your ace in the hole; the secret to a successful negotiation with a cable company.
The cable company rep hopes that you’re bluffing and you don’t really want to cancel your cable service. Even if it’s true, consider the possibility of cutting the cord altogether.
What would happen? Perhaps, you would miss some of your favorite TV shows at first, but then get used to it and be glad you did it.
Perhaps, you’d have more time to spend with your family and more money in your pocket. Or, perhaps, you’ll find a TV streaming service that offers your favorite channels live, at a fraction of your cable bill.
All of these options are viable, and they are great alternatives to anything your cable company is willing to offer you.
Or just use it as a negotiation tactic. Tell them you’ve been thinking about cancelling your cable subscription for a while, you mostly watch Netflix anyway. Tell them they’ll be doing you a favor. Say it with conviction!
After all, the numbers are on your side. More than 7.6 million people have canceled their TV subscriptions over the last five years, and the cable companies are aware of that.
They want to keep their remaining customers, so keep negotiating until you get the price you want. And if you don’t get the best deal the first time, call again and again. That’s what the pros do.
Good luck!
Are you good at negotiating a lower price or does the very thought of haggling make you sweat?
January 2020 Update
after some back-and-forth (and a lot of resistance from my husband) I canceled the cable altogether. The bill was still too high ($167/month) and I decided that if I wanted to be more productive this year, I needed to cut the noise.
At the end of the day, TV was a huge distraction for me, and I’m so glad I’m no longer watching all the garbage I used to binge on. I do watch Netflix though, and it’s enough for now.
Lana is a San Diego-based copywriter, blogger, book author, and WAHM. Her super powers are sarcasm and making chocolate disappear. When she’s not working on her blogs or completing her doctorate in psychology, Lana enjoys crime mysteries, travel, and, regrettably, reality TV.