Live Debt Free

Pay off debt. Save. Give. Live your mission.

  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Credit Scores
  • Spending
  • Investing
  • Earn Money

5 Minutes to Lower Monthly Bills – DFA Tip of the Week – 3/30/2009

03.30.2009 by Matt Jabs //

There are many ways to reduce costs in our everyday lives, so to help do just that each Monday I will post a money saving “Tip of the Week”.

“And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.” Luke 19:17

This week’s tip involves…saving money on monthly bills by simply calling & asking for a price reduction!

How much it saved me…

I started with Comcast and DirecTV whom I have for Internet & television providers respectively.  The reason I use both companies is a little complicated.  Originally I had Comcast for both Internet and television, but was not happy with being changed an arm & a leg for service, so I decided to switch to DirecTV.  Since DTV did not provide Internet service and because DSL is not offered in my new subdivision, I had to keep using Comcast for Internet.  Regarding television, I skeptically entered into a 2 year contract with DirecTV because I didn’t really have a lot of other options.

Now over a year after all my shifting around of services I was paying $63.95/month to Comcast for Internet along with $75/month to DirecTV for television – and so there went my other arm & my other leg.  Being armless & legless was making it quite difficult to get around so I finally decided to get off my lazy butt (pun intended), and make the calls to demand better prices!!  I did just that and ended up getting my Comcast bill reduced to $37.99/month and my DTV bill down to $55 creating an additional $46/month for me to put into my savings!

Now I’m just going to buy an HDTV digital antenna and get TV for free!

Use these tips when calling…

The CSR’s (Customer Service Reps) are trained to try to dissuade you from your dream of reduced expenses so I will now give you a few pointers in dealing with them:

  1. Maintain an excellent spirit when dealing with the CSR – The old adage, “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar” is quite true.  Just think of how you would like to be addressed then give the CSR the same respect and courtesy.
  2. Maintain separation between the CSR and the company itself – This is quite a successful tactic that I have not ever heard anyone else mention.  Basically you want to create a distinction between the CSR and the company they work for.  This allows you to voice your displeasure with the company, while not attributing any of the displeasure to the person you are dealing with on the phone.  For example instead of saying, “You are charging me too much for Internet“, say something like…”I am just really unhappy with how much Comcast is charging me for service, especially with all the other options out there.“
  3. Get the CSR to empathize with your situation – Now that you have created that separation between the CSR and the company they work for, you are better able to place them in your situation.  Say to them, “What would you do if you were me?” Or simply, “How would you feel if you were in my shoes?“
  4. Use the company’s competitor’s prices and services against them – If you use Comcast for Internet, talk about the low prices AT&T is offering on residential DSL service with similar speeds.  Say to them, “I will stay with Comcast if they can match AT&T’s prices, otherwise I’m going to have cancel and go with AT&T.  I mean, what would you do if you were in my shoes?“
  5. Be willing to discontinue the service – Ultimately if you are not truly willing to leave your current provider, you will be less authoritative and they will be less likely to oblige you.  Make sure before making this decision you discuss it with your wife and/or family.  Be sure to explain the alternatives, and also key on possible benefits of cancelling the service altogether.
  6. Be confident and persistent – Just as you are much more likely to listen to someone who delivers a confident and meaningful argument, so the CSR will be too.  Before you call, make a plan of action.  Write down the reasons why you need the price reduced along with price quotes from several other providers.  If you are prepared and resolved, the CSR will have a hard time denying your request…it worked for me!!

I saved $46/month doing this…how much did you save by employing these tips? Make sure to let us know by leaving a comment below.

Have you already successfully gotten your prices reduced by calling?  Let us know about that too.

Click here to see all our past DFA Tips of the Week.

Categories // Expenses, Spending, Tips Tags // bills, how, internet, lower, monthly, reduce, Reduce Expenses, satellite, television, tips, to, tv

Cut TV Bills – DFA Tip of the Week – 2/2/2009

02.02.2009 by Matt Jabs //

There are many ways to reduce costs in our every day lives, so to help do just that each Monday I will post a money saving “Tip of the Week”.

This weeks tip involves…reducing your cable or satellite T.V. bill.

When my wife & I moved into our new home on April 20th, 2007 one of the first things I did was to call Comcast and have them come set up our Internet service.  Running a close second was having DirecTV come and install our satellite television service.  In the past I have always had cable TV but I was so sick of dealing with Comcast I wanted to cut them out as much as possible.  I would have used an alternate Internet Service Provider, but there are no other viable options in our area…so I bit the bullet.

Using DirecTV at our new home was my first experience signing up with a satellite T.V. service.  It came as no surprise when they were offering me the world to sign up.  In times past with Comcast I have always had the basic extended plan that offered around 70 channels for $50 – $60 and that was always fine with me.  When deciding on my DirecTV package I wanted to choose something similar and ended up with a package around $65/month…or so I thought…

As time went by, my bill started increasing by a few dollars here and there until finally my most recent bills have been $85.  There is no explanation for the increases; my wife & I have not ordered any pay-per-view movies or added to our plan in any way, so the increases have confused me.  I tried calling their support but “DirecTV Support” is one of the biggest fallacies ever perpetrated upon the American public (pun intended).

Most recently we decided to subscribe to Netflix for their “2 out at a time – Unlimited” plan for $13.99/month.  Since we also have an XBox 360 we have the ability to stream select shows and movies directly from Netflix at no additional cost.  This past weekend I tried the service out and was very impressed.  My XBox, which is on our 1st floor, is connected to the Internet via our wireless router which is on the 2nd floor.  Despite all this, the speeds were enough to stream even HD movies with little to no interruption.  While watching the movie, the service made one adjustment a few seconds into the movie, then never blinked again.

To make a long story even longer, basically what I’m trying to say is that I’m VERY close to canceling my DirecTV service and just watching DVD’s and TV shows via Netflix and Netflix/XBox 360 stream.  I’m also looking into setting up Ubuntu Desktop Edition (which I’m already using successfully at work) in conjunction with Boxee on a slimline desktop PC which will enable me to watch TV via the Internet.  Boxee has also recently added Netflix support.  To read more about using these technologies together for your home entertainment center click here.

Regarding pros & cons of getting rid of your current TV service, my main Pro is obviously that I would cut my bill from $85/month to $14/month. Here is an additional list of Pros & Cons:

Pros

  • Times when you would normally watch TV you can do something more constructive like read, pray, exercise, do home projects, spend quality time with your family, or catch up on some sleep
  • The ability to record your shows lets you watch them at your convenience
  • Fast forward through commercials
  • Watch Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and many other Internet Video sites through your TV
  • Manage your pictures, music, video and more via the media center of your choosing (XBox 360, Boxee, etc.)

Cons:

  • No “real time” TV service
  • Set up cost of getting an XBox 360 or Netflix compatible DVR or new entertainment PC or something of the like
  • If Internet is down you cannot download new shows (but you can still watch what you have recorded)
  • High Definition programming offers are limited (but they are limited in cable & satellite TV as well)
  • Have to learn a new system/interface (this may be a good thing…learning is growing right???)  🙂

What do you think?  Would canceling your current TV service be that bad? With the onslaught of alternatives popping up every day like the ones mentioned above, are you considering canceling your service and replacing it with something cheaper?  Give your comments below!

Click here to see all past DFA Tips of the Week.

Categories // Spending, Tips Tags // antenna, bills, cable, cut, cutting, hulu, netflix, satellite, tv, ubuntu, xbox

Popular Posts

  • Understanding & Improving your Cash Flow
  • Credit Card Debt Reduction Handbook
  • Our Monthly Debt Reduction and Savings Statements
  • Pay off Credit Cards VS Build Emergency Fund Savings - Me VS Suze Orman
  • Credit Cards - Close 'em Shred 'em & Forget 'em!
  • More Reasons to Pay Off Credit Card Debt
  • Wise Use of Paid off Credit Cards? You Decide.
  • The Whole Armor of Personal Finance
  • One World Currency - New World Order
  • Debt Testimonials - Encouraging Success Stories!

Disclaimer

Content on Debt Free Adventure is for entertainment purposes only. Rates & offers from advertisers shown on this website may change without notice: please visit referenced sites for current information. Per FTC guidelines, this website may be compensated by companies mentioned through advertising, affiliate programs or otherwise. We respect your privacy. Privacy policy.

Popular Posts

  • Lending Club - My Review of Social Lending
  • Understanding & Improving your Cash Flow
  • Credit Card Debt Reduction Handbook
  • Our Monthly Debt Reduction and Savings Statements
  • Pay off Credit Cards VS Build Emergency Fund Savings - Me VS Suze Orman
  • Credit Cards - Close 'em Shred 'em & Forget 'em!
  • More Reasons to Pay Off Credit Card Debt
  • Wise Use of Paid off Credit Cards? You Decide.
  • The Whole Armor of Personal Finance
  • One World Currency - New World Order
  • Debt Testimonials - Encouraging Success Stories!

Disclaimer

Content on Debt Free Adventure is for entertainment purposes only. Rates & offers from advertisers shown on this website may change without notice: please visit referenced sites for current information. Per FTC guidelines, this website may be compensated by companies mentioned through advertising, affiliate programs or otherwise. We respect your privacy. Privacy policy.

Copyright © 2023 · Modern Studio Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in