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If you want a better deal you'll need to play chicken with the retention department. In the course of canceling service with Cox a couple days ago, they went fr

If you want a better deal you'll need to play chicken with the retention department. In the course of canceling service with Cox a couple days ago, they went from $140/month for unlimited 500 Mbps service (download, only <15 Mbps upload) to $60/month before they gave up.

arealaccount 3y ago
I’ve ended up taking the offer before only to continue getting bills for the original price, with the updated price definitely coming next month for months, eventually landing with “we have no record of that deal being offered”
- bityard 3y ago
  Comcast, in particular, has agents that will flat-out lie to you in order to get you off the phone. I went through this a few years back. It took around 6 calls and I spoke to at least a dozen different people all around the world. My promotional rate expired and I wanted to step down to a lower-speed plan. Every time I explained this to the agent, they would start with an upsell to a HIGHER-priced plan. And then, after I refused it, ANOTHER higher-priced plan. Once they wasted at least 5 minutes of my time on sales pitches, the call proceeded in one of two paths: 1. They would promise to make the changes to my account exactly as I requested. The next day, I would check my account on the web site and see that nothing has changed. When I called back, the next agent I talked to claimed to have no record my ever calling them before. Which loses its humor around the 4th call or so. 2. In the middle of my explaining, the agent would say, "hello? hello?" and then hang up. This happened way too often, and too predictably to be coincidence.
  - tharkun__ 3y ago
    And yet you are still their customer, so it worked? Unless you actually walk and others do too this is just gonna continue.
    - xkqd 3y ago
      My municipality signed a 30 year exclusivity agreement with Comcast. In exchange for the rollout, no one else can offer broadband until 2029. I don’t understand how this can be legal.
      - tharkun__ 3y ago
        That's an absolutely fair complaint. Just like these exclusive deals with landlords in some condos etc (wasn't that banned by the FCC but being subverted? And FCC only covers the US anyway). That said 1999 was way different regarding broadband than today. Still dumb to sign a 30 year contract (in 20/20 hindsight) but we also don't have all the details of your specific situation. There definitely are also stories of "municipal ISPs" and such being spring up to solve the rural broadband dilemma instead of "selling out". In such a case don't complain about not getting anywhere with trying to get a better deal. You already lost before you even called as they know you won't walk.
    - bityard 3y ago
      My options in this neighborhood are: 1) Comcast cable 2) AT&T DSL 3) Move. Comcast is terrible but they are the lesser of the two evils, although 3 is hopefully on the horizon.
bityard 3y ago
This only works if you are actually ready to walk, though. Retentions department people are trained to spot bluffers. Also depends on their market, how the company is doing that quarter, when you call, who you get, etc. I have cancelled services with companies (legitimately), expecting them to counter-offer and they just said, "okay, I've entered your request into the system, have a nice day."
- toomuchtodo 3y ago
  You sign up the next day with the new signup offer.
  - brianwawok 3y ago
    Which they charge a setup fee because they know.
    - toomuchtodo 3y ago
      This has not been my experience when cycling service in the Chicago suburbs recently for someone, assuming you self service install and not have a tech sent out.

arealaccount 3y ago

I’ve ended up taking the offer before only to continue getting bills for the original price, with the updated price definitely coming next month for months, eventually landing with “we have no record of that deal being offered”

bityard 3y ago
Comcast, in particular, has agents that will flat-out lie to you in order to get you off the phone. I went through this a few years back. It took around 6 calls and I spoke to at least a dozen different people all around the world. My promotional rate expired and I wanted to step down to a lower-speed plan. Every time I explained this to the agent, they would start with an upsell to a HIGHER-priced plan. And then, after I refused it, ANOTHER higher-priced plan. Once they wasted at least 5 minutes of my time on sales pitches, the call proceeded in one of two paths: 1. They would promise to make the changes to my account exactly as I requested. The next day, I would check my account on the web site and see that nothing has changed. When I called back, the next agent I talked to claimed to have no record my ever calling them before. Which loses its humor around the 4th call or so. 2. In the middle of my explaining, the agent would say, "hello? hello?" and then hang up. This happened way too often, and too predictably to be coincidence.
- tharkun__ 3y ago
  And yet you are still their customer, so it worked? Unless you actually walk and others do too this is just gonna continue.
  - xkqd 3y ago
    My municipality signed a 30 year exclusivity agreement with Comcast. In exchange for the rollout, no one else can offer broadband until 2029. I don’t understand how this can be legal.
    - tharkun__ 3y ago
      That's an absolutely fair complaint. Just like these exclusive deals with landlords in some condos etc (wasn't that banned by the FCC but being subverted? And FCC only covers the US anyway). That said 1999 was way different regarding broadband than today. Still dumb to sign a 30 year contract (in 20/20 hindsight) but we also don't have all the details of your specific situation. There definitely are also stories of "municipal ISPs" and such being spring up to solve the rural broadband dilemma instead of "selling out". In such a case don't complain about not getting anywhere with trying to get a better deal. You already lost before you even called as they know you won't walk.
  - bityard 3y ago
    My options in this neighborhood are: 1) Comcast cable 2) AT&T DSL 3) Move. Comcast is terrible but they are the lesser of the two evils, although 3 is hopefully on the horizon.

bityard 3y ago

This only works if you are actually ready to walk, though. Retentions department people are trained to spot bluffers. Also depends on their market, how the company is doing that quarter, when you call, who you get, etc. I have cancelled services with companies (legitimately), expecting them to counter-offer and they just said, "okay, I've entered your request into the system, have a nice day."

toomuchtodo 3y ago
You sign up the next day with the new signup offer.
- brianwawok 3y ago
  Which they charge a setup fee because they know.
  - toomuchtodo 3y ago
    This has not been my experience when cycling service in the Chicago suburbs recently for someone, assuming you self service install and not have a tech sent out.