Thursday, August 29, 2013

The Internet / TV Pricing Scam

Do you ever wonder why service providers always discourage loyal customers? I'm on AT&T's UVerse for my TV and internet at home, and I know that I have to regularly (once every 6-12 months) call and ask for a promotion for my account JUST TO KEEP my current pricing!  I used to be on Comcast and absolutely hated everything about the TV service (the internet was fast though).

It's kind of like apartment complexes - they think they will get you with inertia.  It's too hard to move, so we'll just stay there and pay "ONLY" $50 more per month.  

What ever happened to customer loyalty being REWARDED?

Ah, well, at least AT&T's sales reps don't make you feel bad for working the system.  I was told, when I first signed up for UVerse, that I should just call back when the current promotion expires, and just pick up the new one (whatever it is).  The first time I had to do this, it was easy - the first person I got at customer service was able to handle the request.  Today, I had to go through 3 people to get my "new" promotion; while they were all nice, the first two had to pass me around the horn before I got to someone who could change the account the way I wanted.

So if you're looking at your service bill, and your promotions just dropped off, fear not!  Just use these 3 easy steps:

  1. Call customer service (chat / email won't cut it for this)
  2. Ask them nicely for a new promotion.  I just told them outright that a promotion had expired and I was looking for a new one.
  3. If (when) they say there is no applicable promotion, use these magic words: "I guess I'll go shop at <competitor> then, I see that their promotional pricing is considerably lower than my price.  I hate to go there though, because I really LOVE my <current provider> service!".  This should get you shipped off to the customer retention department, and better options for discounts.
Don't be afraid to change service providers if they won't budge.  I've found the monthly difference is usually $25 or more, which is a yearly savings of $300.  Wouldn't you say yes if they offered you $300 to move services, even with the hassle?


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