Just did this, had the 'triple play' package and it was going to jump up by about $75/month for all these services. We never used the phone, ended up getting some package that has an HD and SD digital box and internet for something like $80/month, not terrible.

Also, I call BS on the cost of business thing to some degree. I work for a small independent internet/cable/tel-co, and our prices are still much lower then comcast, we haven't raised them in 3 years, and I'm sure they have the advantage of being able to hold their subscription base over the program providers.

"They might say no?"

Oh ho ho, I'm not falling for that one again. My broken kneecaps haven't even healed yet.

Price of gasoline to deliver the internets through the tubes has increased the costs.

I did this last year with the same results. They'll often give you a promotional 1-year rate if you ask nicely first and then not-so-nicely (e.g., mention FiOS) if being nice doesn't get you anywhere. I've also had the experience that you need to be talking to someone in the retention department. They appear to be the ones with the ability to wheel and deal and make things happen.

Cable companies hate losing customers, even if you aren't even a customer. Case in point: A few years ago I moved to an apt in small town OH where there was only one cable company. I called on a Tuesday and was told they'd hook up my cable on Friday afternoon. Friday morning rolls around and the cable company calls and says they can't make it out that afternoon and some mumbo jumbo about not being able to do it on Saturday because the cable box was located downstairs from the apt in a store that they said was closed on Saturdays. I informed them that the store was indeed open on Saturday, but the lady assured me that I was wrong and told me that she took the liberty to rescheduled the hook up for 8 days later. I retorted, 'don't worry about it, I'll just get DirecTV' (little did she know that I lived in a multi dwelling historical building where it was totally illegal to hook up a sat dish). She quickly put me on hold and then assured me that someone would be out to hook up my cable the next morning. The worst part about the whole thing: the cable contractors trucks all park in a little not 100 yards from my building. Sure enough, the next morning, the guy just walked across the street from the office to hook up my cable.

Wow that was long and rambly...sorry.

The magic word is definitely RETENTION. Ask to be transferred to them first, then ask nicely (mentioning FIOS, per the comment above, can definitely help). I've used this trick twice now to keep my promotional rate for 2 years extra.

During the install of our cable, Comcast decided to cut our phone line (another carrier).
The 'tech' left without telling us about the huge favor he did us. I was without phone service for 5 days. I called Comcast and I received a hearty 'Sorry'.

I called to complain and was told that they would not charge me for the install (which was free to start off with).
I have the worst luck with Comcast.

Last month I noticed my Time Warner Triple Play went up by about $5 per month. Also on the statement, a notice to call and ask how I can save using their Price Lock guarantee. So I did. They offered to switch my base rate from $134.99/month to $99.99 per month. I had to sign a 3 year contract to do this (with a $150 fee for breaking the contract). Worth it to me, since I don't plan on switching any time soon (tried to switch to Verizon a few months ago and got the runaround from them), and even if I did, the $35/month I will be saving will quickly add up to more than $150. I will now be saving $480/year.

I did this with an expired promotional rate. I told them I wanted to drop HBO and Starz to bring my bill down. They knocked off $30/month (from $137 -> $106) for the next year and let me keep HBO/Starz. No annual contract, either.

Granted, I had more money on the table with them, so they had more discount me. If did less business with them I suspect the discount would have been less.

I just got the coveted Double play last month. I don't want a home phone, I had $33 each for internet and digital cable. My rates were expiring meaning a jump from $66 to $105. I called and asked options, they only offered me to get the triple play including phone for $99. I instead downgraded to a basic cable package and then started calling weekly to see if I could be put back on the $66 deal. After 1 month of calling, I got the CSR that put me on the deal and also gave me a free DVR for a year!!!

I love how sometimes the CSR's don't even fight you - they just give up and say "ok, no sweat off my back to extend your rate"

I did this with my cable company as well. I threatened to just cancel my service and have my girlfriend resubscribe and get the new promotional rates, because it seemed stupid that I was being punished for being a long-standing customer, whereas new customers got a steep discount.

The lady told me "it would be an inconvenience" for me to have them come out and take all of the hardware and then come back again and put it all back again.

I told her it was an inconvenience to me to pay $240 more a year or whatever it was.

She gave in and gave me the new customer rates. I'm sure I'll have to do it all again in a year.

I love seeing stories like this. Good Job! Be polite, calm, and educated and CSR's will generally be willing to help you out.

@Deezul_AwT: No, but increased costs to "roll-out" their trucks five times for a single problem has.

I've said it before, and I'm happy to say it again...if doesn't hurt to ask. If you pay your bill on time, if you've been a loyal customer for a while, ASK. If you jump companies often, or if you don't pay your bill on time, you can sill ask, just know that the answer may be "NO."

Like altryan says, please be nice to us when you call, we really do want to help you :-)

(Disclaimer: I work for Comcast but I do not speak for them; these opinions are my own.)

I'll keep this in mind the promotional rate on my DSL expires in a few months.

Most Retention employees get a commission for saving a customer so it is in their best interest to work with you. I recently called Time Warner and said I was looking at DSL prices online. He immediately offered to lower my monthly rate by $10.

I didn't have to threaten cancellation, and the call took less than 3 minutes.

my promotion was up this month and i just called and was able to go from $99.35 to $74.89 for 6 months, including prorating the current bill..

I just use a lower priced competitor, much easier.

This is why I dumped Comcast in favor of Cavalier. Maybe the DSL is slower (seems OK to me), but at least they don't make me beg for a promotional rate every few months in the hopes that I will forget to ask and pay extra for a few months.

@chese79: easier said than done, especially when comcast hold a monopoly in the area you live in.

In my case they did say No. Then the agent signed me up for something he didn't make me aware of until I got my next months bill. I called to complain again and they still said no so I downgraded my package until it was the same price as before.

What about DirectTV? Has anyone had any luck lowering their rates with them?

Asking most definitely doesn't always work. When my rates went up, I called and asked for them to lower my rates and they most definitely said no.

Worked in the UK with Virgin Media, too. Our 3-way charge dropped from the £45/month they were trying to charge us to £30/month just by grumbling politely.

@jdhuck: That's not bad luck. Comcast just tends to screw people.

@Raekwon: It sounds like you should have switched companies.

Good for you, but it isn't always that easy. I called Comcast and nicely asked for lower rates 3 times over the course of two months. They said they didn't have any options that could lower my bill.

I switched to AT&T U-Verse and saved $40/month.

Woohoo! My post made it Consumerist :)

Also, note that I didn't actually ask. He just gave it to me!

@MonkeyMonk: And to add to that, don't call on a weekend. I tried doing this with my cable bill last year and made the mistake of calling on a weekend when there wasn't anyone in the retention department. Instead of trying to keep me as a customer, the lady I spoke to was willing to cancel my account. I hung up, tried again on Monday and got a much better deal.

On the other hand, if you want a hassle-free way to close an account, call on a Saturday!

Worked for me! Saved $35/month for a year - $420/yr!

Told them I had offers from Clearwire and Dish Network to replace my Comcast internet and cable service. Five minute call to save $420, awesome!

"The answer is always no unless you ask."

This covers ANY situation, not just cable TV. So--just ask!

Also: the word NO never hurt anyone. Therefore, it never hurts to ask.

So--just ask!

I called and asked Comcast them to extend my promo at the end of July. I was told no, so I had to switch to qwest and their ridiculously overpriced DSL because my apartment can only be served by one or the other for high-speed Internet. Non-competition is a BEAUTIFUL thing.

@calquist: I called a few months ago to ask if they'd match Dish Network's "1 cent per month for Cinemax" promotion that lasts a year. I had a nice conversation with the CSR, and he put me on hold.

He came back and offered 6 months of free Showtime and Starz, 3 months of free Cinemax and HBO, and $10 off per month for 6 months.

The best way to get easy discounts with DTV, though, is to refer a friend. You both get a $50 statement credit.

@Deezul_AwT: better through the tubes than delivered on a dump truck

I tried to do this with Charter. The rep said she'd changed my rate, but she didn't really, and I got billed at $60/month instead of $30/month. I didn't notice for several months. Even executive customer service wouldn't give me everything back. Charter has already lost more in business than they stole from me, because I moved into a new apartment, I got DSL instead.

@sideffects: I think the worst part of it is that the Internet service is really good in my area. It is difficult to get past the installation buffoons and customer disservice.
Cable is still meh.

@jdhuck: During my install (which the guy showed up AFTER the scheduled time = didn't pay for the install, it pays to call for every outage and missed appointment) Comcast cracked a couple cement tiles when they were installing the cable jacks. It took about 4 months of back and forth but I got a check for $1200.00.
My promotional rate $40 a month, is due to jack up to $85 next month, think I will give em a call... =)

@sideffects: If I had anyone to switch to I would.

@VidaBlueBalls: According to the FCC your landlord or HOA cannot prohibit you from having a satellite dish. This even includes Historical units. However, the landlord and the historical comission that protects the building CAN make a restriction that the dish installation not permanently alter the structure in any way. If you have any place in your building that is for your exclusive use (no other tenant can use it) that has a view of the southern sky and has room enough for a weighted tripod, you can have a dish.

So while you may not be able to have one due to geographical restrictions, your landlord nor the state's historical commission can prohibit a satellite dish outright.

@Applekid: Thank you! That was hilarious!

@chemicalx9: Better through digital tubes than pneumatic tubes.

i recently called Time Warner to reduce the costs of my cable and internet. i asked about a rate i saw for the basic cable package and the basic internet service. then i realized i didn't want to downgrade my internet speeds and asked if there was a package to save with basic cable/high speed internet and they gave me the same price that i planned to pay for the basic interent for a promo period of a year. so that will save me about $20 a month! :)

Wait, gas prices? For one thing, they're going down. But aside from that, i didn't realize that my cable internet was delivered by truck.

@CorrieCJ: @CorrieCJ: Congratulations....and we are happy to have you as a customer for three years. Also, check your acceptable use policy, as your early termination fee is prorated, meaning the closer you are to the end of the contract, the less it will cost you to terminate. Hope you enjoy the service. And I recommend this technique to all of our customers...we are offering the Price Lock Guarantee just about everywhere.

I've had no luck with getting promotions extended or new discounts from Comcast because I don't have cable. [I get strange looks when I tell people that I don't have TV at all. I have phone and internet both with no frills.] They offer me lots of deals that all include cable TV. Even customer retention is rude to me - They just quote the competition's rates for internet and phone without the TV bundle and state that Comcast is cheaper. I guess the big profit and competition is in the Cable TV service.

@billbillbillbill:
Yeah, I tried that with my local Comcast. They said that you need to be off of the promotion for 6 months. When it was 6 months? I called again. "We're sorry. It appears you have relocated. We can not offer a reduction in your fees unless you've been at your residence 6 months." WTF.

Lol I can't wait for my account to get finalized on here because I got the greatest letter ever from Communistcast this weekend but the best part was the response I received from the customer service rep. I can't get DirectHD in my area because of "landmark" trees but I'm tempted to cancel good ol' commy cast and just get standard def from DirectTV because I can't take this anymore.