Ah, the power of asking for discounts. Here are a few stories from Consumerist readers who “threatened” their cable operators and got discounts because of it. Paul writes:

Thanks a lot for the article about threatening to cancel cable service. I did that today and saved a bundle. Here’s the basic rundown: I called my ISP, Charter, and said I wanted to cancel my account. When asked why, I said that it was too expensive (I’ve been paying about $62/month for a 3Mbps connection) and that I wanted their $19.99/month promotion rate (listed on their webpage for new customers). After some poking around on the computer, the CSR was able to get me the lower rate for a full twelve months! I’m pretty happy; a 67% reduction is pretty good, so I need to figure out what to do with the extra $40/month that I’ll have now.

No, Paul, thank you for sharing your story.

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Zac writes:

I just read your story on getting discounts on cable by threatening to cancel. I just did this, and it worked out quite well. I had been getting cable for an absurdly low rate – one of those rates that expire after a set amount of time. I was getting Comcast’s “Digital Silver” package for $30 a month (lots of channels, Encore, Bravo, SciFi, plus HBO, about 200 total). I got February’s bill and it had jumped to $70, which I knew was coming and had planned to cancel my service once it did.

When I called to cancel I talked to a (amazingly) nice CSR at Comcast who asked me why I was cancelling. I explained my situation… told her I simply couldn’t afford it. She asked me what I needed cable for and I said really I like the OnDemand feature and HBO shows. She said “Honey you hold on for a moment and Miss Jones will see what she can do for you.” I kid you not.

Five minutes later she came back and offered to continue my service for $38 dollars a month for the next six months instead of the regular $70. While it’s still more a month, I consider it pretty big since the original deal had gotten me that rate for 16 months. Just thought I’d let you know. I also got her direct line in case other issues come up – no 800 number, just a regular phone number and extension.

That’s a lot of words for a simple story… just thought I’d let you know.

Zac

Good job, Zac! Thanks for sharing your story. The rest of you, get on the phone! —MEGHANN MARCO

RELATED: Comcast Sets 60-Day Waiting Period For Customers Snagging Discounts By Threatening to Leave

Threatening To Cancel Cable Can Get You Discounts

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