Meeting both ends meet is way difficult than ever. The economic turmoil, rising inflation, and shutdown of businesses due to COVID-19 have forced people to think about lowering their bills. With the evolution of technology, we have seen the addition of bills to our stack. Back in the 80s, people had to pay for electricity, gas, and telephone bills. Now the addition of internet and cable bills has somewhat disturbed the budget of people.
In most cases, people don’t bother negotiating their bills with the provider. Some of them are not even aware of how to find a better deal online with little effort. A few months ago, some cable and internet providers rose their bills, giving shock to everyone. Adding $20-$50 per month would result in a hole in the wallet.
In this post, we are going to reveal some ways in which you can negotiate a better cable package. If you are thinking of subscribing to the cable/internet provider, make sure to follow the tips given in this post. Let’s get started without waiting further.
Look for Providers in Your Area
If you are living in an urban area, finding cable providers in your area would not be challenging. All you need to do is to enter your zip code and check for the service providers. For instance, when I was searching for a cable provider in my area, I came across plenty of them namely, Optimum, Spectrum, and Suddenlink.
Now the challenge was to compare the plans and look for a better one. By comparing the plans side by side, I came to know about Optimum offering 300Mbps internet speed along with 220+ channels, and unlimited long-distance and local calling.
I not only watch news channels, and sports broadcast, but also love to watch Netflix originals and my brother loves to play games like Call of Duty and Fortnite. Having high-speed internet was necessary and settling for the low one was not going to work.
You can do this too without any help from outside. Just search for your favorite cable providers, check their availability in your area and subscribe to them.
You Don’t Need Everything in the Package
When searching for different plans and packages, you will come across so many of them that it would become difficult for you to choose the best one. The best solution to avoid this situation is to filter out your requirements. For instance, if the basic plan contains your favorite channels, then why would you choose the one that costs higher just because it offers more channels? You can avoid paying more for what you do not need.
You will be surprised to know the report by Nielsen made public in 2016. According to the report, people, in reality, watch only 20 channels, while paying for 200 channels. There is no need to subscribe to plans that offer more channels. If you think you are going to watch those channels someday, you are wrong. Be mindful of your budget and your requirements to keep down on your cable bills.
Bundling Helps You Save More – Go for it
Cable bills are increasing day by day. People are shifting more towards streaming services, but things don’t work out for those who love to watch live events like sports and news. Moreover, streaming service is not suitable for big households containing kids, adults, and teenagers. If you opt for a streaming service, you won’t be able to save much, but end up paying more.
If you want to save on your cable bills, you need to find bundled plans that offer everything such as internet, phone, and cable under one roof. Moreover, you can also ask customer support to help them subscribe to a better deal. Most of the cable providers offer a handsome deal for new customers on signing up. Make sure to check out every provider, before choosing one. You need to act patiently and wisely to land a better deal.
Avoid Renting Equipment from Cable Providers
Most of the cable providers offer you DVR and modem when you subscribe to their plan. However, some of them might not tell you the extra charges that you would be paying month over month.
Normally the renting of equipment could cost you anywhere $5-$20. Make sure to analyze whether the money you are paying is worth paying. Do you want to record shows instead of watching repeat telecast? If you can watch it later on, why would you pay an extra $20?
The majority of cable providers also rent out the modem, if the internet is included in the bundle. The same goes for the modem as well where they charge anywhere around $10-$20. If you calculate the total amount, it would be around $120-$240. Just visit any brick and mortar shop in your area or visit your favorite online store and order a modem. It won’t cost you more than $50 unless you are looking for a high-end gaming router.
Multiple Cable Boxes Mean More Bills
Some households pay extra charges for multiple cable boxes to facilitate every member in the house to watch. However, the fact is that it is just a waste of money. Multiple cable boxes mean an extra $3-$15 a month, which could add up to the bill. Make sure to opt for only one cable box as no one is interested in watching too much TV nowadays due to online access to platforms like YouTube, Netflix, and others.
Bargain with Your Service Provider
If you are subscribing to a cable package for the first time, you might now be aware that cable bills are negotiable. All you need is a soft tone and polite talk with the customer representative. If your negotiation skills aren’t working, the last resort is to tell them about competitors offering a better deal. They can’t risk losing you – and would offer a better deal. Don’t be too harsh and let them know your concerns politely. If you are an old customer, you can ask for extra perks for being a member for a long time.