Ask and you shall receive....

Maybe. But don't ask and it's highly likely that you won't get what you're looking for. My column today is about asking companies for a better deal. It was inspired by my personal experience with Internet providers Bright House and Verizon. I was paying too much for my DSL service simply because I didn't call Verizon and ask for the better deal they would have given me if only I'd asked.

What's been your experience asking for a better deal? 

Comments

Verizon fios quoted a very different price from what we received, so it works in reverse as well. Any leverage with these behemoths should be used.

[SP]

I just experienced this personally. I was interested in upgrading our Dish service to HD. The price would have been $25 higher per month. I called twice trying to get work out a reasonable upgrade. I finally switched to Verizon FIOS, meaning I also had to switch the phone and internet. When I called Vonage and Brighthouse to cancel, they both put an incredible amount of pressure on me to stay. I told them I would have happily stayed but Dish didn't seem to care to keep my business. When I cancelled Dish, they asked what could they do to keep me. I told them they should have offered me a good deal when I asked, I don't play games like these businesses seem to expect. (And regarding Mike's comments, I don't necessarily think its unethical, but it does seem to be a manipulative way of doing business.)

[Mike]

This may border on unethical but to each his own as they say.

Sometimes you can get a company to give you a deal by threatening to take your business elsewhere. This is most common with internet and TV providers. For example, where I live Comcast offers $400 to anyone who gives up a dish. So in theory, you could call the dish company and tell them you are going with Comcast in order to get a better deal. One reason someone would want to do this is that the dish companies frequently charge existing customers a ton of money to upgrade their equipment but practically give it away to new customers. With internet, if you are eligible for DSL, you can sometimes get the cable company to give you the "promo" price to keep you.

Like I said, some might view that as unethical. And as always, your mileage may vary when it comes to this kind of thing. It's something to do when it comes to a service you've had forever. Some people still pay an extreme amount for long distance after all because they have never thought to call and get a deal.