getting cheaper cable

[beam,coke,&horns]

I remember old post about getting the rates for cable reduced. Any tips? Should I just come up with some ******** about getting a cheap dish?

 

[OhYouSuck]

use your neighbors cable...it's a steal!

 

[Sii]

I have seen posts on this too around here

mainly in regards to TWC

I have seen reports of people calling them threatening to cancel for other services and getting their digital cable price reduced

I pay like 85 bucks and the only special premium channels I pay extra for not in my package is the HBO's

I know Grande cable (which I cant get yet in my area) has similar packages for like 53.00

What have people told TWC that made them lower the rates?

 

[Mizzou415]

Just call them and teling them you're going to switch. Go ahead and find out the special introductory rates for dish or another cable company so you can throw those at them. They will cut your rates quite a bit.

 

[Clarence Iba]

I called TWC and threatened to switch to DirecTV...

now I get digital, HD DVR, HBO, and RoadRunner for $75 instead for $130.

 

[MeaHorn]

Clarence,

for how many months did they reduce your rate? What exactly did you say when you threatened to switch? I'd love to reduce my $125/month...

 

[idigTexas]

Has anyone had them call your bluff (what if they say "sure, I can cancel your service"? Should you actually be prepared to make the switch?

 

[Clarence Iba]

It was for one year. I had to listen to the cable advantages lecture for 5 minutes, but it was worth it I guess.

They didn't call my bluff -- I guess I will call them back when I get my first bill at the "old" rate and do it again....

 

[Quagmire]

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[Durkee]

Cable is losing more and more subscribers to satellite every month, and the numbers keep growing, so they are starting to get worried and do what they have to in order to prevent people from switching. Funny thing is, if they would lower their outrageous prices in the first damn place and offer better customer service they wouldn't be having this problem to begin with.

I heard a figure on the radio, not sure how accurate it is, that Echostar, the parent company of Dish Network, had a 30% increase in subscribers last year. That number sounds way too high to me, but even if it's half that it's still a LOT of people ditching cable for satellite, and that's not counting those that switch to DirecTv.

 

[mishatx]

they called my bluff the one time I tried to do it.

 

[Durkee]

Misha, do you get Roadrunner from them? I would think that would make it harder to bluff them.

 

[BolivianBulldog]

According to a friend who is a manager for TWC in San Marcos, if you threaten to switch to a dish (it may be another cable provider as well) then they have to give you whatever introductory rate they are currently advertising. You may have to do it every six months though.

 

[Clarence Iba]

If you're in Austin and can get Grande, I'd look into that. They seem like a pretty solid LOCAL company.

This trick also works with SBC too....I called to cancel my local phone and they offered to give me the phone line, call waiting, and caller ID for $19.95 a month for a year plus all their BS taxes.

 

[Mizzou415]

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[mishatx]

I do get roadrunner from them.

I called and asked for the rate they were giving new subscribers or those who switched from dish or whatever the deal was at the time and they said "no can do". I threatened to switch and they said "what day should we come out to cut you off?" I pussed out because I wasn't ready for that.

 

[BNB]

I've been wanting to do this, but I am too much of a wuss. The condo I live in doesn't face the south, and I don't have a landline anymore, so I would be out of tv and internet. I guess I could always call back and cancel my cancellation.

 

[beam,coke,&horns]

Well,
i was able to lower my monthly bill by 6 bucks while upgrading to a DVR box. Now the trick is to get the rate on road runner down.