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Did you just receive your internet bill and find another increase? Or is your current plan simply becoming too expensive to maintain every month? You’re not alone. Promotional periods expire and contracts eventually come to an end. Unfortunately, this is a good opportunity for your internet provider to raise their rates in hopes you won’t notice. But you don’t have to sit back and pay up; you can do something about it. Most of the time internet providers will offer you a better monthly rate if you just call and ask about it. It’s time-consuming and can be frustrating, but it can save you a little bit of money. Whether you have HughesNet, Verizon, AT&T, or even EarthLink, here’s some advice on how to negotiate with your internet provider successfully.
Evaluate Your Situation
Believe it or not, the best thing in your favor while negotiating is that you’ve been a loyal customer. It’s cheaper for your local internet provider to keep you on as a customer than it is for them to let you go. However there are some things to consider that will make negotiating with your internet provider much easier.
Before picking up the phone ask yourself these questions:
- Do you pay your monthly bill on time?
- Is your promotional period expiring or has expired?
- Are you at the end of your contract?
- How long have you been a customer with your current internet provider?
- Are you prepared to say you’ll switch internet providers if you need to?
If your answer is yes to any of these questions and you’ve been a good customer for a long time, you are in a great position to negotiate. It’ll be much easier for you to negotiate a better rate if you’re not in a contract. If you are, you may have to pay a fee to break the contract, making negotiating for that better rate more costly and not worth it.
Research All Of Your Options
Even if you don’t intend on switching providers, research all of your options before negotiating with your internet provider. Learning all your other options will give you leverage when you call to negotiate your rate. Maybe there’s an internet plan that’s much better for you that you didn’t know what was available. Maybe your current provider is giving new customers a much better monthly rate that you can cash in on.
It’s really easy to do a quick search to see what is available. There’s many websites that have a zip code search function that provide all available providers in your area. It’s also important to call each one that appears to be an internet provider that has what you’re looking for, whether it’s just a cheaper rate or a cheaper rate with faster speeds. Sometimes providers have special perks for new customers like a gift card or a free streaming device to entice you to subscribe to them instead. All the information you learn from the call can help you negotiate with your current provider better. It lets them know you know you’re being overcharged and that you’re serious about switching even if you’re not.
If you’re one of the unlucky residents in a rural area that only has one real viable option, you might have a hard time getting a better deal. However, it’s unlikely the customer representative you get on the phone will know that, so it’s still worth a try.
Also read: What Types of Internet Speed Works Best for Me?
Call Your Internet Provider
The best way to negotiate your rate is to talk to someone at your internet provider that can actually do something about it. Unfortunately, this means you’ll have to pick up the phone and call them. You can try online chat if it is available to you, but this may be a waste of time. It’s easier for a customer service representative to say no in-text than to a reasonable customer on the phone.
Be Polite & Firm On The Phone
Increase your odds by not only being knowledgeable but also by being polite and firm on the phone. It’s not the customer service representative’s fault on the other end of the line that you’ve been handed a bad deal. If you’re respectful, it’s far more likely that they’ll want to help you within their means. If they can’t, it’s okay to ask for a supervisor.
As long as you follow these steps knowledgeably and politely, you’ll have much better luck negotiating with your internet provider.
