One thing I am never afraid to do is speak up when I feel that I am paying too much for something. I’ve learned that sometimes all it takes to save a little money on your bills is to simply ask. This is especially true when dealing with your cell phone provider. Just like a girl in a long term relationship, we get comfortable and insecure in our cell contracts and stop caring that we’re being taken for granted and taken advantage of (uh no, im not sobbing uncontrollably right now).
No matter what you’re paying, chances are that you can get your monthly payments down. Here’s how:
Evaluate your usage
– Study your bill. Are you using all of the minutes you’re allotted? Could you downgrade to a plan with less minutes if you use your phone for mostly text/emails?
– Are you regularly going over your minutes and need a plan with more to avoid expensive overage fees?
-Do you have unnecessary features on your plan that you aren’t using? Do you really require unlimited data/texts?
Check the competition
Use sites like My Rate Plan to compare rates based on your usage so you’re well informed on what the competitors are offering for when you call your cell provider. Another great site to help you compare rates and find a better plan is www.Billshrink.com.
Call up your provider
After evaluating my bill, I called up Sprint and let them know that other providers were offering better prices for comparable plans. I was patient and pleasant and noted what a loyal customer I have been (Sprint customer for 7 years even though everyone insists they suck), and told her that I simply could not really afford the new price (this sob story is usually a winner for anyone with a heart). The first person I spoke with was not willing to extend much of a discount (heartless), so I called back.
Now you may be thinking, wow what a waste of time. Or wow, you are one annoying a-hole. But guess what? The second representative I spoke to was much more willing to try to keep me a loyal, happy customer and applied a 10% employee discount to my account, every month. Clearly I do not work for Sprint, but they wanted to keep me as a customer and found a way to make it work. Sprint, I don’t care that everyone says your service is like using one of those old brick phones from the ’90’s – I think you’re great. Be persistent – your cell phone carrier should be willing to do the same.
**Always note who you are speaking to from customer service and what has been agreed upon so that you have a reference in case there are any issues.
Negotiate Overage Fees Too!
If I’ve traveled out of the country and have some crazy data or usage fees, or if I simply went over my minutes one month, I take the time to call Sprint and get these charges reduced or wiped completely.
How? I just insist that the charges were a mistake. No lie, I just tell them that I didn’t’ realize that there were roaming fees or that I was over my allotted minutes and I would really appreciate if they could help me out this time and promise it won’t happen it again. I also use the line that I didn’t realize my phone was roaming and I don’t think it’s fair to have to pay. I don’t know if they just feel bad for me because they think I’m an idiot, but playing dumb is usually a pretty decent strategy. The retention team can very easily clear these charges.
Please NEVER just pay a bill without attempting the use the power of asking. Taking 30 minutes from your day could lead to a decent amount of savings. If you don’t have a contract, just threatening to switch will have them scrambling to keep you if you threaten to leave. If you ARE in a contract, there is actually a great site I just heard about called cellswapper (http://www.cellswapper.com) that helps you find someone to take over your existing contract.
So there you go. No guarantee that these tactics will work, but there’s no harm in trying right? This is what you call frugal living people!!
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