nater
11/24/2004, 10:21 AM
So, I'm an industry insider for the Cable business. Here's the deal: If you have a Comcast Cable Modem and call in to "cancel" your service, you may be offered a special promotional price for 6 months if you tell them you are planning to go to DSL but were hoping to get a competitive offer from the Cable company.
Call your local service number. Use the menus to get to the "cancel/ downgrade service" option. If you follow this option, the people on the other end of the phone are "retainers", that is, they are paid bonuses every time they offer this promotion! It is not hard to get them to make the offer.
This offer varies by region, and there may be similar offers from other cable companies.
Here are the terms for the Comcast Denver market:
-Stand-alone data service goes from $52.95 a month to $39.99 a month for six months. (No obligation to stay for six months).
-Customers with Cable TV service and a cable modem that they rent will go from $45.95 per month to $29.99 per month for six months. (No obligation to stay for six months).
Your results may vary. The strategy is simply to call the cancellation line and say (nicely) that you are switching to DSL unless they offer you a better price on the service, not that you heard they are offering everyone a promotion. If they detect that you are not serious about canceling, they may hold off on the offer. If they suspect that you are canceling no matter what, they may hold off on the offer. Keep in mind the group that answers the cancellation line are professionals at "retaining" so they pretty good at working with people, unlike the regular support line that simply runs through the flowchart.
Please post your success or failure, and your price details, if you try this for yourself.
As of today, I have switched from paying $52.95 per month to paying $39.99 a month for six months, a savings of $78 for a five-minute phone call. Not bad.
Nate
Call your local service number. Use the menus to get to the "cancel/ downgrade service" option. If you follow this option, the people on the other end of the phone are "retainers", that is, they are paid bonuses every time they offer this promotion! It is not hard to get them to make the offer.
This offer varies by region, and there may be similar offers from other cable companies.
Here are the terms for the Comcast Denver market:
-Stand-alone data service goes from $52.95 a month to $39.99 a month for six months. (No obligation to stay for six months).
-Customers with Cable TV service and a cable modem that they rent will go from $45.95 per month to $29.99 per month for six months. (No obligation to stay for six months).
Your results may vary. The strategy is simply to call the cancellation line and say (nicely) that you are switching to DSL unless they offer you a better price on the service, not that you heard they are offering everyone a promotion. If they detect that you are not serious about canceling, they may hold off on the offer. If they suspect that you are canceling no matter what, they may hold off on the offer. Keep in mind the group that answers the cancellation line are professionals at "retaining" so they pretty good at working with people, unlike the regular support line that simply runs through the flowchart.
Please post your success or failure, and your price details, if you try this for yourself.
As of today, I have switched from paying $52.95 per month to paying $39.99 a month for six months, a savings of $78 for a five-minute phone call. Not bad.
Nate