How To Haggle the Best Deals With Communication Providers

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Discover the secrets to getting the best deals from your communication providers. Don’t miss out on saving money on your cell phone, home phone, internet, and cable bills.

Negotiation Room With Communication Providers

Getting the best cell phone, home phone, internet, and cable promotions from your communication providers helps keep monthly budget expenses low.

I will show you today how we score some great deals and how you can get the BEST deals for your communications bill.

Do you call your cable company annually to negotiate a better deal?

If we don’t get the number that fits our budget, we CHOP THEM and let them know.

If your answer is no, you don’t call annually.

I want you to know that you can sometimes lower your communications bill by 30-50% with a single phone call.

It amazes me how many people don’t haggle with their communications providers when there is so much competition on the market.

Haggling with various communications providers may seem like a pain in the backside, but it’s worth the time it takes to talk to a customer retention agent.

Doing Business with Rogers Communication Providers

Every year, I shake my head when I do the yearly round-up of our expenditures with one of our communications providers, Rogers.

I must admit that I have lowered these costs over the years but am possibly looking to downsize them.

Sure, I have some of the best Rogers retention plans, but sometimes, they make it difficult to want to continue being a long-time client.

The cancellation department also handles the retention phone calls for customers who have promotions coming to an end.

Essentially, they are a customer service representative with retention strategies to try and keep you as a customer.

They are the people who can boost your savings opportunities based on your needs and customer loyalty.

Client retention at Rogers might not seem like a big deal when you are one customer.

However, if everyone decided to move to another company, that could dent their earnings.

Rogers is one of the leading communication companies in Canada with continued revenue growth of up 3%, according to their 2012 Quarterly, with adjusted operating profit of up 7% and earnings per share of up a whopping 33%.

Rogers Retention Plan 

It just so happens that it’s the time of year when I make my annual phone call to our communications company as our Rogers promotions are cue.  

Typically, a Rogers promotion will last between 1 and 2 years; sometimes, a two-year promo is not a bad idea if you score a great deal.

We once got our home phone for only $9.99 a month, loaded with options. 

That was worth it to us as you never know if your cell phone battery will die or the electricity will go off.

The Rich Offer

This post will describe what Rogers calls the best “rich offer” they can give us so that all of you can compare your deals.

Our end-of-promotion total bill for the 2012-2013 year was $149.71.

The new bill will be $153.55, which is a bit more, but last year’s promotions were far better than what they offer today.

I’m still unsure what we will do with this promotional deal they offered us. However, it’s still a good deal for us.

Below is what Rogers offered us for the 2013-2014 promotions year.

Our Rogers Wireless Cell Phone Retention Deals

• Cell Phone $31.12 includes 200 Weekday and Unlimited Weeknight and Weekend.
• 100 Any time Canadian Long Distance Minutes
• 6 pm Early Evening Calling
• Call Fwd, Call Transfer, Call Answer, Call Display Bundle
• Bundle Discount
• Total $31.12 (this is the cheapest cell phone plan with Rogers)

Rogers VIP Cable Retention Deal

• VIP Digital Cable
• 1 FREE PVR (Personal Video Recorder)
• HDTV Channel Pack
• Bundle Discount 20%
• Total $66.55

Rogers Home Phone Retentions Deal

• Change from Classic Plan, which is no longer available to the Favourites Plus Plan $19.99 month plus tax for a 2-year promotion, not a contract. It will cost $45.00 a month when the promo is done (I’m sure this will change as prices always go up)
• 500 North American Long Distance Minutes (it will cost $5.00 extra when the promo is done)
• Loss of Rogers to Rogers switching from Classic to Favourites
• Total $22.95

Current Rogers Internet Retentions Deals

Our internet access deals bounce around from year to year, but we tend to look at speed and value for our money.

• Rogers High-Speed Lite
• Bundle Discount 30%
• Modem Charge $4.00
• Total $32.93

Previous Rogers Retention Deals

Here is one true example: in 2010, we paid just under $200 monthly for 4 services or $2400.00 per year.

I received the same 4 services plus more in 2015 for $159.68 or $1916.16 per year by calling retentions.

In 5 years at the 2012 rate, we could have put $9580.80 down on the principal of our home.

Over 20 years, that’s a whopping $38,323.20, although we know this cost will increase.

It puts it into perspective when you see the average numbers over the long term.

There are always price hikes with Rogers (most companies, for that matter) for one reason or another.

Always remember that your promotional price likely will go up over the year.

There is nothing they can do about it so you have to suck it up or leave, which might mean you break a contract, although their service agreement states:

If a change to a Month-Month Service of a Term Service entails an increase in your obligations or a decrease in your our obligations and if you do not accept such a change, you may terminate the affected Services without a Cancellation Fee by sending us a notice to that effect no later than 30 days after the amendment takes place.

So make sure you read the service agreement, which you will find at the bottom of the Rogers Home page.

It pays to stay informed because you can’t turn around and say you didn’t know if they offered it.

If you are late paying your Rogers bill, they will charge you a 2% late fee per month, calculated and compounded monthly on an account that is not paid to 26.82% according to their service agreement.

Chop The Services You Hardly Use

Do we need all those services?

Ask yourself the above question, and if the answer is no, cut out some of the services.

We are looking at chopping some of the features we pay for this year, such as a bundle pack on our cell phone. 

However, depending on whether we get a better price, we might cancel the VIP cable for Basic cable and find internet services elsewhere.

Before We Call Our Cable Retention Department

First, we sit down with our budget spreadsheet and look at our yearly total for our communications bills.

Add the yearly costs of your Cell Phone (s), Cable, Internet, and Home Phone so you have the exact numbers.

You can’t haggle a deal with any communication providers if you don’t know what you previously were spending.

You might have more ammunition for better start-up deals if you are a new customer, so don’t be afraid to ask. They do want your business, after all. 

If you have just completed this task, I bet you are surprised to see costs in the thousands, if not more, per year for these services.

In 2011, we spent $2030.09 for our Rogers services for the year.

The next year, in 2012, we paid$1807.25 to bundle our services with Rogers for the year through the retention department promotion pricing.

That difference was $222.84 for the year, which is better than nothing, and for some, it was a month of groceries in their grocery budget.

So, we have a home phone, cell phone, internet, and cable with Rogers.

Your communication costs are all variable spending habits, meaning we don’t need them.

They are a luxury but one that shouldn’t break the budget in order to have them.

How To Negotiate With Your Communication Providers

If you want to learn how to negotiate with Rogers or your communications provider, remember it’s a business.

As a client, you want to be professional and at least be prepared to make the phone call to haggle with them.

Before You Make The Call

Below is how I tackle my annual call to our telecommunications company.

• Write out your year-to-date totals for your communications bill and review your current bill for pricing.
• Know when your service contracts are due and write this information down so you can prepare your negotiations beforehand. (I like to call the retention department one month or more before our promotions expire)
• Keep junk mail from other cable and phone companies, as you may need this information.
• Search the internet for companies in your area that offer your needed services.
• Call or email these companies to get quotes on comparable items you receive from your provider.
• Tell them your contract ends with your current provider and you are looking for the best deals.
• Bundling your services with one provider may be a better price, but research is not always the best.
• When you have all this information, you are ready to take the next step, haggling with your current provider.

Calling Customer Service

• You can call a customer service number to discuss your services. I like to call and ask for the Retention Department when calling Rogers, or you can ask the cancellation department for retentions as they are the same people, from what I was told from an agent today. Rogers Communications 1-888-Rogers (7643)-1
• When I reach the retention associate, I tell them I may consider cancelling my services because I have found a better deal unless they are willing to negotiate with me. I am being honest, as this will be my intention if they cannot match or beat a competitive quote that I have. It’s not a means of blackmail; it’s just how business goes. It’s just how they tell us there will be an increase in price for our services. Be considerate; don’t call and act like you are owed something.
• Be polite to the retention agent, and use their name just like they use yours.
• Tell them the quote you received from a competitor comparing apples to apples and ask them if they can meet or beat it.
• If they say no, you can continue negotiating, cancel your services, or call back another day until you get the desired answer.

Last Resort Negotiating

Almost 99% of the time, these retention agents have given me better promotions than advertised or others have received.

If you have been a long-standing customer with an excellent account use this to your advantage.

Tell your communications providers how dedicated to the company you have been and wish to continue but pricing is important.

Although I’m pretty sure it will be obvious as they can see your account history, provided they look.

There’s nothing wrong with reiterating your commitment to the communication providers you do business with. 

Arm yourself with information and numbers as it will be your best defense to get the best promos and deals available.

At the end of the day it’s your money, so spend it wisely.

Discussion: What other tips do you have for someone who is looking to lower their telecommunications bill?

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