Negotiate and Save!

Here are some tips on how to get some discounts and credits from your service providers.
If you use these tips, remember that getting what you want is about persuading the overworked reps to side with you.

Keep your demands reasonable but be firm and respectful in sticking with your demands.

Try to focus on the things that a rep will be more willing (and able) to give you like promo service fee reductions as opposed to bill credits.

Negotiation will be more successful for items that you have not signed a contract for and can cancel at any time.

Example #1. Your Cable TV bill. Generally, there are lots of "Promo" prices that you can get reps to give you if you just ask. You don't know how their system works so let them do the work when it comes to getting you the lowest price. Ask open ended questions that ask things like "I've heard that I can get a similar service for less through your competitor, what can you do to keep me?". BTW, true or not, try not to listen to the technical spiel about how "one service is better than the other so its more expensive." That is not really relevant to you if you think you're paying too much.

Example #2. Your High Speed Internet Bill. Just like with the Cable bill, there usually lots of things you can get out of the rep price wise. If one rep isn't willing to help as to speak with the retention department, frequently these people will be able to do something for you.

Watch out for the following:

The call center waiting game:

By the time you get to a live person you have already been hit by the first line of defense; waiting. Already you are in the mood to just get this thing behind you and suddenly that $35 service fee seems like a small price to pay to be rid of the wretched "holding music".

The dismissive explanation:

Once you've held on past this initial hurdle, be prepared to state your demand politely but firmly and try not to pay too much attention to the second line of defense;the friendly explanation about why you're wrong and your bill is correct. Having worked in this line of work, I can tell you that outright lying is not accepted in the business, but rarely are things so black and white.

Given the differing levels of training and the different methods of "pitching" services one rep may have told you something that was technically correct but practically false. I.e. "This widget won't end up costing you a thing!" which COULD translate into "You'll need to pay $99.99 today and we'll give you the mail in rebate form so you can get your $100 bucks back...maybe".

Further, lots of times the rep doesn't even fully understand the charges themselves. Example. Proration and or the old "first month/last month on one first bill". Stay focussed and restate the fact that you're paying too much because jargon or no, thats the bottom line.

On Hold

While this is not likely a true company "Strategy" it is a reality of trying to be heard by someone who can help. Usually, the run of the mill call center rep will listen to you, tell you they are going to "Check" the account and then tell you that they can't really do anything for you. If you get frustrated enough to ask for a supervisor, you will probably end up waiting several minutes, sometimes much longer.

Profanity

Those @!**#ing exclamations that you use when you finally do reach the end of your rope is like giving the company a get out of jail free card. If you swear, you will get a nice quick "thank you for calling...'click!'". So always try to phrase your frustration with something that disarms the rep or supervisor. Example: "I know its not your fault but..." is one that frequently worked with me. When people said that kind of stuff to me and they were sincere sounding, I felt infinitely more willing to help them with their problem.


"There is nothing I can do"

This phrase frequently translates into "There is nothing that I'm willing to do". So keep pressing the matter with questions like, "There has got to be SOMETHING you can do". Generally, there is. Because this stuff is closely monitored and automated, reps usually have an alloted periodic cap for things like credits and the like. They have to budget these abilities carefully or they will get in trouble from the managers and auditors. So you have to make yourself worthy of the allotment.

Call back

Call back as many times as it takes to get what you want. Seriously, calling back can benefit you in many differnt ways. You may get a rep who just started a shift and is willing to be as helpful as possible. Or alternatively, a rep who is just about done with their shift and just wants to make people happy so he can go home. Sometimes its just a matter of personality, whatever the reason, don't just take one hang up as the end of the issue. One tactic that seems to work well is to give the new rep a chance to compare favorably to their colleague. I have found that starting the conversation out by informing the new rep of how badly you have been treated puts the new person in a much more friendly and SYMPATHETIC mood. So many times I have gotten help because the new rep will justify the credit or price reduction because I was treated poorly by the previous rep.



Conclusion

Set aside a couple hours (Yes at least 2 hours) and use a headset or speakerphone so that you can do other things while you wait on hold.

Try to stay focussed on why you called. You will get a bunch of jargon thrown at you by the reps telling you why you're wrong, but if you think you deserve something from them, there is a decent chance that you do.

Don't swear! It may feel good at first, but you won't get very far with most reps.

Understand that "procedure" and "policys" are not written in stone. Generally it will cost a company more to lose you than to issue a one time credit or give you a promo price.

Don't stop with just one rep! I've gone through 5 reps in the course of 2 hours and finally I got what I wanted!

Finally, remember who you're talking to. Generally, call center work is not the most pleasant place in the world especially on bad days. These people are generally good people who have just become a little hardened to the grind of getting screamed at 40 hours a week or more.

If you can get them to sympathize with you, then you stand a greater chance of persuading them to use their know how of what they CAN do to help you out.