I was considering whether to downgrade our cable television service. We would be traveling occasionally during the next six months, so if the disconnect and reconnect charges weren't too high, it might pay to cut back to basic cable for a while. I called and asked about the charges. It was unfortunately $20 to downgrade the service, and would be $50 to upgrade. A total of $70 to save about $20 per month for anywhere from three to six months (we weren't sure how long).
Before I could finish doing the math, the nice lady on the phone told me I shouldn't disconnect and reconnect. Too much trouble and expense, she assured me. Instead, she suggested that she just give us $10 off the bill for the next 6 months. That seemed fair. We weren't even sure what we were going to do, and we saved $60 for asking.
My friends consider it lucky when these kinds of things happen to me. Of course they don't call and ask. I once talked my satellite television provider down from a $150 upgrade charge - down to zero! The key? I threatened to cancel the service altogether. What else can you save money on with a phone call or two?
More Ways To Save Money With A Phone Call
If you are one of the uninformed and unfortunates who still pay annual fees for your credit cards, call the credit card companies and threaten to cancel. If you have been paying on time, they won't want to lose you as a customer. In that case, the operator will transfer you to an "account specialist" whose job it is to change your mind. Tell this person that you just don't want annual fees, and he or she will usually drop them for you. After I first heard this years ago, I had the fees dropped on three out of four cards within the hour.
Getting a few quotes on something is another great way to use the phone to save money. This can even work with large purchases like appliances. But the more important things to get quotes on are those that mean recurring expenses. Save $150 per year on insurance and it can really add up over the years. Different carpet cleaning companies can vary by as much as $200 for cleaning the carpet in your home. Call and ask.
Last Christmas season, we called Delta Airlines directly to get a ticket for my wife's grandmother to come here from Ecuador. The round-trip cost? $504 - savings of about $200 over the cheapest online price quote (we had checked extensively). As I said, we are always looking for ways to save money - and sometimes all it takes is a phone call.
