Jackassalope

Sticking It to the Man

The cable company almost got me. Well, they got me for one month anyway. I signed up for my Internet and telephone service with Comcast about eight months ago. They gave me one of those six month promo deals where I got unlimited Internet access and unlimited long distance phone service for $45 a month. Of course after six months the rates double. Our first bill was $95. Ouch!

Naturally, I was going to call and cancel the phone service because it was more of a luxury then a necessity. Not to mention, it was ridiculously over priced. As the story goes I forgot to call the first month and we paid the bill. I almost forgot this month as well, until one of their door-to-door salesmen showed up today and tried to upgrade my service. I laughed (internally, so that not to be rude). I then immediately called Comcast to cancel my phone service. It’s funny how their aggressive sales nature actually cost them money. Who’s the man now dog?

Anyway, I wasn’t going to give in completely. So when I called I let the customer service rep know that the only reason I was canceling my service was because the price was simply way too high for how much I used the phone. She immediately showed her cards by giving me both services for $53 a month; funny how that works out. It wasn’t really even a negotiation. I said jump, she said how high, and we both moved on.

It just goes to show you how being on top of you bills can save you some cash. It’s also a reminder that you don’t have to pay what companies say you have to pay. They know they’re overpriced and you have a choice in service providers. When push comes to shove, they’re more than willing to negotiate. So take that “the man.” You didn’t get me this time. You can put that bill in your proverbial pipe and metaphorically smoke it.