Cable discount tip....

[mariec99]

I wanted to share my cable tv/internet savings tip with all of you. I have Comcast cable and internet service. You know how every once in a while, even though you already subscribe to a cable/internet service, you'll get mailings that are intended to attract new customers with "teaser" rates for 3-6 months at a time? Well, call the cable company and ask for the discount. This can save $15-$20 per month for the length of the offer.

What people don't realize is that the cable company (at least Comcast does) expects current customers to ask for the discounts and has a policy for giving them -- the last time I called for a discount the Cust. Svc. Rep mentioned that customers could only ask for a "new customer" discount every X months!!

So just ask! It helps to have the offer letter/postcard with you when you ask becasue there is usually a special code/number that identifies which discount is being applied. Do this even though the offer letter/postcard says it is only for new customers! I call at least twice per year!

Since I telecommute to work some days to save on gas, I have to have internet service. I don't get reimbursed by my company for this cost because it is my choice to telecommute. So any cable/internet discounts (they come on the same bill) really help!

[scrava]

thanks! we have comcast, too and I think they are so expensive.

I'll ask for the discount.

[LuxLiving]

Good advice !!

-LuxLivingFrugalis

[Great to be Debt Free]

I have comcast too and I called to ask them to reduce my cable modem rate. They did! It was $43 per month, and now it's $19.95 for 6 months! Yippee!!!

[mariec99]

Congrats, Great to Be Debt Free!!! That's great to hear! That's over $130 that you can use somewhere else!

[Great to be Debt Free]

Yep, it's going straight into my car fund (now that ER fund is fully funded).

[Koppur]

Thanks! I have Comcast and it's so expensive, but I just can't bring myself to get rid of it. I'll have to start reading all those Comcast flyers I get in the mail, instead of just trashing them right away!

[Amorphous02]

Great tip Marcie99. Technically, you saved at least 10 people $120 /yr Karma count = +$1200. I will try to talk to my cable company.

[Daymon]

Ever think of taking those savings a step further? If you're getting broadband Internet for $19.99, why not fire your landline phone company and get broadband telephone service like Packet8 who offers unlimited local and long distance calls anywhere in the U.S. and Canada for $19.99 a month. So by doing this you'll get unlimited calling plus broadband Internet for around $40 a month, and that's probably less than just your monthly landline phone service bill alone.

[djaco]

I also use Packet8, and have saved a ton of money with it. Felt great to have my expensive land line service disconnected.

As far as internet phone service goes, I came across a terrific deal today that is just toooo good to pass up for anyone considering internet phone service. Sunrocket (another excellent internet phone service provider) is having a very "limited time" special on their annual unlimited service - the special is $99 for your first 12 months of service!

Sunrocket is the most inexpensive internet phone service you can get (among providers considered "high quality"), and the annual service normally runs $199 per year (still super cheap). Now, if you act fast you can get it for $100 discount. This works out to $8.25 per month for unlimited local and long distance within the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

You have to have broadband internet to use internet phone service, but for those who have it - this is an incredible deal!

If interested, you can read my review on Sunrocket here: http://www.long-distance-savings.com/rocketreview.html

[poundwise]

SunRocket offers a lot for a low price but is clearly not on-par with Vonage or Packet-8. Mainly this is due to consistency of service and voice quality. For instance, CNet gives Vonage an overall score of 8.5 (out of 10) while Packet-8 and ATT CallVantage score an 8.0 each. SunRocket's score is 7.0.

A PC Magazine reviewer who switched, and also had his father switch, to SunRocket found that while his service was seriously fouled and troublesome, his father had very little to complain about.

Still, the CNet review did say, "If you're thinking about ditching your landline, SunRocket is a potential contender. A low price and lots of features are attractive..."

But also, "...but the voice quality of your calls may vary."

In a nutshell then, it seems to me that if someone wants the cheapest viable alternative, SunRocket may be well worth a try, however, I believe people can still save significantly and most likely get better service with less hassle with one of the other VOIP offerings.

[frugalmomof1]

I just contacted comcast..they said that existing customers are not eligable to take advantage of new customer promotions. Their policies must be different in different parts of the country.

[LuxLiving]

Maybe they would be if you suddenly decided to cancel your account with them????

[mariec99]

Just ask if they have a promotion that you can use. Sometimes it helps if when you go throught the phone prompts you use the one for disconnecting service -- those reps seem to have a little more power to give discounts and such. I did confirm that when one promotion ends you must wait a month before you can have another - i.e., you can't have promotions in consecutive months.