How would you like to make $500 easy dollars for your family in less than one hour…just for asking?
A while back one of my life-long buddies mentioned that she regularly calls some of the companies with whom she does business and asks for discounts. The other day, I decided to see if I could do the same thing with some of the companies who lighten my checkbook every month.
I called up our cable company and told them there have been a lot of attractive ads for satellite TV lately. I politely asked the lady if there was anything they could do to help me cut my cable costs - otherwise I would have to consider one of those satellite deals. She opened up my file and then put me on hold. A moment later she returned and apologized because she could only cut the bill by $9 per month for six months. She said they usually do better than that. I learned three things. 1) I will save $54 in the next six months; 2) I will be calling again as soon as my discount period expires; 3) I really will consider switching to satellite TV.
After I hung up, I called the satellite TV company that provides a signal to our mountain home. Once again, I mentioned the competition and asked for an adjustment to my bill. The lady reviewed my package and we discovered they had a new offer. I had to give up some sports packages (Who cares?) and a handful of secondary stations to get a permanent discount of $39 per month. We do not go to the mountains to watch TV so the deal made sense. The total savings the first year is $468.
At that point, I would have called my cell phone company, but I already have a great deal with them, so I could not make any progress there. My internet service is wrapped into my cable bill and we already talked about that. But, I still had work to do.
While I was inspired, I called one of my credit card companies and asked them to lower my interest rate. They dropped the percentage two percent. It was nearly automatic. It was not really beneficial because I pay off my account in full every month, so I never pay them any interest anyway. However, it still proves a point…you can get a lot of perks from your business associates if you just ask.
Then I called my other credit card company and asked them to raise my credit limit...even though I do not need the additional credit. I did that because of what is called a “Utilization Rate”. Essentially, you raise your credit score when you have more unused credit. They doubled my available credit…just for asking.
Insurance is another area where a person can usually get better rates. Insurance companies have been known to give low entry-rates then they raise premiums upon renewal. It is a good idea to regularly shop for the best rates. In my case, I have good rates for life insurance and hazard insurance for my home and rental properties, but my health insurance company has raised my premiums by quite a bit for two consecutive years. I am shopping as we speak. I am also ready to shop for better auto insurance rates. I expect to make improvements in both regards.
The point here is that it is easy to get lazy or complacent, but a small amount of effort can pay big dividends…just for asking.
My thanks to Pat W. for kicking me in the rear-end.
Be sure to check my other blog.
A while back one of my life-long buddies mentioned that she regularly calls some of the companies with whom she does business and asks for discounts. The other day, I decided to see if I could do the same thing with some of the companies who lighten my checkbook every month.
I called up our cable company and told them there have been a lot of attractive ads for satellite TV lately. I politely asked the lady if there was anything they could do to help me cut my cable costs - otherwise I would have to consider one of those satellite deals. She opened up my file and then put me on hold. A moment later she returned and apologized because she could only cut the bill by $9 per month for six months. She said they usually do better than that. I learned three things. 1) I will save $54 in the next six months; 2) I will be calling again as soon as my discount period expires; 3) I really will consider switching to satellite TV.
After I hung up, I called the satellite TV company that provides a signal to our mountain home. Once again, I mentioned the competition and asked for an adjustment to my bill. The lady reviewed my package and we discovered they had a new offer. I had to give up some sports packages (Who cares?) and a handful of secondary stations to get a permanent discount of $39 per month. We do not go to the mountains to watch TV so the deal made sense. The total savings the first year is $468.
At that point, I would have called my cell phone company, but I already have a great deal with them, so I could not make any progress there. My internet service is wrapped into my cable bill and we already talked about that. But, I still had work to do.
While I was inspired, I called one of my credit card companies and asked them to lower my interest rate. They dropped the percentage two percent. It was nearly automatic. It was not really beneficial because I pay off my account in full every month, so I never pay them any interest anyway. However, it still proves a point…you can get a lot of perks from your business associates if you just ask.
Then I called my other credit card company and asked them to raise my credit limit...even though I do not need the additional credit. I did that because of what is called a “Utilization Rate”. Essentially, you raise your credit score when you have more unused credit. They doubled my available credit…just for asking.
Insurance is another area where a person can usually get better rates. Insurance companies have been known to give low entry-rates then they raise premiums upon renewal. It is a good idea to regularly shop for the best rates. In my case, I have good rates for life insurance and hazard insurance for my home and rental properties, but my health insurance company has raised my premiums by quite a bit for two consecutive years. I am shopping as we speak. I am also ready to shop for better auto insurance rates. I expect to make improvements in both regards.
The point here is that it is easy to get lazy or complacent, but a small amount of effort can pay big dividends…just for asking.
My thanks to Pat W. for kicking me in the rear-end.
Be sure to check my other blog.
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