How to Negotiate a Lower Comcast Bill
Comcast had thrown me for a bit of a loop lately. The live-chat method had always worked for me in getting discounts and promotions on Comcast services, but lately they’ve been sticklers.
I had written a post on Get Rich Slowly in the past that highlighted how to cut your Comcast bill – and gave the actual chat transcript that cut my cost by 33%. Lately, I haven’t had as much luck with their live chat team. Perhaps part of the problem I’ve run into was that I had been getting discounted high speed internet (while still paying full price for cable). Then again, maybe they read that post and decided to “toughen up” the live chat team.
Sure, I could get rid of cable completely. But college and pro football is right around the corner and I’m an addict! So I decided to go back to my old method of getting a Comcast discount – a good ole’ fashion phone negotiation.
Before I go into the negotiation and what the result was, I’ll first highlight what my current package and price was:
- Digital Basic Cable with HD DVR: $83/month (full price)
- Blast Cable Internet (12MB/s): $30/month (discounted)
Total price: $113 per month.
How to Cut your Comcast Bill: Step-by-Step
I’ll now walk you step-by-step how I was able to get that down to $80 per month.
1. I picked up the phone and called their 800#: 1-800-266-2278.
2. I select option #4 (“thinking of discontinuing your service”), and option 2, immediately following (also “thinking of discontinuing”).
This should get you connected to a retention specialist, who have a little more power to offer discounts than other customer service reps, or so the theory goes.
3. I lead my negotiation with the competition.
Comcast fears losing customers to AT&T U-Verse, who is offering up some great discounted packages to new customers.
My discussion was almost identical to this:
- Me: I’d like to discontinue my service.
- Comcast Rep: OK, may I ask why?
- Me: Because I need to lower my bill and AT&T has some great offers for me.
- Comcast Rep: OK. Well AT&T doesn’t offer as many HD channels, but I can look to see what kind of package we may be able to offer you.
- Me: OK, I’ll hear you out.
- Comcast Rep: OK, so we have a package where you can get Comcast Digital Preferred (more channels that what I was getting with ‘basic’) plus high-speed internet (at a slightly lower, but still fast 8 MB/s) for $89.99 6 months. This is the price we offer new customers.
- Me: Yeah, but I don’t need more channels. Do you have a package with less cable channels? I don’t need that many.
- Comcast Rep: Let me check. <hold> We do not, but I can cut the $10 DVR fee to bring your total to $79.99. Would you like to do this?
- Me: Are you sure you don’t have any cheaper packages?
- Comcast Rep: Yes.
- Me: OK, please make the switch.
- Comcast Rep: OK, we can add on digital voice for $30.
- Me: No thanks (I have Ooma digital phone service, and it’s free).
Score another one vs. Comcast customer service.
4. I Saved 30%!
I was able to cut $33 (30%) off my cable/internet package, while getting more channels and only a slightly slower internet speed, with one simple call. Over six months, it will save me $200, at which point, I will negotiate again.
5. Stay Congenial
I want to point out that I was friendly, yet confident with the service rep. It may sound cliche, but treat others as you would want to be treated and you will get better results. Act like a jerk, and you’ll strike out.
UPDATE:
I have since been able to do this again, and after Comcast started charging me again for a modem, I got rid of their modem fee by purchasing my own modem and router – saving me another $7 per month.
Cut your Comcast Bill Discussion:
- What did your Comcast negotiation look like? How much did you save and how did you get it?
- Comcast CSR’s: Now is your chance to tell all! How can customers get the best deals and how does Comcast set these policies (retention specialist can negotiate/others cannot). Please share! (you’ll remain anonymous, of course)
Related Posts:
I am G.E. Miller, & 
Great tips. I have always struggled with the negotiation part, which is why I’ve shied away from calling. But it sounds like I don’t have much choice! At least your call gives me a template to work from.
Grumble. Only reason I have Comcast in the 1st place is because I live in an area where their only competition is Frontier Communications. Has anyone ever tried bluffing Comcast when trying to negotiate w/ them as far as saying such and such other ISP is offering HSI for XX dollars (even if they aren’t in one’s area)?
Yep. U-Verse is close to my area, but not exactly. Could be here any day though. I don’t think they have that data on a house-by-house basis. And even if they did, I’m sure you could find a cheaper alternative than Comcast.
Comcast, please!!! negotiation what a joke. I am a 50 something and your suggestions are helpful and I will try them. Just had an experience with them and got no where, a drop from 150-to 130…wanted under $100. So will try some of your suggestions.
Same concepts work for FIOS. Last week, I told them I was switching to Comcast because I didn’t like the channel selection. They upgraded my channel package to Premium, added a free movie package, and also sent free DVR for 3 months for 3 TV’s.
In a few months, I’m going to make a similar call about the price of the bill and try to get $10 bucks off per monthly bill.
Keep in mind you don’t have as much leverage when they are giving you all of the free premium options. You might have to drop that stuff in order to be able to negotiate effectively.
This has worked for me as well. The only difference is that instead of calling, I used their online chat system. Worked very for me. I got free HBO for 1 year.
Has anyone tried this with DirecTV? My contract is up in a month or two. I really like their service but the cost is starting to be a bit of a strain.
Thanks for the tips and the script. My Comcast bill is an outrage – it makes me ill to think of the annual cost. I keep contemplating going cold turkey but I probably watch about 20 shows. I actually don’t *watch* – I listen and occasionally glance at the screen while I’m online or reading. Yeegads – I’m paying almost $200 per month for background noise.
Me too…Will try the negotiating…but my last attempt I was so frustrated I wanted to cry. I hate to think that I am spending close to $200.00 a month,,
Last time I called Comcast and tried to negotiate, they were having none of it. I did exactly what you did, except when I got to the part where I said I was thinking of switching to AT&T because they were cheaper, they were like “Ok we’ll discontinue your service! You’ll need to return your equipment to the Comcast store in your area. Would you like to fill out a survey before we end the call?” And that was that. I was left blubbering on the line.
I ended up switching to U-verse anyway when they came to our door and offered us a permanent (yes, that’s right, permanent) price that was lower than anything Comcast could ever come close to ($97 for 350 channels with over half available in HD, a dvr in both rooms, Starz, Showtime, Encore, and 12mbps dedicated line internet). Now I can DVR the newest episodes of Dexter while I’m surfing away, for under half the cost of the same thing from Comcast.
I cut $36 & added DVR. Said I was quitting for FIOS.
Not quite an epic win but I just got $15 off my monthly bill.
My bill jumped from 150 to 250, guess my 1 year is up!!!! oooo crap!!!!! 100 dolor difference HOW!!!!!
I am going to try and see what I can do… I am on the triple play comcast basic package. I am not afraid to switch tv to directtv that seems a lot lower almost half the price regularly unless I miss understood what site says.
I cant seem to find anywhere on my bill that tells me if I signed up for 1, 2, 100 years and when that would end. Lets hope that does not get in my way LoL.
Comcast has no mandatory contracts.
I signed up last year to get performance internet and multilatino max tv for $69.99 for 12 months and then the rate of $89.99 for an additional 12 months… with taxes and modem rental I was paying $83 and change a month but this month I got the new rate and a bill for $105.05, it may not be a lot for most people, but for couple of college students it makes a difference.
I had to call a few times until I got someone willing to help me, she put me in a Multilatino Ultra package (a lot more channels!!) with the same internet speed, free HBO for 6 months and an extra digital box for the TV we just got for the bedroom, that for $79.99. That’s pretty good considering we were about to request an extra digital box for $8.50 a month!!
Also we just got a cable modem on black friday, so we will no longer pay the $7 rental fee, more savings for us!!
She told me the promo was only good for 6 months, but that I could call back in 6 months to get me switched to the newest promo available at that time
I just used some of your technique to try to get my bill lowered. It was fairly successful… I got my bill lowered from $130 to $100, I got the DVR fee waived for a year, and free HBO for 3 months (but I will have to cancel after 3 months or I will be charged). It wasn’t easy, because I was on the phone for nearly an hour and I had to ask about every discount they offered, and I had to know exactly what AT&T was offering. The CSR eventually figured out that AT&T is not offered in my area and it hurt my bargaining power.
My suggestions: Do your research on competitor pricing, and don’t be afraid to ask for things like waiving DVR fees.
wow..my comcast bill is 225 dollars right now!!! WTF… I have a family of 5 and one pay check.
highway robbery, IMO, 99% of the channels are nothing I will ever watch. DVR, cable modem rentals…and we have one hook up, up stairs so we can get the basic cable, and half the time this doesn’t work right.
PLUS..the DVR and comcast programming guide is @#%%. Ancient technology.
I’ll be looking to drop comcast altogether and go with just a cheap internet connection, netflix (9 dollars a month) and use cell for all phone needs.
The thing is, CSRs can only offer discounts that are made available by corporate and marketing. Their power is limited as far as lowering bills without drastically lowering service level. Retention specialists do have a few more options available to them that really aren’t available to anyone else but even these are either just the same rates that are available to new customers and generally mean an *increase* in services or just a standard $ amount off to keep you for 6 months. The CSRs can’t customize specials for anyone and, unfortunately, quite a few people take it out on the CSRs who are there, honestly, just to help as best they can. Also, any time you take a survey, you are ONLY rating the specific person you talk to and NOT rating Comcast as a whole so if you were helped by someone but are still disappointed in with the company, remember, your ratings don’t mean a thing to the bigwigs but mean quite a lot to the worker you spoke to.
Just called to lower my bill and basically had to upgrade to lower it. Went from StarterXF for $146.95 to Digital Preferred for $121.95. Not too bad for a phone call – even after my first year price is up, the Digital Preferred is still cheaper than what I had according to the rep. We’ll see when the time comes. I’m still considering the Ooma phone service which could bring my bill down another $35 or so. I just wish I would have pushed for a DVR to be thrown in too!
Two months ago my Comcast bill went from $158.06 to 164.60. About the same time I noticed that the IFC and Science channels had been removed….You are not authorized, etc.
They went up on the price and removed channels. I called them today and tried to get the 2 channels back (I found out these channels had been moved to a higher tier)and was offered instead $20 a month reduction in my bill for a year.
I’m really grateful for the reduction but I still want my channels back – I’m wondering if this would be worth pursuing further and how should I go about it?
And I agree with what most people say – Be Nice, it works!
Everytime I have tried in last two years I get ok see you. Sorry to lose you. And we pay over 150 a month for cable and internet and phone. I don’t use phone and tried to get rid of it and they said if we did that it would be more expensive…what? And they refuse even me being nice to change it. I would totally change to a different provider but husband refuses since it was a pain last time switching from astound to comcast…
I just did almost exactly what you said, except I researched DirectTv and had prices in front of me to use. I was also seriously considering switching after seeing I owed almost $400 for 2mo of service. I was paying $178.65 for Digital Preferred and Internet, along with HD DVR and 2 HD boxes,and before tax and fees($197 w/ fees). They lowered my bill to $121.95 for 6 mo. for both TV and Internet, for a savings of $56.70, after that my bill will go up $20. It all worked out and I’m glad I came across this post.
I followed your instructions (the phone prompts, of course have changed). Nice script; it played out perfectly. Saved $38/mo. with exactly the same service package.
Like you said, it helps a lot to have current information on Comcast’s competitors’ deals, in our area Frontier Communications, and to be patient. Thanks!
Good helpful post. When trying to get a better deal from Comcast its better to remain calm and just get the job done. I think many people are so mad at getting ripped off that they blow the whole negotiation. Customer retention reps have more power to give you a better deal, especially if you name the competitors deal.
Try speaking with your local Comcast rep. The deals they offer are even better. I once wanted to go from being an internet only customer to being a cable customer as well. At the time I was paying the discounted rate of $30 for 12 Mbps internet. When I got on the chat the person on the other end refused to offer me any bundles that were being given to new customers. In fact I was told that I would have to pay $130 a month for cable plus internet (I wanted the digital starter package). Then the person on the chat said that I should contact sales. What was worse, was the fact the the woman in sales was even worse. She couldn’t care less if wanted to leave or stay, her attitude was like “Boo Hoo cry me a river”. She said that I would loose my promotional internet rate as well and I would have to pay $145 a month. At this point I was so upset that I said I’m done. She literally said “Too bad”. When I was almost about to call Verizon, my friend hooked me up with the local comcast rep. This guy was much more helpful and listened to what I was asking for He had deals that weren’t advertised on the site. He got back to me on time and in fact even after I had made a choice for the $80 package for Internet + digital starter + $10 for the HD cable box, he got back to me telling me that there was another deal I should look at. At the time I wasn’t interested in the triple play bundle but he said that they were offering the bundle at no contract for a promotional rate for $89 a year and $109 after that. I would be getting Blast + Premier Cable + phone service with a free texting plan. This was a no brainer. I took it up and got my ATnT texting plan dropped which saves me $20. ON top of it all I don’t have to pay any installation fees. My college at work was paying $210 for the exact package and when he learnt that I was getting if for basically 40% of what he was paying he literally blew a fuse!
To recap, try finding out who’s the local Cable rep these guys are far more helpful than anyone on the phone.
Thanks so much for the suggestion. The “customer loyalty” agent dropped my bill from $160/month to $90/month for agreeing to a 2-year contract. Woohoo! Awesome advice.
Comcast is thieves
Sounds like great advise. The only alternative we have is Dish. Not as easy but give ita try.
I used your suggestions and added this: I calculated what it would cost for similar services with two other providers (Century Link and Direct TV) I calculated what I would pay if I came to Comcast as a new customer. I compared the annual costs of each of these scenarios. Then when I spoke with the rep who handled the line to “discontinue your comcast service” I calmly told him my findings in great detail. I then added that it appears that I would save $1600 the first year and $720 subsequent years by leaving Comcast for their competition while receiving more channels and cooler DVR features. Further, I mentioned that it’s evident Comcast awards its loyal customers by billing them $470 more per year than its new customers! I then gently added, ‘this hardly seems fair does it?’ The flabbergasted rep said hold one minute and I’ll see what I can do. Six minutes later he was back, discounted my monthly fee $55/month and gave me 3 free months of DVR. I think I will make it an annual event to make this call. Thirty minutes of research to save over $600? You bet it’s worth it. I still may jump ship to save an additional $1000. But I’ll stay put for now. Overall, consider if all customers speak up like this; maybe companies will get the message that there’s a price to pay for not taking care of your existing customers. Thanks for providing this empowering forum.
Great story!
Hey friend thank you for the insite. I googled how to lower cable bill and came upon your site. I couldn’t remember the word I heard on a TV show of who to talk to…and it’s a RETENTION SPECIALIST. thank you for that. Debra
I followed the suggestions. The person on the other end was far less than helpful. The best I could do was them taking $15 off the service and throwing in HBO for 6 months. Better than nothing, but not by much.
Tried calling 2 separate reps and neither were willing to help me. I told them that RCN and Fios had better deals for the same tier internet and Comcast wouldn’t budge. We will officially be canceling Comcast. Maybe they will try to sway me when I make that phone call?
I dropped Comcast TV today after being with them for long time. Four months ago my TV +Net jumped from 84.14 to 147.97 and because I had an automated payment I didn’t know that for while. I called and talked to three different people about too high payment. No one of them tried to find solution, so I canceled TV and left Internet for 64.00.
Just called Comcast and went thru the phone tree to the discontinue service. I was told by a recording that the wait is long about 15 mins, but instead, I got a customer rep on the phone after about a minute. Explained to her that the bill has gone up too much and I would like to cancel. She immediately went on to say that she can check on what she can do. She at first offered to upgrade me to HD premier for about 20 bucks less than what I am paying now(I have preferred plus currently). But I told her I don’t need the extra channels. So she then offered me the same price for new customers on the HD preferred plus package. I told her I could do that and she locked in the rate for me. I wound up saving about $45 bucks and I am going to cancel my HD-DVR which I almost never use anyways. So I am going to save about $55 a month. Not bad for a 10 minute phone call! Thanks!
Don’t cancel your DVR! Just ask for it to be thrown in for free. I’ve done this twice now…they will at least give you 6 months free DVR service.
03-May-2013
I received the dreaded bill for May 2013 and they are again jacking up my Comcast price to $72.63. Unacceptable! I’m now making preparations to either switch or cancel. Playing the Comcast price shell games is really starting to get old. I’ve been having to do this since 2004.
13-May-2013
On the phone with Comcast again. Called to cancel service. I explained that my bill was again too high. Amy Rep #PG quoted me $49.99 for 6 months for basic cable and my internet service. This rate is good for 6 months. Said a label would be sent out. Need to watch for the June bill and see if the price gets lowered as promised. I will have to watch for my November bill and see if it goes up again and will have to call back then. After past patterns, I’m quite sure that I will have to call them back in June. We will wait and see.
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