How to get a better deal from your broadband provider – words Alexa Wang
So, you spot your current broadband provider’s latest advert. They have some great offers. So great in fact that you stop to think.
You look at the advert again. How come this deal is so much lower than the amount you pay with this same provider?
This scenario happened to me recently with my broadband. As a long-standing customer, I felt a bit aggrieved. It often seems to be the case. Long suffering loyal customers pay through the nose whilst much better deals are given to new customers. Anyway, after that I decided to call up my supplier to get the price down. I managed to succeed in my quest for a better deal. Here’s how I managed it:
Do your research
Before I got on the ‘phone I did a quick bit of research. I looked at deals offered by my broadband supplier and those offered by their competitors. I even called a rival supplier and talked through an actual deal I could expect from them tailored to the deal I already had so I could more fairly compare them both.
Use comparison sites
Looking at comparison sites to give you the best idea of the sort of broadband deals that are out there is a must. If you use the filters and tweak the options you can get to see deals that are more honed to your needs. If you do have a current deal you can see just how good or bad it actually is and if you urgently need to get a better one.
Try to keep your temper (I know it can be hard)
When you do call your supplier to try and get a better deal try to keep a calm head. In the past I have let myself get carried away and took out my frustrations on the poor call handler trying to deal with my enquiry. Let just say it didn’t go to plan. The problem is you can get so wound up that your rationality evaporates and you can end up just shouting down the phone but getting nowhere. The aim is to get yourself a great deal. So, try to stay calm and think about your ultimate aim – to save money.
Haggle
I know, haggling isn’t second nature sometimes to us Brits. It can make you feel all awkward and start stuttering as you try to take on the well-trained sales person on the other end of the line. This where your research will help. It gives you confidence to have some figures in black and white in front of you as you speak. Tell the call handler that you have seen (and been offered) better deals than you currently have with them. Just wait and see how quickly they’ll find a saving for you. Even if you can manage knock your costs down by £10 a month, that’s £120 over the year. Imagine what you can do with that money. Maybe haggling isn’t so bad after all?
