Bargaining with the Cable Company

• 1). Research a competitor's offer and keep the information available for reference. Having a competitor's offer available to reference is important when bargaining with the cable company. The ability to reference a specific deal shows you are serious about switching to another provider.
  
  
• 2). Research your cable provider's current promotional offer. In addition to the competitor's offer, you should also know what your provider is offering new subscribers. These promotional rates are typically much lower than normal and can give you an idea of how much leeway the company has with their rates.
  
  
• 3). Call your cable company and ask to cancel your service. All cable providers have a customer service line. Call that number and ask to speak to someone about canceling your service. Typically, the representative will transfer you to a special department that handles these requests.
  
  
• 4). Claim that your cable bill is too expensive and you are planning to switch to another provider. Once you are speaking with the representative in the cancellation department, they will ask you why you are canceling. This is your opportunity to state that your bill is just too expensive and you are planning to switch to a less-expensive alternative.
  
  
• 5). Listen to their new offer. In an attempt to talk you into staying with the company, the customer service representative will offer to lower your bill for a period of time--typically six months. Listen to the offer and take a few minutes to think about whether or not it is good enough.
  
  
• 6). Take their offer, or hold out for something better. If the offer is good enough for you, accept it and the representative will take care of the rest. If your cable bill is still too high, you can hold out and see if the company will further lower your rate. This is not guaranteed, however, so be careful when asking for more.