The following is a staff writer post from MikeS. He is a married father of 2. So, with the cat, he ranks number 5 in the house. He loves numbers and helping people. Please leave any questions or comments below for either Mike or Crystal.
I came home from work the other day and my wife said a gentleman had stopped by from Comcast. He informed her about a potential deal we could receive if we switched. We currently have AT&T U-Verse. We’ve been with AT&T about 9 months after switching over from Comcast. When it comes to cable and internet service, I go with the least expensive. This has meant switching every few years between the companies. This might seem like a hassle to some, but for me, it’s how I keep my costs down. My wife told the gentleman that I handled all of that; he said he would be back in the area on Saturday and would stop back.
The Deal
Sure enough, Saturday afternoon the doorbell rang. The deal was basically $89 a month for cable, phone and internet. I’m usually skeptical of deals because they usually are too good to be true. Included in this deal would be a $150 credit for switching over. It would also include a couple movie channels and faster internet speeds. Ok, I’m now interested.
We talk some more and I learn that a HD DVR receiver is included and that I would be looking at about $122 a month when taxes and fees are included for the first year. The second year would be $25 more. Being in charge of the finances, I know I pay $157 a month now for those 3 services. So, even in the second year of the deal, this is less than I pay now. This deal is looking better and better. However, I know that I have a termination penalty with AT&T; I just can’t remember the amount. I also want to compare the channel line ups to make sure I have the channels that I currently watch included in the new deal.
I asked if I could get back to him after I compared the channel lineups and determined my termination penalty. He left his contact information and the channel lineup and informed me that the $150 credit would be expiring on Monday.
Upon Further Review
First, I compare the channels and don’t see anything missing. The biggest difference is that I am swapping Showtime for HBO. Not a big deal for us as we only watch Showtime occasionally anyway. Next, I need to contact AT&T to find out what my termination penalty is and when does it end. Rather than call on the phone, I use the on-line chat feature. The service representative looks up my information and says that my contract is up in August of 2014 and that early termination results in a $15 a month charge for each early month. This is actually better than I thought. I thought my contract did not end until 2015 and that there was a $300 termination fee. The representative informs me they don’t want me to cancel and offer to lower my bill by $10 a month. This deal is working out in all the right ways.
Signing on the Dotted Line
I call the Comcast guy back Monday morning and tell him I want to go ahead with the deal. Even by cancelling AT&T early and paying the $15 a month fee, I still come out ahead by about $30 a month. There is a termination fee with the agreement, which is no surprise to me, there always is with this type of deal. It is $230 if I terminate before the end of 2 years. Since my prices are looked in for the two years, I don’t really care. The one item that did catch me by surprise was the $30 installation fee. In all of my past experiences, this has been waived. The fee is offset by the $150 bonus in my mind. So, I only net $120.
I have had both AT&T and Comcast in the past. I’m not really partial to either one, which is why I probably switch so easily. Price is my deciding factor. Whichever one gives me the best deal has my business. In 2 years, I will go through the same dance and see if I can score another deal.
Have you been able to lower your cable bill recently?
