If your Internet or cable bill is more than you can afford — or suddenly looks higher than you signed up for — you're hardly alone. Many American Internet and cable TV companies employ a shell game of limited-time promotions and hidden, variable service fees to get us to pay more over time. Here are some tricks I learned from Internet service providers and consumer advocates.
Check the website Broadband Now to find all the available service providers specific to your Zip code. The site's database is one of the best, though not all the options listed will necessarily offer speeds sufficient to keep a whole family online all at once. If you're lucky enough to have options, you could even switch providers after promotional pricing runs out.
Just threaten to drop service. Many Internet service providers would rather cut your rates to keep you as a customer than try to win you back later. Calling and threatening to quit isn't fun for you or the person working in the customer-retention department, but it can work. Ask to have access to the latest promotional offer for your area. Don't be mean:
Buy your own modem and router. When you get Internet, you need two pieces of hardware to make it work: a modem and a router (sometimes combined into one box called a gateway). Most companies provide their own, and even set it up and then charge you to rent it from $10 to $25 per month. But you don't have to rent their equipment — you can buy your own. In my house, I use a $150 Arris Surfboard modem plugged into a $130 Eero router for WiFi. It might even work better than what your provider is renting.
A. Try to switch providers.
B. Sign up for the discount program.
C. Just remember to set a calendar reminder.
D. So what can you do now if your bill is just too high?
E. You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.
F. This approach will cost you more first but will save you in the long run.
G. You could try calling your city officials and tell them you need more options.
