Sick of Comcast's prices? Just call for better ones

Want a cheaper rate from Comcast? Just call & threaten to cancel service:

I've been a comcast subscriber for about 3 or 4 years now and recently have been getting Verizon Fios offers in the mail. I did the math (seen below) and realized that Fios would be $22 a month cheaper than Comcast. Plus switching to Fios would also save me $85 over the first year due to introductory specials. I've been paying $136 per month (pre-tax) for digital cable/hbo/internet via Comcast. Fios would cost $113 per month for the same cable/hbo/internet package. I am happy with the comcast extended sports packages & other on demand stuff that Comcast offers so I don't think I'd actually go through the hassle of switching (plus Fios requires a year commitment and my bills are divided amongst roommates so a monthly $22 savings only saves me $7 personally) but I figured I'd see if I could work a deal out here.

Armed with this info I called up Comcast to ask about a different billing issue but also told them I was getting Fios info in the mail and was thinking of canceling and switching over to Fios. The guy gave me a "ticket" and told me someone would call me within 24 hours to let me know about any competitive deals that comcast offers to compete against Fios. Well, 24 hours go by and of course, no call. It is Comcast after all - what can you expect. 48 hours later I finally get a call but it goes to my voicemail. The woman leaves her name & number with extension and tells me to call her back. The next day I call only to find the # she gave is the general local comcast number and does not allow extensions. Again, brilliant. So, I go through their menu and enter the choice to Cancel Service. I immediately get connected to a customer service representative. Usually I have to wait 5+ minutes to talk to a human but apparently when you are calling to cancel service they connect you immediately in an effort to keep you a "satisified & happy comcast customer".

I tell the woman about my situation and that I'm thinking of cancelling comcast & going with Fios. I ask about any competitive offers that Comcast has to compete against this better Fios deal. She reads her standard boilerplate text which states that "Comcast does not compete with other services because it feels that it offers a quality service." Immediately after reading that stating that Comcast does not compete against Fios, she gives me a competitive offer to compete against Fios. WTF?

Her first offer is the "3 for 1" deal where Comcast offers cable, internet, and phone. She says she will add the phone service to my account for no additional charge. Being the opposite of an idiot, I tell her no thanks - for two reasons. 1) the 3 for 1 deal is no special deal and is offered as a standard comcast plan online for about what i'm paying now anyways. And 2) I have no use for a land line as my roommates & I all use cellphones.

This is where her second offer comes in. She tells me she will put my 'information' into the 'system' and see what type of deal it can offer me. I don't know much about Comcast's 'system' but it sounded like she was interacting with The Matrix from the way this woman described it. Apparently no humans can offer deals in Comcast land, only computers.

At no point do I mention how much I'd save by switching to Fios, because I'm waiting to hear her offer first. She gets back to me with the system's results. It told her that I am eligible for a $25 monthly discount to my bill for the next 12 months plus free Starz channels for a year and free Cinemax for 6 months. Since I knew Fios would save $22 a month, this offer of saving $25 a month was actually better than the Fios monthly price. I then mentioned that I'd save $85 (introductory savings over year 1) if I switched to Fios - and asked if she had anything additional to compete against that. She read her boilerplate text again stating "Comcast does not compete with other services because it feels that it offers a quality service." She then says no, she has nothing to compete against that $85 savings. However, free Starz for a year and free Cinemax for 6 months could kind of make up for that $85 savings.

In another customer friendly move by Comcast, she tells me that the free year of Starz & free 6 months of Cinemax must be cancelled manually by me calling up & cancelling at the end of the year & 6 months, otherwise those add-ons will start being billed automatically to my account (after the free period). This is for my convience of course. Thank god for Outlook Calenders. I just set my reminders so I'll know when to call to cancel in a year & 6 months.

I accepted the offer and my Comcast bill is now $25 cheaper per month for the next year plus I get the free Starz/Cinemax. I did not even have to argue much with her. If I insisted I still wanted to cancel perhaps she would have entered my 'info' into the 'system' again to come out with an even better deal. Not sure. Anyhow, I was happy with my new deal.

So, I get home from work and try to watch TV after getting this new deal & the new channels. We turn on the TV & it reads 'Box not authorized for service. Please call comcast'. I cut the power on/off thinking it needs a reboot. Same problem. So I then call Comcast back up, this time I have to wait on hold for 5 minutes before someone answers. I tell her the problem and she looks up my info. She asks which model set-top box I have and I tell her. Apparently the other woman put in the wrong code for my model to activate it. Wow, Comcast really has their things together. This woman then inputs the correct code & I reboot my box. It eventually turns on and I now have what seems like hundreds of movie channels including Starz on Demand, Starz HD, Cinemax on Demand, and Cinemax HD (along with HBO On Demand & HBO HD which I already had). Not bad.

So, i worked Comcast. You can too. Even if you arent getting Fios offers in the mail, simply call and threaten to switch to Fios. They will cut you a deal. The terms of the deal may be based on how long you've been a subscriber but if I got offered a $25 monthly discount, I think everyone should be offered at least that same discount.

Also, here's the math for anyone interested (remember all prices are pre-tax, etc):
Comcast (per month)-$90 for cable/HBO plus $43 internet plus $3 cable modem = $136 per month
Fios (per month)- $59 for cable/HBO plus $10 HD receiver plus $45 internet = $113 per month
Fios (introductory savings)- free internet for month 1 ($45 savings), plus discounted internet for months 2-7 ($10 cheaper than usual) = $105 introductory savings - $20 internet account activiation fee = $85 introductory savings

New Comcast Deal After Phone Call (cable/HBO/internet/cable modem = $111 per month plus free 6 months of Cinemax & free year of Starz)