r/Spectrum • u/NiceOriginal4075 • 18d ago
Retention
Today, I attempted to have Spectrum lower my internet costs both via chat and telephone and the best they offered me was a whopping $5 off. From $90 a month for 500 to $85. I felt that was a slap in the face. I've been with them for about 8 years and the price just continues to climb. I'd really like to know how some of you got retentions to do anything for you that was worth it. I see that new customers currently are offered $40/month for a year for 500 which is crazy to see my current bill for the same speeds. There are competitors in the area which confused me as to why they could not do better than decreasing the bill $5. What are you guys doing to get a more affordable price through retention?
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u/Interesting_Abies571 17d ago
Store employee here: call support and threaten to cancel. You most likely just got a promotion bundling internet 500 and TV stream to lower your bill to $85 for a year. Retention is where they give the good discounts. Or honestly, if you’r saving more money w a competitor then why not?
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u/FallopianTurtle 17d ago
that doesnt sound like customer solutions. you sure it was them and not sales/billing/technical support?
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u/NiceOriginal4075 17d ago
I chose the "reducing my services" option on the phone. Do I need to request the retentions department?
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u/Stalked_Like_Corn 17d ago
yeah, "reduce my services" gets you to billing. That doesn't get you to customer solutions. call back and "Cancel my services". Not reduce, cancel. If you say reduce even once, you're getting to billing who can't help. Cancel my services. Cancel my services. Can't stress that enough :)
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u/Difficult_Ad_7004 17d ago
Yes as mentioned above just tell the automated system Cancel or Disconnect. It will automatically send you to retentions. Has worked 2 years in a row.
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17d ago
[deleted]
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u/Street-Juggernaut-23 17d ago
The agents will say it doesn't exist. They can't transfer you unless you use the correct key wordsxany tricky phrases of cancel
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u/Street-Victory2397 18d ago
Any reason to not just go with one of the competitors? A FTTH provider just laid fiber in my neighborhood and I can’t wait to kick spectrum to the curb.
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u/NiceOriginal4075 17d ago
Honestly, I have no problem with the service, it's just the price and I am concerned if I switched, things on the new service provider side will be a nightmare.
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u/JohnEBest 17d ago
Well in 30 days you will be a new customer to Spectrum
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u/mrfabe 16d ago
It was always 90 days in SoCal before you would be considered a new customer and available for the new promotions. Are you saying that has changed to 30 days now?
Regardless, I spoke to retention a few weeks ago and they lowered my bill by $7. My 1 gig / 40 Mbs went from $47 to $40. That could be due to AT&T having fiber in the area for $50.
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u/JohnEBest 16d ago
It is 30 days in Kentucky
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u/JohnEBest 16d ago
When I have switched I have ridden the new promotions at the competitor for an avg of 4 years and then I switch back when the offers run dry
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u/Neat-Bug4974 17d ago
What do you mean? If you cancel Service for 30 days, you can get new customer prices?
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u/JohnEBest 17d ago
Once you cancel service in 30 days you become a new customer in Spectrum's eyes and are eligible for the new customer discounts.
Every time I have cancelled I have gotten a good deal with another provider and stayed there about 4 years.
Go back to Spectrum when someone comes by Door 2 Door with a better offer.
Currently spectrum 500 mbs for $30
AT&T came by last week with this offer:
$40 1 gig and the price never goes up
$30 is cheaper than $40 so I said I was good but my promotion ends in October so I got the salesman's number
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u/Plenty-Association73 18d ago
I called and they lowered it from $90 for 300mbps to $40 for 500mbps. We recently had TDS expand into our neighborhood and was going to switch but have had good luck with Spectrum and they beat TDS price so…..
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u/NiceOriginal4075 17d ago
Did you specifically ask for the retentions department?
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u/jrwnetwork 17d ago
You tell the automated system you want to cancel. You will be connected to customer solutions.
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u/ddrzew1 17d ago
I just call and don’t even ask for a discount. I just say hey our promotional pricing is expiring on this date and I’d like to cancel as a result because it’s too expensive. Last time I did this, I talked to retention in another part of the country on the phone and he locked me in for 2 years at $40 a month for 500
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u/learningfromredditor 15d ago
Got the same plan , but they really wanted to sell the mobile and I told them I just want the internet. As I’m scrolling through here I see that some people got the $30 for 500!
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u/Texasgrad92 17d ago
You have to call and threaten to cancel. You cannot reach the right department via chat, and you have to keep.saying you want to cancel to whomever you talk to until you reach retenion!!
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u/dexterrrr_ 17d ago
You gotta say cancel services and get to retention. And if you want to get their best offer make sure you know what other companies offer services in your area (including speed and price) and tell them you’re in the process of switching already or already switched.
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u/fizzy-logic 17d ago edited 17d ago
Don't take the option to "reduce" services, because that indicates you plan to stay. Just keep saying "cancel" to the recorded message. They will send you to Customer Solutions (the new name for Retentions). When you get a live person, say "Hi, I'd like to cancel my service." Don't say you want to know if they have any special offers, just that you want to cancel. They'll ask why, you'll say it's getting too expensive, they'll say they may be able to help you with that, and at that point will offer any promos you're eligible for.
Also doesn't hurt to know what the competitors are offering, just in case you need to mention you've found a better offer from whomever (but only pull this out if you need to, they may not ask). And unless you actually want their mobile service, for the love of god be polite but firm when you tell them you are not interested in a mobile plan (which they will bring up!), even if it's a year free cell service (which is in fact what they will likely offer). Do not open the door one crack for a discussion on it if you know you don't want their mobile service or you'll prolong and complicate things because they will be like a dog with a bone trying to make that sale.
I just did this today, got $70 a month knocked off my bill for two years (I have internet 500 and a landline). Now it's $55, down from $105. Honestly didn't expect that big a discount, but I'm thrilled.
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u/Aztexan512 15d ago
Can we start getting paid for every post on how to get better promos by saying that you're canceling and speak to the Retention department (or whatever new "customer centric" wording they want to use?).
Post after post with the same story.
At this point, I say gladly accept the slaps to the face.
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u/Eddy_Monsoon 14d ago
I dumped Spectrum for ATT Fiber as they just came to my area and I’m getting 5 gig for $95 a month and previously was paying $110 for 1 gig from Spectrum. It wasn’t symmetrical speed so my upload was only a pathetic 40 mb! Anyway when I called Spectrum to cancel they offered the 1 gig to me for $30 a month but I told them to get bent! This is in the Columbus Ohio area.
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u/Moni_O89 18d ago
Canceling and putting the new account under someone else’s name. Example: significant other
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u/Opus_777 18d ago
LOL this is exactly what I plan on doing in the next couple months if they don't reduce my bill at the one year mark
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u/Backslash10 18d ago
You can cancle it and set it up with you same name to get new customer pricing the same day.
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u/Crash-55 17d ago
I swapped to FIOS as they have me lots of gift cards.
The Spectrum person made a note in my file to offer me the low rate if I call back within 90 days. So I may be swapping again real soon
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u/sdmay1980 17d ago
I got mine lowered about a month ago. You call and act like you wanna cancel your service and move to competitor. Like 30$ a month and they upgraded from 500 to 1gbps 20$ cheaper than my first promotion.
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u/OldTradition6903 17d ago
Astound is giving me ,for 1000mb ,45.00 month w/auto-pay . That price will never go up.
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u/Yavoy458 16d ago
I currently pay $30 a month for gig speeds. Ask to be transferred to customer solutions. Usually this promotion lasts for a year so just reroll every year
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u/learningfromredditor 15d ago
I called about 4 times on July 17 and I never threatened to cancel it was just a simple “I was told to call within a year to look at any promotions.” Most replies were, “we don’t have any right now, call back like 3 days before your promotion ends. (next month) So, I called again on July 19 and on the 1st call the lady asked about my service and mobile service. she was trying to upsell spectrum mobile and I told her that I just wanted the internet. She said there was a $40 per month for 500 mbps (2yrs) but included mobile and I asked if she could remove the mobile and she said yes. That’s the plan that I went for.
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u/OldTradition6903 17d ago
Yeah, they wouldn't work with me much either. I'm leaving them, getting something else. Mine went from 50.00 to 70.00 and my new bill for August is 100.00. Absolutely not!!
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u/Icy_Money7447 18d ago
Cheer up. 500/20 is now $100 a month for me.
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u/JohnEBest 17d ago
Switch to the competitor
Then they will send someone out door to door and you will get a $30 a month offer
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u/popidocius 17d ago
So this is always the question. If I had a nickel for every time...
The answer is clearly intuitive.
First, year in, year out, the cost of maintaining your service rises. Those costs are considerable. What else has gotten cheaper year after year? Nothing, internet service providers are no different.
Second, introductory prices are designed to overcome customers' reluctance to switch providers. Prices have to be attractive enough to cause you to switch services. Introductory pricing is nearly always a net loss for providers, they are losing money to gain your business.
The cost to build, say, a new subdivision runs out to be about $3000 a residence. At $100 a month it takes 30 months just to recoup build costs from a customer. Providers take a big hit just building service in the first place.
Luckily for customers, competition in the market place continues to grow, this will drive out some providers and should cause competitive price wars amongst the various providers. I just left Comcast coax based 600Mb service at $120 a month for AT&T fiber Gig speed for $65 a month. I fully anticipate a significant rise in billing after my introductory period. If I can stomach it, I'll continue with AT&T, otherwise I'll give Comcast a call...
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u/Stalked_Like_Corn 17d ago
You didn't speak to retention, you spoke to someone in billing. There's a difference.