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Originally Posted by Jon T
don't mean any offence my this, but I don't like this "can I have a discount please or i'll go somewhere else" stuff.
When you subscribe to something you know the price if you then find something cheaper for the same level of service then move to that supplier.
If every customer received a discount if they threatened to move to a different supplier, the prices for everybody else but have to rise to pay for your discount.
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The same thing happens with mobile phone contracts... anyone who just lets the contract renew for another year without trying to haggle something extra out of them must be completely mad. New tariffs come out all the time. Companies like to keep customers... big customer numbers makes them look good even if they are bending over backwards to keep them. Companies bending over backwards for customers looks good from the customer's point of view though - makes them feel valued.
Most mobile phone companies have tariffs that they do not publicise and if you haggle them, they tend to offer you them. Just because NTL do not have the same type of system (in terms of tariffs), doesnt mean that the same rules dont apply. If everyone looked if they could get things cheaper, I bet the majority of NTL's customers
could get it cheaper elsewhere and going by your theory, they'd go elsewhere leaving NTL where exactly? Customer-less... thats where.
Obviously, phoning them up and saying "Look here, if you dont give me a discount, I'm leaving" aint gonna work and is likely to get you a reply along the lines "I cant help you with that (enter sir/madam here)". If you put it along the lines of "I've seen that (insert company name here) is offering (insert product here) for (insert price here), and it is very appealing, but I have always favoured your service reliability ((even if you havent... but want to stay with their company)) and would like to stay, but cant help but feel I'm being a little short-changed by all this. Is there any way of reducing my bill in some way? Say a different TV package which has (insert channels you would like to keep - obviously not a long list, the phone operator will fall asleep) and I'd like (insert speed) broadband connection too".
Again... it could get the "I cant help you with that (enter sir/madam here)" reply, but it may not. Like I said above, its not quite the same scenario as with mobile phones, but its always worth trying. People who just pay the going rate are being taken for a ride sometimes... if you dont ask, you dont get at the end of the day. If I was buying something off a market stall, I'd always see if I could get a few quid knocked off - nothing to lose by it. You wouldnt buy a car at the price stated in the Auto Trader either.