So I’m in the process of trying to lower my wife’s business arrangement with Comcast Business (a subsidiary of Comcast). With 75 mbps (Megabits per second) of speed, the monthly bill has mysteriously grown to around $165 per month. I believe my wife signed a 2-year contract for less than $100 per month but once that expired, the monthly bill jumped over 50%. Needless to say, in this instance, my wife was not notified of the increase. Their policy is not uncommon among other large corporations. Getting back to the story, my wife noticed the significant price increase, so she asked me to inquire if any better rates are available and possibly a higher speed internet.
To proceed, my search terms were ‘Comcast internet deals for existing customers’ and at a blink of an eye, there are hundreds of replies – that’s the good news. The bad news, many of these don’t apply to my needs – most of these results applied to new customers. I’m looking for a reduction in her monthly rate and ideally, a greater speed. If I get a lower rate at the same speed, I feel that’s the minimum of this task. With a few minutes, I changed my search item to
‘Comcast Business specials for existing customers’ in the hopes of getting mostly applicable results (I was trying different terms in the hopes of finding providers who exactly align to my needs.)
Getting back to Mr. Google, with additional attempts, my results were getting closer to my actual needs. I’m quite surprised to see such attractive offers, offers that many in businesses would find quite attractive. I was ready to sign. However, the fine print got in the way of good deal – all of these offers are for first time customers. Great, so I’m a current customer but because I’m not new, I don’t qualify for a much attractive rate. Really Comcast, you have me as a customer, why not throw me a bone to chew on? Who knows, it might just build brand loyalty. Is this marketing approach the antithesis of being customer centric (especially for regular customers)?
I briefly noticed we pay a monthly equipment and services fee of $18.45. When I contact them again, I’ll need to try and negotiate that fee. In other words, if I can buy that equipment for $200 or so, that equipment investment should lower the monthly internet bill, especially in the long-run.
Unfortunately, there aren’t other reliable providers in her area. That means, Comcast Business essentially has a monopoly with other business in that general area, in other words, I need to work creatively and using all modes of technology to find a deal. This may occur through online chatting, online research, or using the good ole phone. Besides, I have the patience and stamina to wait a few weeks and try again for a better deal. Stay tuned!