Whether or not you think Time Warner fumbled the Spectrum rebrand — with a reputation that bad, do you really want to tell people it’s still the same company? — you’re going to want to double check the rate listed on your May 2017 internet bill.
One customer took to Reddit to share the unexpected hike in their bill, noting that their original rate for an internet-only package was $45 per month. When they opened the bill, they found they had been charged for Spectrum’s standard internet-only rate, $65 per month — a $20 per month jump to which they hadn’t agreed.
In case you weren’t aware, yes, you can negotiate your internet bill (and cable, but that’s another story). This Reddit user, Snowypotato, claimed that getting theirs knocked back down took a cool 15 minutes, “including time to find the phone number.” Here are the simple steps they followed to reduce the bill:
1. Call Spectrum support at 1-844-287-8405. If you press *99 when prompted — “almost immediately” according to Snowypotato — you’ll get to navigate via touch-tone only, bypassing the “you can say” prompts.
2. Press 2 for billing.
3. Tell the live rep you’d like to speak to retentions because you’re unhappy with the price hike. Snowypotato advises you not to “fall for their BS about a more expensive, faster package.”
4. Tell retentions the same thing: that you’re displeased that your bill has gone up. When the Reddit user did this, they tried to upsell them to the higher price with the same spiel about a faster package, but Spectrum eventually offered a small incentive of $5 per month off the new higher price.
5. Explain you’re eligible for another provider. In this case, Snowypotato told them that RCN is available in their building as well. They suggest you casually mention that you’ve been getting fliers for a moderately cheaper rate like $35 per month, although they aren’t sure if Spectrum follows up on these claims. The key? “Let them think you actually like Spectrum, but this price hike is just too much” the Reddit user suggested.
6. Wait on hold while they “research” something.
It’s then, this altruistic Reddit user says, they’ll come back and offer you a discount back to your old rate of $45 per month. Then go binge-watch YouTube cat videos with abandon, comfortable knowing you saved yourself enough to order a Seamless meal once a month.
