Let's make a deal
This article appeared in 
A bigger payoff
Illustrations by Christoph Niemann
"I had to call to negotiate. But when I did, I saved more than I anticipated. They gave me a good deal and gave me an extra $10 off for being a longtime customer."
Mark Bremen
Seattle
Bremen was first told that promotional rates for triple-play DirectTV/Qwest bundles weren't available to existing customers.
Deal extended
"I had no problem getting my cable and Internet promotions extended past their expiration date when I called the company."
Diane Yeaman
West Reading, Pa.
Comcast initially wanted to raise her rates after the promotional period expired.
No deal
"They said no. They know they are the only service provider in my area, so there's no reason to budge."
Michelle Flood
Whitmore Lake, Mich.
She was rebuffed by Charter when she tried to negotiate a better rate.
A rate cut and more
"They passed me to a supervisor who made a still-better offer without a contract. Keep calling back; what one person won't do, another might."
John Streich
Seattle
Unhappy with Qwest's post-promotional rate for triple-play, Streich had called to cancel.
No contract needed
"... they finally offered to extend my current service at the current price for another year without a contract."
Josh Hetrick
Boston
He says Comcast at first failed to clarify that extending his promotional rate for triple-play would require a contract.
Better, but …
"I called to complain and they extended it for 12 months (for a total of 18 months), which still wasn't quite what I originally signed up for."
Scott Barga
Versailles, Ohio
Barga says Time Warner had raised his two-year TV and Internet promotional rate after just six months of service.
