Get a Better Cable Deal

One of my absolute favorite services to renegotiate is my cable contract, for several reasons:

• They are constantly sending me offers for better deals in the mail.
• They charge exorbitant rates for something that's not really that valuable, and they know it.

I have a friend who used to work for AmeriCorps, and lived in a house of AmeriCorps workers, and they really couldn't afford cable or a broadband Internet connection. I suggested that they just give the cable company a call to see what it would do for them, "And don't hesitate to use your status as leverage."

A few weeks later, I heard back from my friend. She had to call several times, but eventually found someone at the cable company who listened to her plea.

"How much can you pay?" he asked.
"Nothing, really," she said.

That was good enough for him. She walked away from the call with free expanded cable television and cable Internet access for a year.

A year later, as her deal was about to expire, she lamented the imminent loss of her free services. I suggested that she just call the cable company again to see if they would be willing to extend her deal.

She did. They were. Now she's got another free year of cable.