Ask And Thou Shalt Save Money.
I got hit with some bill increases this week. Determined NOT to pay the increases, I did the extraordinary: I called and asked for price reductions. In each and every instance, I got my wish. In these financially shaky times, I would presume that most vendors have come to the same conclusion: "It is better to make a little money than no money."
Here's a rundown of my week:
I called my financial institute to transfer some money over to one of my accounts. When I got to the store to do some shopping I inadvertently used the wrong account. When I found out my mistake I immediately called my institute, told them of my mistake and asked that the $35 fee be waived (since I overdrew the wrong account). I casually reminded the institute that I had just opened up a large CD with them and voila, the $35 was credited back to my account.
I received my electric bill budget plan for 2008-2009 and saw that my monthly bill was being raised from $86 a month to $182. Amazingly high. Granted yes, kWh have gone form $6 to $10 but the increase was just too high. I called the company and told them so. "What would you like to pay?" was their response. I told them $135 was fair. Done.
My newspaper subscription is starting to look like a luxury item. I called Customer Service to tell them I was cancelling my account. "Why?", they asked. "Because it's just too expensive"' I replied. I was placed on hold while the clerk spoke with her supervisor. "M'ame", she reported back, "would 16 weeks at half-price sound doable to you?" Yes indeed, was my response.
My new car insurance was originally quoted at $711 for the year but when I got my bill in the mail, it was $1009 for the year. I called my agent, discussed the difference and she got back to me the next day with an almost matched quote to the original. My new annual car insurance was set at $753. (the first quote was from her inexperienced employee).
Lastly, I end with my Saturday run to the local ice cream shop. The gentlemen waiting on line before me had ordered a chocolate hot fudge sundae for his daughter. The counterperson brought him a vanilla one instead. Since his order was incorrectly filled, the sales person was going to throw out the vanilla mistake. I immediately spoke up and requested the 'error'. I got the vanilla hot fudge sundae free of charge, brought it home, stuck it in my freezer and saved it for a rainy day.
Are your bills too high? Ask for a reduction and thou shalt be pleasantly surprised.
And so it goes.
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2 comments:
This is amazing. Here, people endure the high prices until they go bankrupt. There must be more competition for services where you are.
Everyone is upset that our (monopoly) electric company has about doubled rates on people in the last two months.
Our investment in photovoltaics no longer seems like such folly to our friends as it did when we put them in.
Hattie-The high electric bill was in my beach house. A battery died in one of the thermostats. The heat in the kids bedroom just ran and ran and ran, thus the high usage. By the time I caught it, 2 months had passed (I got an actual read-out bill). BTW, the thermostat was made in China. I spoke with a rep from the electric co to explain this was just a one time error and not reflective of actual use because no one lives in the home in the winter. (But I like to leave the heat on in kitchen and bathrooms-very, very low). Instead of using $1000 a year in electricity, the annual bill was $1600. ugh. $1600 divided by 12 equals $133. I was surprised, however, how high the co had made the new budget plan and also how easy it was to get them to lower it. If I didn't speak up, it was going to be a difficult bill to pay every month.
Live and learn.
FYI: The thermostat has been replaced with an American one.
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