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Time Warner Cable just won’t let you say goodbye, if they can help it.
A year ago, your editor fought for a better deal from the cable company that has served him since the 1980s. With a tough economy and downsizing, paying a cable bill that was approaching $175 a month in early 2011 for ‘all their best’ was simply no longer an option. Time Warner Cable’s customer retentions office responded with a promotion that slashed the bill to just $88.44 for Turbo Internet, cable-TV, and unlimited “digital phone” service with nationwide calling. Incidental charges included leasing a whole house DVR ($7.04), a second cable box ($6.84), $1 for “digital programming” and $0.34 for the remote control.
When the cable operator introduced DOCSIS 3 broadband speed upgrades, an additional $20 a month brought 30/5Mbps speeds. The total — $123.66 (before taxes and fees). That’s a whole lot less for a great deal more service.
When the promotion ended in February, the rate shot back up to $160, but $7.95 of that was for a year of Showtime at a special promotional price. Showtime was destined for the cancel corner anyway (we didn’t watch more than two hours of anything on Showtime in the last year), but even without it, the rate increase was on the steep side.
So we complained.
Unlike last year, which resulted in considerable confusion and arguing back and forth with different representatives to find the best deal, this year we let Time Warner’s social media representatives do the hard work for us. Within 24 hours, our rate for all of the same services, plus a special promotion that includes HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and The Movie Channel at no additional charge, brought the bill down even lower than we managed last year: $102.33 a month for a year. That includes the 30/5Mbps Road Runner Extreme, Whole House DVR, and one extra cable box. It doesn’t include taxes and fees, which typically add another $6.50 to the bill.
The whole process was painless, and you can follow in our footsteps if you have a Twitter account:
Step One: Tweet Time Warner:
The key phrase in whatever Tweet you send is to include: @twcablehelp, which brings you to their social media customer service representatives. I also “followed” twcablehelp so I could see how active they were. During business hours, you should expect to see a reply like this within the hour:
For those new to Twitter, “DM” refers to a “direct message” — a private Tweet seen only by the intended recipient. I finally found the menu option that allows me to send a “direct message” on Twitter’s page for Time Warner Cable:
Note the red box around the option on the top right. By clicking that you will see a drop down menu that includes an option to “Direct Message” TWCableHelp. You will want to include your Time Warner Cable account number (as seen on your bill) and include your contact phone number.
Within 24-48 hours, a senior retentions specialist should call you to negotiate a better offer for your service. Make sure you answer those unfamiliar caller ID calls! But before they call, visit Time Warner Cable’s website and note any currently running new customer promotions. Also check to see if the competition is offering anything even lower. Those prices are typically the starting point for your negotiations, and the company should have little trouble meeting them. However, customers with a poor payment record or past due account may discover the company less willing to negotiate. Bring account balances current before negotiating for a lower rate.
Some Time Warner Cable territories offer “price protection agreements” or term contracts that lock customers into 1-2 years of service. Negotiating around these contracts can be difficult to impossible.
An alternative contact method is to direct e-mail Time Warner at: twcable.help@timewarnercable.com (don’t forget the “.” in twcable.help).
The total time spent this year on finding a better deal that will save us $58 a month — $696 a year — about five minutes, far less than the time it took to write this article. Give it a try and let us know in the comments what kind of deals you can negotiate.
Other stories of interest:
- Update #2: An Even Better Deal from Time Warner Cable: $80 Triple Play
- Wheel of Retention Deals: Winning A Good Rate from Time Warner Cable
- Dear Valued Time Warner Cable Customer: Pay Us More… Or Not — Here’s How
- Comcast Kicks CenturyLink Around With Very Aggressive ‘Switch Provider’-Discount Deals
- Time Warner Cable Raises Rates in Albany, Offers a $99 Promotion Most Can’t Get
why do you have bother with twitter can’t you just the retention dep. directly?
My experience is they generally won’t do anything in person over the phone up until the point where you firmly state you’re willing to cancel, and this means no bluffing. They should cave at that point.
However twitter being a public forum gets you much better results with retention staff already looking to help you, rather than those on their 1-800 number trying to convince you that $200/mo is a fair price for cable and internet and that they can’t “do anything for you”.
actually, i work for one of the 1800 numbers for time warnr retention and legit, a lot of times there isn’t anytjhing that we can do for you, neither can the sups, try talking to sales…
Yes, it is true that different reps have access to different offers. My first retention offer actually came from a third party contractor that worked on commission and was turned loose on customers on the cancel list. The regular TWC reps had no access to offer those deals to customers. It seems once you are on the disconnect list, the offers get better.
You move through layers calling them… first the front line rep, then the first layer of retentions, etc. Last year, the best deals came from a third party rep hired by TWC on commission to bring back canceling customers. It took 4-5 calls and a lot of arguing back and forth to move them until they started calling me. The Twitter version explained above cut through all that and a senior retentions specialist (in Albany, N.Y., in my case) called me and gave a great deal at the outset, not one I had to fight for.
It was also MUCH faster doing it this way (literally 5 minutes). If you follow my link in the article above back to the two pieces I wrote last February, you’ll understand.
BTW Philip, not sure if you heard by Comcast/Xfinity no longer allows 3rd party sellers to renew existing customers. I had some family members try to go back to the 3rd party they originally signed up with to have their discounted plan re-applied (Washington area) and they were told Comcast no longer allows that.
I had to walk them through the process, it took the full series of reps up till threatning to cancel until they finally had the majority of their fees waived bringing their $210 bill back down to about half that for another 6 months.
That’s another reason to move your landline number to something like Google Voice and then you can quickly cancel service and order up a brand new account (if they give you a hard time, use the name of a spouse or other person living there).
The thing that hangs people up from switching providers is often the hassle of porting/protecting the landline home phone number. If you don’t care about it, switching is easy, but a lot of people do. Now, it doesn’t matter what number a provider gives me… the number we’ve had for 20 years+ is secure and people dialing it can be forwarded for free to any/all other numbers I have.
Comcast’s own social media reps are probably also capable of cutting through retentions red tape. I’ll have to explore that for a new piece.
So..We have verizon and want to switch. What is the best deal we can expect w/ all 3 phone, internet and tv.. is it what we see on the internet ? what i see is 1 year no commitment 89.99 with a 150.00 gift card , reimburse the cost of the router. and show time… not sure about installation cost and speed of internet so wondering if the instalation fee is that 150 gift they give you…. Recently we saw this deal..very simular .. in a 2 year package and that seems more reassuring. On the other hand special packages pop up all the time so locking in w/ say direct t.v. can have a penalty consequence. Any thoughts? Thanks, Kathy
I don’t know, but DirecTV didn’t give me discounts that I was promised until I angry tweeted at them, either…
I am still writing up a piece about moving my TWC landline to Google Voice, with a step by step guide. I am doing this because I don’t want my phone line tied to any specific carrier any longer. With Google Voice, I am able to instantly forward calls to whatever number I want and not worry if I change providers. It is taking TWC 3-4 business days to assign me a new voice number, which I think is ridiculous, but some excellent local customer service people are working hard to expedite.
I have to say… TWC management is one thing, but their local employees in western NY are top shelf.
Wow, that’s awesome Phil. About a month ago I fought with so many different reps about lowering my price and got absolutely nowhere- which is rare for me, usually I can negotiate this stuff pretty well. Wound up so disgusted that I literally had to cancel my service, schedule a cancellation service call, the whole works before *finally* someone I spoke with was able to help me with what I wanted the whole time- just to lower my price. Lowered from about $220 to $140. Thank God, because I seriously was going to cancel, I’ve had enough of these absurd rates.
My biggest problem is that I don’t bundle. Not only do I like the ability to pick my individual providers, but having them bundled makes no sense for me:
1) Time Warner Wideband for Internet – My business requires me to regularly upload and download 8gb database exports so the added speed is near essential.
2) Vonage for home phone – Unlimited calling back home to the UK and more importantly, a UK telephone number that my family can call me on without paying long distance charges.
3) DirecTV for television – My Time Warner TV service was so unreliable that I had a regional manager and *five* Time Warner technicians in my apartment at the same time. The problem was still not fixed. Given that I buy the shows I really want to watch on DVD, television is all about the live events for me, anyway (Tennis and hockey). There’s no comparison between watching those sports on DirecTV and watching them on Time Warner. 6 or 7 dedicated HD channels during the major tennis tournaments and the HD feed from every regional sports network in the country…
I’ve managed to negotiate some discounts individually with DirecTV and Time Warner, but of course, the best savings go to those who can bundle.
Dang it! Phil, you are paying less than I’m paying for the “Watch ‘n’ Surf Lite” package — cable plus Road Runner Lite! Tweet sent. We’ll see what happens.
The problem is there’s really no competition in this area. Even the satellite salesperson agreed that we’re not a candidate for satellite because of where we live.
But the cable company doesn’t know that… don’t tell them. A lot of the retention plans in the northeast seem to be pitched out of Albany these days.
When you speak to the retentions person, tell them the phone company has a better offer, but you’ll take the pricing cable offers new customers. You should be able to get that in about five minutes.
I did the same thing last month. Bill was $120/mo. for digital cable with DVR and 10 MB internet. I called, and they refused to budge. I told them I was going to cancel if they didn’t lower it. Once I set the cancellation date up, I notified the TWC Twitter reps about the ordeal. They asked me to e-mail them the details of my situation. They forwarded that e-mail to my local reps.
A local rep called me the next day with an offer for $74/mo. for digital cable with DVR, 15 MB internet, and HBO/Cinemax/Showtime free for three months.
It took maybe an hour of my time. Feels good man.
That’s why it’s so much easier to bypass the call center retention hamster wheel and go direct to the social media reps who will connect you with senior supervisors that can authorize the deal you want.
It sounds like you scored the double play with free Turbo deal. I’m gratified you won.
Any readers who score significant savings:
Feel free to use that Paypal donate button and help us defray some of our own web hosting expenses. We don’t drive people crazy with pop up ads and those annoying in-line ads that spring up video players and other nonsense. But the web hosting company doesn’t deliver our service for free. Thanks!
I had similar luck with Time Warner two years ago. This year, not so much – they seem to be happy to cancel my service, even if I can show them competitive offers that are better elsewhere. I tried tweeting and they did get someone to call me, but not able/willing to do anything extra. They tell me I am getting a great deal, but I think I will be move over to the competition. They are certainly not offering anything even remotely close to the price described in this article.
I went thru the process of setting up a Twitter account after trying to send email directly to the twcable.help@timewarnercable.com address (which, btw is twcable.help@twcable.com). They did exactly as you said and asked for a DM, which I sent. I received a call from a rep in the NEO office same day. I then ran into a brick wall as she tried to tell me that the best deal she could give was $129 + equipment costs (total was something like $170). Funny that you can go on the TWC website (and yes, this is the actual http://www.timewarnercable.com site) and see my services being offered for $89.99 on the front page. I told her this and she proceeded to tell me that this was a 3rd party offering (so, 3rd parties can offer deals on their website evidently). To make a long story short, I’ve had it with TWC. I’ve only been a customer since the 70s and never had a late payment, so why should they do anything special for me. I just ordered AT&T UVerse internet and home phone from them. Here’s hoping plenty of others follow me.
currently paying 100 a month just for wideband in rochester area, i don’t suppose i could get that reduced?
Time Warner isn’t likely to reduce prices for Wideband. If you are broadband-only, that is about the best you’ll get. If you are also a cable TV customer, look into Signature Home and verify whether that will save you anything.
These deals do not work in San Diego, as I have contacted TWC and they have yet to call us back.
Did you start with a tweet and did you get a response? When did you contact them?
A while back, but I should talk to them again.
I negotiated $15 off Wideband for 6 months, if that’s worth anything.
I utilized the Twitter route and it took several DM exchanges over the course of 4 days before someone called me. The first local rep couldn’t help me and put me through to the retention specialist. My previous monthly bill with taxes was $80.24. When that ended, they wanted to charge me $142.96. The best I could do is settle for the same services I previously had, in addition I would also receive the digital variety tier with an additional 100+ channels for $118.77 a month for 1 year. This saves me $24.19 a month or $290.28 a year. But I am still paying $38.53 over the previous years bill of $80.24, so I am not completely satisfied.
They never responded to me on twitter. Called them asked them if they had promos, said not for current customers, so I said I wanted downgrade service, I just kept the internet 10mbps 39.99 for 6 months. That was the best they could do. So sad, I dont watch TV but now that everyone is on the internet I don’t think 10mbps is enough. I dont know what to do, I even told them about competitors and they already know they are the slowest in the area.
I used the twitter technique today & I was able to lower my bill. Before this I had placed numerous calls and was unable to get a better rate. Usually I can negotiate a better rate after a few calls, but I wasn’t successful this year. The rate I got was actually cheaper than my previous bill the year before. I tweeted my message around 10 am and got the message to direct message them my info within minutes on twitter. The twitter rep was unable to help since I already received “promotional pricing”, but forwarded my info to a local rep to review. I received a VERY nice phone call around 3 pm and my rate was lowered for the next 12 months. I didn’t even have to argue with this representative. Although my new rate isn’t as great as yours and only saves me $215 a year, I’m okay with that:) Thank you very much Phillip for offering this advice.
THANK YOU! I followed your advice, and within 2 hours of posting my tweet, we were able to settle on a fair deal…I didn’t lower my bill, but got a lot more value for what I am paying! thanks for posting this!
OMG. Thank you so much. Tweeted, sent a DM when they asked, got a call a while later saying they were getting me back to a lower promotional rate. Did less than 5 minutes of actual work. You are amazing!
I was seriously at my end seeing the obnoxiously high bill that I was ready to just cancel everything and cut back somehow.
Tweeter and DMed. Said I could downgrade my service if I wanted a lower rate. I told them I understood cutting service would cut ccosts, that’s why I was considering canceling. Was told they would send this on to my local rep. Meantime my mom is moving and I am sitting at her new place waiting for TW installer. The best time frame they could give me for his arrival is 8am to 9pm. I have cavalier three times and they say oh well that is the best ww can do. If they call and no one answers they cancel and you have to reschedule. Until this AM they did not have my cell # on the work order even after I had given it to 3people I spoke to. They would hhave been calling an empty apt. Was told that happens all the time. Morons. Vent much?
Yikes lots of crazy spelling, sorry. I am just over the top frustrated with Time Warner.
There are NO good deals. It’s ridiculous to have to pay such high prices in this economy. How in the would can a low income person afford this.
Low income people should be out working, not watching TV.
That’s a pretty bad blanket statement. The person not able to make more than a ‘low income’ may be unable to work for many reasons I’m sure you can think of. It’s best not to judge someone. Give thee people you dismissed a try
I just tried your twitter idea today with Dish Network. I got a response almost immediately. My 2 year contract had a 1 year promo price, something the Windstream sales person failed to mention or glossed over. I’m DM’ing back and forth with support. Already saved $12/mo for my efforts.
They’re apparently on to your tactic, but thanks for posting anyway. It all went down as above, except the DM was a bit of back & forth until they offered to have a local rep contact me. She called about 3 hrs later…gave me about $10 off my monthly bill (lowered DVR fee for 1yr)…I took it, but am proceeding with plans to ultimately DUMP twc, starting w/the phone port to GoogVoice, then cable (I only watch HBO & SHO…I’ll get used to being a season or 2 behind via Netflix). Hopefully over time, all I will use is Roadrunner, but if I can also find a cheaper & faster internet service, I will. Any suggestions are greatly welcomed…NYC here.
When you spoke with them, did you have a competing offer from Verizon or Cablevision at hand to counter them with? At the very least they should have offered you new customer pricing on their packages. Sometimes it is the individual you get stuck with, other times it can be past payment history, but I have found most of the time that TWC will pull out much better deals if you are prepared to jump to the competition and you are reading off their offer to the cable company.
Hi Phillip – they said I was already getting a discount of something like $30 a month, which would make my monthly bill all the more heinous, and over $200@ month. I asked for the $80 intro rate, and $10 off the DVR is all they said they could do. I told her point blank and coolly that I will take it but that it’s not enough to keep me from leaving. The good thing as I see it, is that they took this latest “discount” specifically from the cost of the DVR (which I mentioned to her is now free in new packages), so I will first migrate my phone to GoogVce and save something like $26@ mo. Still working on the replacement for cable…heard today that netflix is much more limited library than even when I tried it 18 mo’s ago.
I am not sure what that “discount” is (other than traditional regular price bundle discounts).
We shifted our voice number to Google Voice, but Google does not make it easy for landline users, because they only port cell phone numbers. We had to go grab an el-cheapo T-Mobile cell phone (around $10-15 at Dollar General or WalMart), port our number first to that line and then port from the cell to Google Voice. Thankfully, T-Mobile doesn’t charge a port fee so you are looking at a flat $20 to port your number. It’s also much faster than it used to be. It took around 3-4 days to complete everything.
When you port out of Time Warner, they cancel your phone service immediately, which might be a leverage point to hit them up again once they see you have started to drop services.
Google Voice really works best tied to either a cell phone or landline account so you can easily make/receive calls, so what we ended up doing is grabbing a deal from TWC that set us back up for phone service (with a whole new number), while our old number is now with Google. I just add whatever number TWC assigned us to the list of numbers Google Voice needs to ring. The only downside to this is that outbound calls from our landline now show with a new TWC phone number on the caller ID.
The other downside is that we were pelted with collection calls and other junk calls intended for the former owner of the phone number. Make sure you re-register any numbers with the FTC’s Do Not Call registry, which takes 30 days to take effect. At least TWC lets you block nuisance numbers on their website control panel.
At least with my primary number secured with Google, I can really take my phone business anywhere… the number I get with whatever carrier really does not matter as long as Google Voice can forward to it. I had reasonably good luck also playing around with the Obi 110 (Amazon has it for around $50 here): (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045RMEPI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mediumwave&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0045RMEPI)
This thing is like a poor man’s Ooma and directly supports Google Voice numbers with no monthly fees. I did notice very occasional minor dropouts, but much less than a cell phone.
I tweeted to @twcablehelp and was able to keep my new customer rate for another year. I’ll save almost $100 dollars over the course of a year vs the new rate they wanted to charge. This was for standard internet only, I don’t bundle.
I’m an Internet-only customer right now, and want to add TV service. My previous 6-month $29.99 Turbo Internet promo just ended, and my price was bumped up to $39.99.
Online, I could get their 200+ channel tier TV service for $39.99 as an existing customer. When I called in to ask for better deals on TV and Internet, the pricing they gave me was significantly more than what I was seeing online (around $120)! I told them I’d like to cancel, and they said they will transfer me to the retention dept as they don’t want to lose my business. When I was transferred, this apparently wasn’t the “real” retention department, as they also couldn’t offer anything better to me. I asked them to put in a disconnect order for 2 weeks out.
Received a phone call at 9AM the next morning, and was able to obtain the following from the real retention department:
Standard Internet w/ Turbo upgrade: $29.99 for the first 6 months…$39.99 6-12 months
200+ channel TV service: $36.95 + $2 CableCard rental (for my TiVo)
Total: $68.xx or so + tax
I purchased my own SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem to avoid any risk of the $2.50 modem rental fee, and to be prepared for an upgrade to Extreme 30/5 service in the future.
I also wanted to add that I attempted an upgrade to Extreme 30/5, and didn’t have luck getting good pricing. When I log into my TWC account online, I have an option to upgrade to Extreme 30/5 for an additional $10/month. However, it tries to automatically tack on a $50 install fee + a $7.50/month wifi modem rental fee (even though I have my own DOCSIS 3.0 modem already).
I called in and attempted to have my service upgraded. They saw the $10/month charge on their end. However, when they made the change, my old $29.99 + free Turbo upgrade promo disappeared and was instead replaced with the Extreme service for $59.99/month….a difference of $30! I wasn’t interested in paying 2x the cost for a speed bump, and had them switch me back to my previous promo rate.
Question is…..has anyone else been successful in upgrading to Extreme service for only $10/month extra while you’re already on another promotional plan?
If the rep swaps the promotion correctly on the new service, standard to turbo is $10 and then another $10 to go to extreme. Hence $20 is correct. Wideband 50 down and 5 up is standalone at $100
I called time Warner to get a better price after my yearly promotion expired.
They would not back down so I cancelled an tried the twitter tactic saying I cancelled
Last night. Again they wouldn’t back down in fact they raised the price. So at 4pm the next
Day after canceling they called an gave me a cheaper price then I had before to have my
Service reconnected. Canceling always works plus local service reps are really rude.
As soon as they know you are serious about following through, and have even taken the step of dropping off your set top boxes at a local cable store, the “win back” offers start pouring in.
The best deals come to those the cable operator recognizes will, in fact, leave if they don’t get a better deal, especially if they were good customers with on-time payments.
Phillip: Thanks for this, I will definitely try this to lower my cable bill which is currently at $139.07. I have a quick question. Do you think this will work if my account is a new account? I started my services in June and already after less than 2 months of service, my bill magically increased by almost $10.
FYI, some background info: I placed my order over the phone with a TW rep. Got a bundled pkg for internet (10mbps) and tv (variety tier). Total came out to $132.86. Although I was unhappy with that total cost, I thought I had no choice in my apartment complex so I agreed and paid. The rep did tell me that that would be my total cost per month unless I made any changes to my service. So far, two months later, I haven’t made any changes and my bill is up to $139.xx after some calls and complaints. They also tried to charge me an extra $4.95 for home wifi which I did not request.
Anyways, I’m hoping it will work but am ready to cancel my service as I recently found out I can get directv with at&t internet bundled for about $90/month for year 1 and about $115/month for year 2. Either way, I’m saving money versus TWC which is at about $140/month for now, and who knows how high it will go next month!
That rate is surprisingly high considering they are selling one year triple play packages of every service for $89-99 a month, including a free DVR. It almost sounds like their regular price.
I’d tell them your apartment complex just loosened up on satellite dishes and you are headed in that direction if you cannot have the same deal other new customers get. Go to TWC’s home page in your area and look at the new customer promos. You should certainly qualify for one. I’d take the Twitter route outlined above to get to a reasonably high level retention agent who isn’t going to try and get you to cut services to save money.
Remember TWC has started charging a rental fee for cable modems after several months. You can buy your own often for under $100, and have several months to shop around before any fees start. TWC has a list of approved devices on their website. If you go this route, I’d consider DOCSIS 3 capable modems for the future.
So I tweeted and got a call from someone from the local retentions department a day later. Within 5 minutes, i had my bill lowered by $25 locked in for 12 months. Unfortunately since I was at work, I didn’t have the time to negotiate anything better but the lady was very up front and did not give me the run-around at all. I said thank you and hung up. Now my bill is $109.91/month for 12 months with 10mbps internet and TV services with 1 whole house dvr and 1 hd box. While I am happy my bill was lowered, I can still get a lower rate with DirecTV so I still may consider cancelling but I wanted to reply here saying thanks and that it was a super easy process.
They did the same to me by giving me a ‘box’ I didn’t order and they won’t take back unless I pay them $250.00. If you try to cancel, they’ll charge you a fee, won’t they?
I called customer service and complained about the fee and told them I didn’t request the wifi service. The rep kept telling me i had to return the “Box” and get a regular cable modem but that I had to do it at the local office. I kept telling him that I don’t have time as my work hours start before and end after the local office hours and also that this wasn’t a mistake that i made so why should i have to go out of my way to do this.
Finally, i suggested that they send me the new modem with a return label for the box and that i would return it that way.
There was no fee for this.
I have been a loyal TWC for years now and the rates are just getting ridiculous. Currently I have phone, internet, and cable. I also have the sports package, showtime, hbo and starz. last year I was paying about 160 with taxes and after my promotion was up, it jumped to 220. After a few phones calls the best the could do for me was 210 and that includes tax. I threatened to cancel my service quite a few times and go to DirecTV. Eventually I had enough and just called DirecTV and also sacrificed my internet for very slow DSL. They come to install and tell me I cannot get no signal at all, not even a weak one LOL. So now I’m stuck with this service that costs way too much and have no other options in my area. TWC or satellite is the only option in Syracuse, NY. Stuck with this bull and don’t know what to do.They literally have a monopoly here and no other cable company is allowed to come in. Also heard that there is a meeting that is going to happen soon about TWC not letting any other cable companies in the area. If anyone can help that would be great.
I used to pay $25 with all the fees for basic cable and a selecto teor.
Now it went up to $45, so I called to cancel and they got me a deal for 9.99+tax&fees. For basic cable without
The box. They told me to return it and just hook it up from the wall.
Before I only got OTA channels and 300s channels now I get 2-75.
The channels I want! For only 10 bucks!
It does seems weird they offer a plan without the cable box.
I get all those channels already with an antenna. It’s an old one, not even digital. Digital are available reasonably from amazon.
No charge for the channel selection. It hardly gives any problems.
long story. But it comes down to this: if you want a better rate. Do the below
1. Cancel services – schedule a date 2-3 weeks in the future. Do not cave, do not change your words, do not get scared off – do not worry about your phone number being lost
2. Call back to confirm cancellation request after 4-6hrs, confirm account has a pending-disconnect on your account.
3. Call their telemarketing number, “Special Promotions Department” – 888-222-5389 (Ohio, Wisconsin, Kansas City)
State a general version of the following: your bill was to high so you canceled your services and are now attempting to get a better price
Expect to pay something around $90-$125 for all three services (phone, TV, Internet) depending on current promotions and the level of your services
I’m in the process of changing from ATT DSL 3 mb that’s showing 2.60 download speed.
I called a number which is obviously an authorized dealer and was offered 10mb for 34.99, modem 2.50 monthly, and no time commitment.
I’m currently paying ATT $39 monthly and they offered to jack it up to 6MB for 6 months at the same monthly fee. What a joke!
I called TWC directly and spoke with a rep who offered me 10mb. for $42.71 and would possibly waive the additional technician charge of 29.99. For that I would have to sign up immediately. I didn’t do it. the rep also said i should beware of authorized dealers that often promise high speeds and don’t deliver, after which the buyer is stuck with the problem.
I’m finding this entire thing quite daunting, and not sure who to believe any longer.
I have ATT phone, but no cable—am considering DirectTV, but don’t find the TWC
bundle so enticing. I’m a computer savvy senior, and an author, so I need better cost-effective speed. Please help with a solution. Thanks.
Hi Ester.
If you are interested in phone, TV and broadband, your best bet is probably a bundle deal from Time Warner Cable.
In our area right now, Time Warner is pitching a one-year deal combining all three services (including 10/1Mbps broadband, unlimited long distance/local calling phone, and their digital cable package) for $89.99 a month for a year, and they are remarkably also throwing in a $150 Target GiftCard and free installation if you set up auto-payment. They also throw in three free months of HBO and Cinemax.
That’s a very strong offer for all three services, and I have not seen the Target rebate card in our area before.
I have found you lose a lot of savings if you maintain services with different companies because you lose bundle discounts. I’d not think twice about dropping AT&T phone and DSL service, which combined is probably costing you at least $60 a month for lousy speed. I dropped Frontier, our local phone company, for Time Warner phone service and have been happy with what I am getting and have had no issues moving my phone number over (although they made me pay $20 or so to do it).
If that is too expensive, you can choose a “double play” from Time Warner consisting of two of their services, say Internet and phone for around $60 a month for 10/1Mbps service and unlimited long distance calling (price good for one year). Broadband only service at 10/1Mbps is back at $34.99 a month for a year currently. I’ve regularly seen it at $29.99 a month, so I’d check and see if that promotion is still available. I know you can sign up for Earthlink (identical to TWC broadband) through their website for $29.99 a month for six months (then switch to TWC over the phone on one of their new customer promotions.) More details on that at earthlink.com.
More generally:
Try visiting timewarnercable.com and enter your zip code when asked to review packages and promotions near you.
Do not ever be pressured into making a decision immediately. These deals seem to be ongoing and none of them expire if you want to think about it. The authorized dealers are paid on commission, but as long as they sell you the same speed tiers, the services should be equivalent. You should always be able to waive installation fees if you ask.
My personal choice has been to bundle everything with one provider because the combined savings made that the best value for me. But you don’t have to pay for services you don’t want or need.
Hi Phillip
Thank you so much for your response— you are absolutely amazing taking the time to help all of us individually.
I do agree that bundling is a good idea. In my case because I have ATT lifeline my phone bill is very low and, I believe, can’t be matched by other providers. I wish I knew more about this…
ATT is promoting uverse, which will be good, but is not yet available in my area.
I also have an offer for direct TV, linked to AMEX, for @19.99 for twelve months. I think it can’t be beat, which makes me think the bundling is not right for me at this moment.
You are absolutely right, TWC, and authorized dealers, are offering 10mbps for $29.99, and the modem for 2.50. I have a router, so only need a simple modem. Shall I take their offer, or buy a modem? I will insist on them waiving the installation fee, thanks to your advice.
I forwarded all your info to my son in San Diego. He is paying an absolute fortune to TWC. Most people just continue paying without realizing there are options.
Thanks again.
Ester.
Hi
I live in NJ and just moved to here from California San Deigo.
For the internet and cable service, I made a deal with TWC. Call them about 5 times a day.
Service Representative hung up on my call several times. (Gave them a unsatisfying point).
The promotion I got is TWC Double Pack Select . It’s including Basic,Standard,Preferred
Tier, DTV, Converter, Remote, DVRservice + Standard Internet which is 10MBS download
speed
for 89.99. This price is including DVR rental fee+service fee. (not internet modem lease fee 2.50)
*Not like back to school bundle that they are providing atm, they said for the TV+Internet(extreme) for back to shool bundle 89.99, doesn’t include DVR rental(10)+service fee(12.95). This means I have to pay like $23 more for just get the extreme internet service.
Also I asked them for higher internet speed, explain to them that Verizon Fios can give me 50mbs (which is Ultimate speed service for TWC)for only paying 10 more dollars. And so they set me with Turbo with paying 5 dollars instead 10bucks. From what I heard from Service Representative, TWC has 4 Internet services. Standard, Turbo ($10 more), Extreme ($20 more), Ultimate ($50 more)
So after the first month (If i get rid of 25.00 Installation fee+25 deposit) I’m paying for 5.00 turbo internet + 89.99 Double Pack + 2.50 Internet modem Lease + 5.95 Sports Tier( For *Golf channel and ESPN etc) = 103.44 + Tax(6.32) = Total $109.72
From what I heard from Service Representative, TWC has 4 Internet services. Standard, Turbo ($10 more), Extreme ($20 more), Ultimate ($50 more)
I don’t know if I’m paying an absolute fortune to TWC, I really needed this service done in like 3-4 days.
P.S. If I got wrong Information from TWC and overpaying something here, please enlighten me with your knowledge.
It sounds like you are a new customer in the area, so I would go to the TWC website for San Diego and see what the new customer promos are and start there. You should qualify for new customer pricing. You may have to call in a special toll-free promotional order number to qualify for some deals (or order online).
Thanks for the info on the back to school bundle. You are absolutely right – it does NOT include equipment, which helps kill that deal (although the Target card softens it). There is a $99 deal promotion out there too — that might include equipment. That DVR equipment fee and service fee is ludicrous.
More generally for those looking for a retention deal:
The San Diego division has proven stingy with retention offers, based on what I’ve seen other readers mention here. My usual recommendation is to hold out until they offer you something functionally equivalent to a new customer deal. Your offer would be so-so for those of us in NY, where we can get a triple play offer including everything for $89.99 a month, but it is better than a lot of retention deals I see from southern California so you are on the right track here.
The Turbo for $5 more is an easy deal to score, just make sure they don’t expire it after six months.
The reps in San Diego have actually told some of our readers to go ahead and walk if they don’t like their paltry retention deals, and they seemed to mean it. My guess is as competition ramps up, this attitude will soften considerably.
In New York, TWC handed me a bill just north of $100 a month for whole house DVR w/two receivers (one a DVR), 30/5Mbps Internet, and nationwide digital phone service. I loathe sports on television (giant time suck) so I don’t have that tier. But Verizon is holding their feet to the fire in a lot of upstate and downstate areas so they’ve been more bendable here.
The best deals still come from the specialized retention agents that tackle customers with pending disconnect requests. That means you mean business, and they know it, especially if you start returning equipment.
Look very carefully at the fine print of the DirecTV offer, especially for any term conditions like:
– Long term contract: Some providers give you a low price for months 1-12, but then jack up the price during months 13-24 as part of a two-year contract with a stiff cancel penalty.
– Extra fees and charges: Look for any fee disclosures, especially for renting equipment like set top boxes. Is there a monthly fee for extra equipment/services like DVR, monthly surcharges for service, and for extra channels you may want or need (local stations, popular cable networks, etc.)
I Googled a similar promotion “DirecTV Amex” which brought me to a website with a host of terms and conditions you won’t believe. I actually edited these down to the most pertinent, but it’s still a blizzard. It’s this kind of stuff that really irritates me and confuses a lot of people. Why not simply create a promotion at an appropriate price instead of playing games with credits and rebates….
It seems this particular promotion I found is a 24 month contract, but you get bill credits each month for the first year (and pay the higher price for the second). Check this out, paying special attention to the receiver lease fees and charges section and then make sure these are considered before signing up:
[begin quoted text]
BILL CREDIT/PROGRAMMING OFFER: IF BY THE END OF PROMOTIONAL PRICE PERIOD(S) CUSTOMER DOES NOT CONTACT DIRECTV TO CHANGE SERVICE THEN ALL SERVICES WILL AUTOMATICALLY CONTINUE AT THE THEN-PREVAILING RATES. Free HBO, STARZ, SHOWTIME and Cinemax for three months, a value of $135. LIMIT ONE PROGRAMMING OFFER PER ACCOUNT. Featured package/service names and prices: ENTERTAINMENT $54.99/mo.; CHOICE $63.99/mo.; CHOICE XTRA $68.99/mo.; CHOICE ULTIMATE $74.99/mo.; PREMIER $119.99/mo. Advanced Receiver fee $20/mo. Prices include the following bill credits for 12 months after rebate: $20 for ENTERTAINMENT; $24 for CHOICE and CHOICE XTRA; $25 for CHOICE ULTIMATE and PREMIER; plus an additional $5 with online rebate and consent to email alerts. Eligibility based on ZIP code. Upon DIRECTV System activation, customer will receive rebate redemption instructions (included in customer’s first DIRECTV bill, a separate mailing, or, in the state of New York, from retailer) and must comply with the terms of the instructions. In order to receive $30 monthly credits for ENTERTAINMENT, $34 monthly credits for CHOICE and CHOICE XTRA, or $35 monthly credits for CHOICE ULTIMATE and PREMIER, in the first 12 months, customer must submit rebate online (valid email address required) and consent to email alerts prior to rebate redemption. Rebate begins up to eight weeks after receipt of rebate submission online or by phone. Duration of promotional price varies based on redemption date. †$10 CREDIT OFFER: Customers activating and maintaining the ENTERTAINMENT Package or above along with an HD DVR and enrollment in Auto Bill Pay will receive an additional $10 bill credit for 24 months. °2012 NFL SUNDAY TICKET OFFER: Package consists of all out-of-market NFL games (based on customer’s service address) broadcast on FOX and CBS. Games available via remote viewing based on device location. Local broadcasts are subject to blackout rules. Other conditions apply. 2012 NFL SUNDAY TICKET regular full-season retail price is $199.95.2012 NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX regular full-season retail price is $299.95. Customers activating the CHOICE Package or above or the LO MAXIMO Package will be automatically enrolled in the 2012 season of NFL SUNDAY TICKET at no additional cost and will receive a free upgrade to NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX for the 2012 season. NFL SUNDAY TICKET subscription will automatically continue each season at special renewal rate unless customer calls to cancel prior to start of season. To renew to NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX, customer must call to upgrade after the 2012 season. Subscription cannot be cancelled (in part or in whole) after the start of the season and subscription fee cannot be refunded. Only one game may be accessed remotely at any given time. Online access is only available on certain operating systems. Computer hardware, software, and Internet connection not included. Mobile phone access only available on certain devices. Additional data charges may apply. Please check with your service provider. Visit directv.com/NFL for a list of system requirements and compatible mobile devices. Short Cuts are available from midnight Sunday ET through midnight Tuesday ET. Visit directv.com/NFL for a list of system requirements and compatible mobile devices. Account must be in “good standing” as determined by DIRECTV in its sole discretion to remain eligible for all offers.
24-MONTH AGREEMENT: EARLY CANCELLATION WILL RESULT IN A FEE OF $20/MONTH FOR EACH REMAINING MONTH. Must maintain 24 consecutive months of your DIRECTV programming package. Advanced Receiver-DVR fee ($8/mo.) required for DVR lease. Advanced Receiver-HD fee ($10/mo.) required for HD Receiver lease. Advanced Receiver fee ($20/mo.) required for HD DVR and TiVo HD DVR from DIRECTV lease. TiVo service fee ($5/mo.) required for TiVo HD DVR from DIRECTV lease. If you have two boxes or one box and an enabled TV, an additional $6/mo. fee applies. For each additional box and/or enabled TV on your account you are charged an additional fee of $6/mo. per box and/or enabled TV. NON-ACTIVATION CHARGE OF $150 PER RECEIVER MAY APPLY. ALL EQUIPMENT IS LEASED AND MUST BE RETURNED TO DIRECTV UPON CANCELLATION, OR UNRETURNED EQUIPMENT FEES APPLY. VISIT directv.com OR CALL 1-800-DIRECTV FOR DETAILS. Advanced receiver instant rebate requires activation of the ENTERTAINMENT Package or above; OPTIMO MÁS or above (for DVR Receiver, MÁS LATINO); Jadeworld; or any qualifying international service bundle, which shall include the PREFERRED CHOICE programming package (valued at $41.99/mo.). LIMIT ONE FREE HD DVR UPGRADE PER ACCOUNT. Second, third and fourth HD Receiver offer requires activation of the ENTERTAINMENT Package or above or MÁS ULTRA Package or above and HD Receiver or HD DVR as the first free receiver upgrade. Home Media Center HD DVR and additional advanced receiver upgrades available for a charge. INSTALLATION: Standard professional installation in up to four rooms only. Custom installation extra.
Local channels eligibility based on service address. Not all networks available in all markets. Programming, pricing, terms and conditions subject to change at any time. Pricing residential. Taxes not included. Receipt of DIRECTV programming subject to DIRECTV Customer Agreement; copy provided at directv.com/legal and in order confirmation.
[end quoted text]
If you are comfortable buying your own modem, and plan on sticking with TWC for broadband, this will save you the $2.50 rental fee (that usually kicks in after 6 months of service — ask, you may not need to deal with this issue for a few months). Just make sure the modem you buy is on TWC’s approval list (it’s on their website or ask TWC to point you to a copy). I recommend looking at a DOCSIS 3 modem if possible, to future proof yourself, but again this can be done later.
All –
Thanks for the great advice. I planned on making good use of it… but a word of warning
I’m currently in a bundle with TWC (broadband phone, lowest-tier high-speed Internet & digital basic cable, and the contract ended this month. I decided to go back to my old “wired” telephone provider temporarily, with the intention of switching eventually to a VOiP service like Ooma. (and because I don’t like having all my communication needs tethered to one provider). I contacted CenturyLink last week & placed the order. The number ports from TWC on 8/31. Fine. I then called TWC to negotiate a two-service deal (digital basic & broadband internet) opening by threatening to go down to basic cable.
The TWC rep was all too happy to tell me that FCC regulations prevented me from even placing the order to downgrade the TV service until my number ports to CenturyLink because of the hold on my account. Tried @TWCCableHelp, and got nowhere. So if this interpretation of the regulation is true (which my cousin, the director of finance operations for TWC NEO) can hopefully verify, don’t actually make the phone switch before calling TWC to negotiate/downgrade.
The reason you are being placed “on hold” is actually in your favor. While number porting is in progress, you absolutely do NOT want your old provider to disconnect your service, or you will likely lose your phone number (possibly for good). When CenturyLink successfully transfers (ports) your number, Time Warner will automatically disconnect your old phone service for you.
Number porting is now happening much faster at a lot of providers (within 24 hours is now increasingly common), so as soon as CenturyLink confirms your number has transferred successfully, you can call TWC and tell them to remove the hold if they have not already.
I switched my primary landline number to Google Voice, which means I no longer worry about changing providers as Google Voice will seamlessly auto-forward calls placed to my familiar landline number to whatever other numbers I want. This means no more worrying about number transfers.
The only downside to this was the fact Google Voice currently only ports cell numbers, not landline numbers. So to transfer my landline number, here is what I went through:
1) Bought a cheapo throwaway prepaid cell phone on T-Mobile’s network ($9.99 on clearance from Sears).
2) Ported my landline number from Time Warner Cable to T-Mobile (call Tmo to handle this, don’t activate the prepaid phone yourself), which took less than 24 hours and effectively canceled my landline service with Time Warner automatically after the port completed. My cost after buying the phone: ZERO (I used the free “ten minutes” of airtime included with the SIM card in the box, so I didn’t even pay for a minute of talk time).
3) Put in a request with Google Voice to port my T-Mobile number (my original landline number) to them. That completed in about 18 hours. My cost: $20.00 payable to Google. (Your complete cell phone number with T-Mobile is your T-Mobile account number, because Google will ask for it. Example: If 585-555-1212 is your landline number transferred to T-Mobile, your T-Mobile prepaid account number is 15855551212.)
Now, when someone calls my landline number, I can set up Google Voice to forward calls to my new Time Warner number, cell phone, or any other number (such as an Ooma number, Vonage, etc.).
The only downside to this is that outgoing calls from your landline show your actual number on Caller ID, not the primary landline number I started out with. It’s a minor inconvenience, and I never have to port my phone number again.
Philip –
I placed the request to port my number back to CenturyLink on August 16. It won’t be ported till August 30. (CenturyLink is not famous around these parts – or anywhere – for the latest & greatest in phone or Internet service. Ooma will likely be my next stop, but it will be 2013 before I can swing the investment in the equipment.). In the meantime, all I want to do is to save a few bucks by dropping the TV service (which is digital basic) down to basic , which – unless I get a superb deal from TWC on the digital basic/broadband package – will be the likely outcome. I’m actually not a big TV watcher, so it’s been fairly silly to pay for channels I don’t watch. I was locked into this package till this month. In the meantime, I can’t even get a quote on a deal. The FCC rule was invoked immediately.
Somehow, it seems to me that if I wanted to upgrade TV service, I wouldn’t be hearing the FCC rule (whatever number it is) invoked. I’m a loyal 20-year legacy Adelphia/TWC customer (with 5 years subtracted when I moved to Comcast territory in the next town south).
Keep on doing what you’re doing. It is very helpful.
Worked like a charm for me. I didn’t get any additional services (didn’t want any, either) and my bill got lowered by nearly $112 per month. Like magic. Thanks so much for the article, @phillipdampier.
$112/mo? That’s awesome, Nancy, kudos!
After getting nowhere via phone or online chat over the past few weeks, I found this site–great stuff, Phillip, thanks for sharing! I tweeted about 2hrs ago ago, awaiting a reply. I’m curious to see if this is effective for me: new twitter account, no followers, first tweet.
We’ve had continuous service with TWC since 2004 when they bought the local cableco, so we’ve never had a new customer-style promotion on our account, and are vastly overpaying (imo) at $157/mo incl taxes (this is in Ohio, not NYC or L.A….) and fees for triple play with std tier internet and digital basic cable w/o any premium packages or upgrades, and just one HD DVR box.
I’m also pursuing an alternate path to see if it generates some retention offers: I initiated a phone # port this morning, Google Voice with our Obi110 is more than adequate for phone, and I’m setting up Earthlink installation for later this week, which would drop us to just one TWC service. If we still can’t get any concessions, we’re prepared to move on, I’ve got no problem going to satellite–our total outlay for phone/internet/tv would still see substantial savings, even in the 2nd yr of a contract.
Yeah, I wish I could get a price reduction. Bill just went from $110 to $167 after promo rate ended. Did the twitter thing, talked to local reps on the phone, “best” they could do was $160 / month. So, it looks like I’ll have to reduce my services or cancel outright.
After making a telephone call to the TW Customer Service number, I ended the call extremely frustrated because the agen didn’t really care that I was ready to switch to DirectTV. Just before the agent hung-up, I asked her if she even cared that I ready to drop TW? At the last moment, she transferred me to the Retention Dept. I thought I was making progress, but all I was offered was a whopping $7 off my bill every month. That’s when I went online to look for help, which is how I ended-up here. I followed Phillip’s advice with a tweet to @twcablehelp. They responded the next day asking for a DM. I responded, then they responded and let me know someone from the local office (Charlotte NC) would get in touch with me. Today, that person called me with a 24-month offer that will save me $55 per month. I’m estatic and glad to remain with TW at a more reasonable rate.
Thank You Phillip for your advice!
We have done this periodically (when we remember to) but we just call them and flat out ask for the deal. We don’t have to threaten to cancel to get it. However, one time we called to actually downgrade our service and they gave us some deals to keep what we had & lowered our price. We’re getting ready to call this week to just go down to basic cable, turbo & wireless for $49.99 a month. Deal or no deal, we are cutting back. We don’t watch all those channels and it’s pointless to pay for cell phone service & a home phone too.
Please bear with my long post, but it’s been frustrating and I want to share this with everyone.
I have been chatting with TWC for 3 days in a row with no results. Here’s my situation:
- I have been with TWC for 5 years now and have been on auto-draft and paperless for probably 4.5 of those years.
- My payments for just internet was $46.60, including taxes etc. no equipment fees, and was that way for about 2.5 years.
- When TWC first came out with their “Turbo” package, I received notification from their CEO stating that I was automatically upgraded to their new package at no cost (because I was a valued customer). Currently, I get roughly 25Mbps DOWN / 1Mbps UP.
- In the last 2.5 years, my payments have automatically gone up from $46.60 to now paying $57.80 without any notice. While I agree that I should have paid more attention to how much I’m paying on a monthly basis, but you would assume if you paid a certain amount for 2.5 years, nothing should be changing if I have made no changes to my plan.
To sum up:
1. I am out roughly ~$336 ($11.20 X 30 months) and my service with TWC has not been changed.
2. I have a 5-year old modem that constantly slows to a crawl (a simple reboot of the modem typically fixes problem so there was no need to be on the phone with a TWC tech for 1+ hours for them to tell me to do so or tell me that if they send out a tech and it’s not their fault, it will cost me money). Also, other competitors are providing modems with built-in wireless, which mine does not have.
3. And now I realize I’m paying for “Extreme Internet” price and getting “Standard” internet. http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/residential-home/internet/plans.html
For some reason, everyone keeps telling me the reason why my pricing went up is because I was on a promotion that expired. When I started with TWC 5 years ago, there was only 1 option (cable internet) and there was NO PROMOTIONAL plan that I was on.
This is what I’ve been offered (by both chat support AND through this process here with a DM):
1. Lower my internet speeds to from 25Mbps/1Mbps to 10Mbps/1Mbps for $29.99/month for 12 months.
2. Upgrade from “Standard” internet (on paper) to “Turbo” internet for $49.99/month + equipment fees. If you think about this, I’m paying the same price for the same service I get now. I even made the argument with the DM and chat support, ‘How would they like it if their cell phone plan went up (without notice) when you’ve made no changes to your plan AND to make make it right, they would go from UNLIMITED minutes to 500 minutes month at a cheaper price.’
At this point, I’m at a standstill with the company. Looks like I don’t have a choice but to go to a competitor because I keep getting treated like I’m dumb.
Hi, thanks for the advice, I did the twitter thing today, sadly they never answered me, but maybe they will tomorrow. in my household I have to pay for phone, net and cable (plus basics like water,trash,etc) im disabled and live on 600 a month, so when I got the bundle that everyone wanted (mind you there are 5 tv`s in the house, all need cable boxes and 2 need dvr) it cost me after taxes and stuff 190.00 a month, which I gladly paid, makes what everyone else here pays look very small to me lol but again there are 5 tv`s and 4 bedrooms so we do need extra boxes) well now my bills 239.00 a month, I cant afford over 200, been selling dvd`s , cd`s, old jewlery etc. to make my bills last couple months, so I really hope your twitter thing works for me, thank you so much for putting this here for people who just cant stand all the price hikes, shame waster and electricity cant be done like this, and taxes and insurance LOL
Hi, if you cancel service with TWC with your own Modem registered (Motorola SB6141) and then reactivate service under different person to get promotional deal. Can you use the same modem you have (Motorola SB6141)? I read somewhere once its registered under account, you can’t register again? Does that apply even after the account is cancelled?
I think you are fine. People are known to resell their cable modems. As long as TWC doesn’t think it is their property, you should be fine.
they still havent answered me, im guessing they dont read twitter any more? or too many tried this already.
Hi Debra. You should be tweeting @TWCableHelp or e-mail them direct at twcable.help@twcable.com. You probably need to also “follow’ them if you are tweeting. They like to respond with a direct message, which will probably show up in your e-mail box.
Try e-mail and make sure to check your spam box/junk folder in case any replies end up there. Let me know how you make out.
Thanks so much with your help, I went back to twitter , no message but I decided to try again, and apparently the 2 time warners I followed were the wrong ones lol. I tweeted about having to cancel and they did the dm and it wasnt working right for some reason, but they got my messages and had a rep call me the next morning, they let me keep everything I have and dropped the over all price 30.00 a month (dvr rentals free for a year and 6 months free hbo for 6 months) right before I got this fixed my price went up yet again, over 240.00 a month, really a lot of money for tripple play. any way saving 30.00 a month is very helpful, will probably have to contact them in 6 months, but happy with the rate decrease. thanks for your help
I copied the tweet at, and also I followed them and also my local office, but I havent checked my messages ill do that now, if not I guess Ill email them amd see if they will help. Thank you for your help
Thanks Phillip. I have called Time Warner 4 times trying to get a rate reduction. I was skeptical this would work. I followed it to a tee and today 2 days after the twitter effort I got the call and TWC dropped my monthly bill by $56 for the bundle. Not only that, but the TWC representative was friendly and helpful and really took her time to walk through my options. Shocking to say but I am impressed with TWC!
I am glad this worked out for you. I know a lot of folks simply hate negotiating like you are buying a car for a lower bill, especially if you get a tedious rep that wants you to cut down your package instead. But the social media reps for TWC are far better at helping connect you with retention reps that understand you mean business and won’t be bullied.
This really is a painless process and I encourage customers to consider it during these difficult financial times. Rate increase season starts this month and extends until February across many TWC territories, so locking in a promo package immediately will spare you those increased rates for at least 12 months.
We are now paying the equipment lease fee of 3.95 bringing our Standard Cable Internet cost to 56.94.
Do you think we could get our (SoCal) cost back down to the promotional 29.99 again using the tweet method?
If we had to go the distance, how soon after canceling could my husband call as a new customer? & on the same equipment?
I am in the same scenario as another poster; I would like TWC broadband, I have VONAGE phone and hulu unlimited, but TWC wants an $100 for me just to keep my service even though I have canceled my phone service and only have basic cable! I just tweeted but @TWCCarolinas as that is where I am. I wasn’t able to locate @TWCablehelp; could you tell me how I might have searched wrong? Hopefully I will get a response to the tweet I did send!
Thanks so very much for this info; GOD BLESS YOU=)
Leonna, e-mail them at twcable.help@twcable.com. You won’t need Twitter.
Tell them you can sign up for Earthlink for just $29.99 a month (and you can right through Time Warner Cable), so they better deal.
Oh yeah! I had to create a twitter account to do this; would this work against me seeing as they might notice I don’t tweet?
No, they wouldn’t notice.
Is a twitter account necessary/advisable to effectively negotiate with twc or does email at twcable.help@twcable.com work just as well? I will be bargaining on behalf of my elderly parents who are on fixed income. I wonder if they offer a senior package. They have been twc customers for about 40 years.
Oops. I forgot to checkmark “Notify me…”
Late last night I came across this post with looking for alternatives to TWC – internet only service – and sent the tweet out. I vented on G+ when I first got the letter of my promotion ending and the timely postcard introducing the new modem lease (bogus) fee:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/110701321686696535944/posts/JuTqjy5skL5
I had a reply just after 8 this morning. After a couple back and forth’s I was told:
“After reviewing the bill, you currently have the lowest pricing options for your service level. ^RM”
When I asked how to get my “service level” changed to what it’s been for over 10 years the response was:
“I apologize but due to price increases we can no longer offer the original rates. If you would like to further discuss with our retention office, I can have someone reach out to contact you. ^RM.”
and
“I contacted local management to have someone reach out to assist you. ^RM”
We’ll see what happens next when “local management” calls me. I’m actually debating just dropping it altogether anyway and just using our phones for our internet since we already do here and there and since they get faster speeds than TWC. I don’t have throttling on our mobile plan but would have to ditch our home line that we currently have for free from T-Mobile – used to be $10 per month (switched from Vonage) but after dropping a line when my work provided my phone they offered a $10 credit if I kept the home line. If it wasn’t free I wouldn’t have it. We don’t need it and already use Google Voice for our mobile phones. it’s our “spam line” so not having it wouldn’t be a bother.
I’ll post back what the resolution ends up being.
Didn’t expect a call until tomorrow, but got a call just now from Edgar at TWC retention and he said they’ve already made the change to my account and for another 12 months (the usual promo periods I’ve been on) I’ll have the same service for the same amount including the new modem charge – so it’s $29.99 for internet! No negotiations at all. He said he’s already processed it and since I’m on auto-pay I’ll have a credit next month from the difference of this month’s $52 charge. So, I’d say a total of 10 minutes of my time, including the time on the phone when Edgar called. Literally a couple minutes at most in Twitter messaging.
I’ll also point out that I’m sure many people are calling TWC with the new modem charge as yesterday just before finding this post I clicked on TWC’s chat button from my account page and it said I was #52 in the queue!! That’s usually quicker than calling as well. So glad I came across your post, Phillip! Thanks again for helping make it easy for folks!
Thank you for the information and posting. I used the email address to star the process. The overall result was a savings of $21+/per month and a $150 Best Buy giftcard (after 90 days of good payment standing) Overall the process was worth the time to save about $400 over the next 12 months, the wait time in queue once transferred to the customer retention agents (with a few disconnects included) was a few hours. Ultimately I had to talk to customer retention twice and sales once (sales to get the $150 BB card).
This process was so easy and I got 2 DVRSs triple pack with blue and red package for $123 a month. Awesome deal! Great advice!
I transfered my service from verizon into timewarner around 16 June, 2012.
Ad showed if customer changed provider during 5/28/12 – 6/30/12, I could get $50 armazon gift card but I never received the card. I called customer service, a lady gave a phone no (1-888-977-8985) but the phone had been stopped. I am really mad since I have called so many call but no one could handle it. What should I do?
I’d send details by email to this address: twcable.help@twcable.com
This worked! Thank you so much.
Did the tweet routine but initially did not get a call-back. Repeated the tweet routine and had not one but two calls/messages within the day. There was a day and a half delay before I could call back and by the time I did, our account had already been taken from almost $57 a month (for ONLY cable internet) back down to 34.99. Like magic:)
Worked exactly as you have laid it out here, Phillip — thanks! My monthly services went from $161.06 (Nov) to $101.29 (Dec), saving me over $700 over the next 12 months. THANK YOU!! The savings will now be spent paying for my wife’s newly upgraded cell phone bill.
I am glad to see customers scoring some great deals. I hope folks will consider sharing some of those savings with Stop the Cap! which runs without advertising and entirely on the personal contributions of the consumers who follow us.
The donation button is on the right.
I have tried and tried to direct tweet twcablehelp after following them and it won’t let me do it. This really sucks.
E-mail this address: twcable.help@twcable.com
It goes to the same people that would handle your tweet.
I need your help Phillip.
How should i tweet or write to TWC to let them change m current internet service to the new customer price
i pay 49.99 for 15mb, with that same price for new i can get 20mb. I feel like rip off
when i try to ask them if i can get that price they say they cant do it. they explain that te standard price is 39.99 while for new it 29.99.
can you tell me what should i do to get the new customer, I dont want to talk with them over the phone, when i talk they keept say cant do this cant do that, tire of them transfer me around and i been talk like over 1 hour still got no where
E-mail twcable.help@twcable.com. Include your account number and customer info. They will almost certainly want to call you by phone, but it will be a retention agent calling you if you indicate your interest in dropping service.
The alternative is to switch to Earthlink via Time Warner Cable broadband. You can visit the Earthlink website and consider their broadband over cable promotional pricing ($29.99 for 6 mos).
Be aware all Time Warner customers will see at least 15/1Mbps service as the new Standard speed, so you may not care about Turbo.
At the end of six months with Earthlink, you can switch back to TWC as a new customer for a year at whatever promo price they have (currently $29.99).
There is no modem rental fee with Earthlink currently.
Basicly you tell me to cancel twc then use earthlink for 6 month thenc cancel and come back to twc as new customer.
Do i use the same name a register or different name?
I cant use @twchelp anymore?
can i just cnacel twc with in 2 week then do a new customer i=after that
You don’t need to do any special retention deal. Just switch to Earthlink first and then at the end of six months, you call TWC’s local sales office and sign up for a year of TWC broadband at the new customer price. When that year is up, you can go right back to Earthlink. This one requires no tweeting or special effort.
Hi Phillip,
Quick question: do you have to re-sign a contract to get the new, lower price?
Thanks!
In some areas, TWC really pushes contracts. If they lock you in at the discount price for the life of the contract (not one of those 2-yr contracts that offer discounts for year one, regular price for year two), you may not care about being on contract.
If you want flexibility to leave before then, penalty-free, I’d just ask TWC to give you the same price without any contract commitment. They may or may not go along. It often depends on the service area.
I tweeted them exactly as you instructed two days ago and no response
Then I did the same thing yesterday and again no response! I see their email address above. Will that be just as effective (without the public social pressure of Twitter)?
That e-mail address goes to the same people that respond to the Tweets. Social media reps are mostly concerned with customer satisfaction, not public perception.
I tweeted as you instructed & received a request to DM my info. Twitter was having a problem with DM & ended up emailing them. Not 15 minutes later I received a call from the retention department which I successfully negotiated a saving of $56.00 a month for the next 3 months and after it will go up $12.95 a month for a total savings of $43.00 a month. He told me to contact them again as the 3 months are about to expire & they normally have better retention deals at that time of the year! Thanks so much! Happy Holidays!
Email address is no good….
Trying chat now….
could someone tell me the last bill paid was dated. I don’t want to mess up and not pay it.
Phil, I don’t have a Twitter account. I could set one up but I won’t have any “followers.” Would that diminish my clout (such as it is) with Time Warner?
No. Twitter is just a means to use to reach out. You should basically end up talking to the same people if you contacted them in e-mail at: twcable.help@twcable.com or “like” their Facebook page and reach out to them there at https://www.facebook.com/twc?fref=ts
Either way, if you post a message saying you want to take your business to the lower priced competition, the dialogue will get established pretty quick. Just make sure you watch your e-mail or their Facebook page for any responses.
Called to cancel around 11am and by 1pm I had a phone call from time warner giving me a promotional package that I was told I could not get earlier.
from 110$ for one hd box and turbo internet
to 79$ for the same thing plus another hd box
This is a common experience. When the local retention people tell you they cannot offer you a certain deal, escalate it using our method and watch “absolutely no” turn into “of course we can.”
Fed up with my $170 a month and climbing bill, I called last week to “cancel” my services. They could only offer me a $5/mo discount for 3 months. Even after telling them that the local telco is $60 cheaper for better services, they would not budge. I cancelled effective immediately. A van came by today to turn me off and I dropped my modem and set top box off at the local store. Once I got home I tweeted as described above. Exchanged a few DMs with a rep. Was just told there was nothing they could offer me and try back in a few months. I’ll be visiting the local telco tomorrow.
I am FED UP with TWC. I am in NYC and only want internet, so now because I’m not in a package deal, my internet fee is going up. I’ve been a customer for a loooong time. Costs are going up everywhere in NYC and my salary isn’t.
Any advice?
I just want the fastest internet I can get for the lowest price I can get.
I followed Phillip’s advice and I got a savings of $74 per month. Thanks Phillip!
My 1 year Price Lock just expired and I got my new bill today: $149.99 for internet and digital tv. Up about $25 over what I’d been paying. I called and their “retention dept” wanted to make it $140 but would go back up after 3 months. I sent this tweet @TWCableHelp had cable with you for 10 years. Why not respect loyalty? Bill went up 20% last 3 months. Ready for #directv #twc #timewarner Within 6 minutes had response asking for my phone number by DM. 2 hours later a supervisor called and told me my rate is now $96 total for the next year. I think they’re definitely sensitive to bad publicity. Adding hashtags definitely a good idea to make them jump. Thanks so much!!
I’m old and don’t tweet. Will an email ( twcable.help@timewarnercable.com (don’t forget the “.” in twcable.help). be comparable to the results of using twitter? Thanks for your information.
I have signed with Twitter tonight. I am eager to give this a try because they have sent me the dreaded letter that my bill will be going up next month. I can not find the direct message thing anymore? Did they take it away, or am I just missing it. I see people are “tweeting” to them their issues, but I don’t want to mess this up. Which do I need to do, direct message or tweet? Appreciate it!!!!!
Once I figured out twitter, the rest worked to a T… Thank you very much for this post and website. They negotiated a much more reasonable price.
Great advice. I called twice, I chatted twice, and was getting nowhere. I sent an email to the address you said, and got a reply right away that said a rep would be calling me. A day later they called. My bill was going from $150 to $190. Within a minute the rep from client retention offered me a rate of $124. When I said I would need to call her back, she said how about $111? Thank you for this advice! It works!
Thanks for the information it worked great. Tweeted I was ready to cut the cord and I got a voicemail from TW they lowered my bill from $158 to $120 for a year.
Hmmm,,,,,I think I was too easy; a “lay down”. I got a better deal trhu the Twitter route so was pleased to see it helped and agreed to the offer. Bill was $174; 1st phone offer was $164; Twitter offer was $141. It appears some got offers that would mean more like something in the $100 range. Wonder if it is too late to “try again”. I’d be happy to get a 2nd box for same price also…..Any thoughts?
I talked to @TWCableHelp on Twitter yesterday about my 20Mbps Turbo internet service having gone from $51 in Sept. to $63 in Dec.
I told them a local company, EarthLink ( a 3rd -party reseller who uses TWC lines ) had a special in my area that offers 15 Mbps service for $40.
They replied and asked for my account and contact info. I gave it to them and they called me early this afternoon. I spoke to a very polite and helpful rep named Carol. My 20Mbps service is now $39.95 a month AFTER taxes for the next 12 months !!
Thank you so much Phillip Dampier for writing this article and pointing me in the right direction and thanks again Carol for being so understanding and easy to work with.
TWC DOES actually listen to their customers !!
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Thanks for the tip, Phillip! I followed your instructions exactly and strategized for the phone call to negotiate the Double Play rate and then cut off some of my extras to save more money. I didn’t have to.
When the local TWC rep contacted me, she reduced my bill from $230.88/month to $159.16/month without changing any of my options. That’s an annual savings of $860.64.
I mentioned to the CSR I may cut out a cable box or some movie channels over the next 6 months to save some more. She said that wouldn’t eliminate any of the promotions she applied to the core cable and Internet promotions.
We will probably revisit this in 12 months when the promotion goes away, but two Tweets and a 5-minute call just saved us a ton. We had tried multiple times to negotiate with the call center reps and got nowhere, so this was definitely an unexpected result.
Thanks again for posting this, Phillip!
After bitching at a TWC CS rep, and then asking to be transferred to Retention, neither was interested in retaining my $140 (currently) Triple-Play account that I’ve had with this company for over 30 years thru it’s transitional buy-outs from being Storer Cable, Insight Communications, and now TWC here in Louisville, KY….. and I wasn’t even bitching about their ever-increasing rate – I was only looking to get the new $3.95 Modem Lease charge removed, as I was told at the time I started service at my current address that ther would NEVER bee a charge for use of their modem (a DOCSIS 2) !! I told them remove the lease fee, or I would cancel. The retention rep then said “I’ve set your account up for cancellation – the phone may take 72 hours to shut down, though. You’ll need to bring our equipment to your local TWC center & turn it in”. So, they lose a 3-decade customer over $3.95…..
QUESTION: What does it take to sign back up as a “New” customer and get the good rates they offer to them ?
Here is where things went wrong for you. You called TWC’s main number and got transferred to standard retention agents, who are among the most difficult to negotiate with. The second issue was focusing your rage on the modem fee itself and not on the amount of your bill. TWC may not have a retention offer that simply strips the fee off, but they do have plans that reduce the price of your service far more than $3.95 a month.
If you fixate on the principle of the modem fee and not real dollars, you may get an agent that simply decides they can’t find something on their screen to exempt you from that fee and won’t think outside of the box to find a better deal for you.
You are also in an Insight area, and I’m not sure whether former Insight customers are dealing with the same TWC reps the rest of the country deals with or if you still have Insight’s legacy CSRs handling calls and policies.
Let’s try and clean this up.
Use the Twitter method explained above. This will get you a higher level retentions specialist. Tell them you have a disconnect date set which is a clear indication you are about to leave (they will take that more seriously than a threat to leave).
Tell them you are prepared to leave because the modem fee has raised your bill to the point you were prepared to shop around and you found a better deal for less money. Go find a U-verse new customer offer as a negotiating starting point. Don’t fixate on the modem fee, just your total bill. Tell them they have to at least meet the U-verse offer, better yet beat it. They probably will.
You will still pay the silly modem fee, but you can take the savings you should be able to get (at least $25-30 a month or more) and invest in your own purchased modem. Then turn TWC’s modem in and save yourself another $3.95 a month on top of your retention deal.
People should always focus on the real bottom line here: the out the door price you pay for cable service. Don’t focus on specific fees or charges, just your total cable bill. They will negotiate on that, even if they tell you to go pound salt on the modem fee. But you don’t care because you will save far more on a lower cable bill than you will just getting that modem fee off the bill.
Thanks Phil, but here’s the rest of the story:
“You called TWC’s main number and got transferred to standard retention agents, who are among the most difficult to negotiate with.”
I later called the head office the next day and spoke to a CSR, then another retention rep there. Same results with the 2nd CSR, and the 2nd retention rep. Even when I specifically asked to have the bill reduced elsewhere to make up the $3.95 the 2nd Ret rep finally only offered me a $7 per month reduction, nothing else, BUT even that only for 6 months, not to be ever after then. BTW, all said they were new with TWC, not former Insight reps.
I also pointed out to them that their supported-modems-you-can-buy-instead list is only older models that support UP TO 30 mpbs – no good for TWC’s 30 & 50 meg tiers – would require buying ANOTHER modem if speed was to be upgraded by them or us. Is there a DOCSIS in the house ? Quite a modem corner TWC is painting us into – lease, or buy old tech.
“Go find a U-verse new customer offer as a negotiating starting point.”
U-verse isn’t availabe in my part of Louisville – and TWC is aware of that – go figure.
I would still do the Twitter method shown above. Let them call you. I consistently see people getting better offers, so unless because they have not fully integrated Insight into TWC’s operations, so should you.
I would be surprised if you don’t get a call anyway considering you are on the disconnect list. They usually reach out to find out what went wrong.
You can get the Motorola 6141 which supports 100Mbps+. It has more DOCSIS 3 channels than the 6121 and other models. Check eBay for best pricing when you search Buy It Now. That is where I bought mine.
Also, are you current on your bill? A lot of late pays will get a brick wall from retentions.
If you -have- to go new customer, put it in your wife’s maiden name (assuming you are married of course). The offers are not very good right now and you won’t qualify for the rebate card, but anything is better than the outrageous price you are paying right now.
Philip – I think it really depends on where you live that determines whether you get a reduced offer. In my area (upstate NY) there are really no other alternatives, so after going through twitter and getting a call back the best they could do was $142 / month including taxes. I would imagine if Verizon FIOS were available I would have done much better since there would have been a viable alternative.
I’m guessing TWC is getting smarter about who they really *have* to give a lower price.
If that is true it is new because I’ve seen people in Frontier service areas come out pretty well. TWC will treat Frontier as increasingly competitive because they have phone, improving broadband, and satellite TV in a bundle.
Just remember if their retention deal is worse than a new customer price, it may be worth the hassle to do a disconnect and sign up as a new customer, preferably under a spouse’s name.
I don’t know what services you have for the $142, so I can’t say if that is a reasonable deal or not.
My $142 is for the triple play, no DVRs (I use cablecards and HDHomeRunPrime), and voicemail. I have my own cable modem.
There are no competitors around here (Hudson Valley NY) except a local telco (Fairpoint) whose service I haven’t heard great things about.
many many kudos philip for the awesome tips!!! … we have been twc customers for 15+ yrs … i just got my total bill clipped by $20 + an upgrade from grandfathered turbo to extreme.
previous, i had been trying to negotiate rate breaks for what we currently have to similar pricing for new customers. the “normal” customer service channels resulted in nothing but having to add services and equipment – which all resulted in a larger monthly cost than what i have now. granted, the extras might have been a discount in the end, but i wasnt interested in adding services – i simply wanted to keep what i had (or close) at a more reasonable monthly cost.
it wasnt until i went the twitter route (as described here) that i finally had access to reps who had more flexibility to negotiate. 10 minutes on the phone and i had a reasonable rate for the services and equip i wanted!!!
thanks again!
Many thanks for this site and this guide. I had to dust off my Twitter account (I never tweet), sent my first Tweet on 2/13 – got the request to DM my account info the same night. They referred the info to “local support” and told me to expect a call within 72 business hours.
Got a call today from TWC and after 10 minutes on the phone my bill is down over $30 a month for the next 12 months…to even less than I was paying last year! Last year I went the conventional “phone call” route to reduce my bill and thought I did pretty well….nothing compared to what a well-placed Tweet did this year! I’ll be sending a PayPal donation.
Donations are much appreciated. It’s how we pay to keep things up and running around here.
Worked like a charm, really a lot easier than dealing with their customer service phone line. Thanks for the tip!
Currently have TWC’s Standard TV Service, Standard Internet,Digital Variety Package; one HD/DVR and DVR service and $3.95 Modem lease fee. Total with taxes around $112. Just bought an SB 6141 Docsis 3.0 modem to eliminate the modem fee. Any suggestions on getting a good deal on Extreme/ Ultimate without having to pay an extra $30/$50 per month? Thanks for your advice.
Negotiate a better deal for what you have right now first so you have a set price in mind, then inquire what upgrade promotions they have for 30-50Mbps service.
It should run no more than $20 more per month for 30/5Mbps service. I have not price-checked 50/5 promotions lately, mostly because I found the premium price to upgrade to that level not worth the extra speed. In my real-world use, I don’t find much benefit from 50Mbps service based on what I do online, but I want and need the faster upstream speed, so I am happy with 30/5Mbps service personally.
Thanks. Was thinking of the 30/5 service and will try to negotiate and see what I can come up with. Thanks for your time and efforts.
Hey,
Just wanted to leave a comment and thank you so much for your help. It was great reading the success stories and knowing we don’t have to take the first offer they give and sometimes they are willing to work with you.
I greatly appreciate you have this webpage and will donate.
Thank you!!!
We are glad we could help. Remember, there is a lot of good consumer information here, so come and visit often. Just click our logo at the top to get to our home page. You can also read stories regarding your provider by clicking the Providers tab at the top and scrolling to your ISP.
just tried this. woke up and my bill has gone up $10. 4 months ago, it went up $20 all in all, we’re up $70 from 3/4 years ago. we pay on time (early in fact) EVERY MONTH. Hope this works. im sick of it, but dont have other options. they dont know that though (i hope)
I find each month Time Warner has different payment terms. I am on a fixed income and get paid just twice a month. This month I received a cancellation notice which I thought was sent erroneously especially since I had payment terms and paid them up last month. Nope the disconnect was not sent by mistake and before I knew my service was shut off. This of course happened AFTER I had paid my bills for the month. So I asked them to make arrangements to pay. The farthest out they could extend me was 6 days last month was 11. I explained to the loop of people I spoke with I can’t pay them if I don’t have money I get paid next month and would to happy to pay then. Still wasn’t good enough. So I am going ultra cheap I ordered a really good antenna where I get all the networks plus other channels and I must say the picture is outstanding. Secondly to compensate I joined Hulu at 7.99 in the end I am paying $60 less per month going this route. I am so done with cable TV you may have mega channels but nothing is ever on. Except reality show’s, reruns of show’s etc. Well I can get that through Hulu and watch the show’s I want when I want. And it’s only a matter of time before I get a Tivo and a $200 reduced price and still pay the subscription price and I’m still paying a whole lot less. I control what I watch when I watch it and have telephone, internet and TV at a better price than TW can get me. Glad to be leaving them in the dust!
Thanks for the great idea. This worked with AT&T Uverse as well. They tried to raise the prices on current internet and TV packages. I ended up doing the same thing mentioned here and got a credit put on my account as well as lowering my monthly bill by threatening to go with a different carrier.
I had a customer retention supervisor call me back with the deal to keep me “the most important part of AT&T”
Yesterday I finally sent a tweet as explained here saying it was time to cancel and switch to another provider. I got the DM request and sent my info. Got a DM back a bit after that saying my information had been sent to local billing and I should hear from them in under 72 business hours. Is that the normal course of events? I don’t believe I’ve heard of anyone here mention local billing.
I am not sure. Usually these get directed to a retentions specialist. Maybe you got a cut and paste response. I’d wait and see what eventually culminates when they call. Let us know.
I got the same response. It was on the Thursday before President’s day weekend. I hadn’t heard anything by Tuesday morning, so I tweeted again saying I hadn’t heard anything and should I be worried. They Dm’d back saying they were sorry and with the holiday it increased the time but if I didn’t hear anything by close of business Wednesday to let them know. On Wednesday afternoon I got my call – and it wasn’t from my local office.
Just got a call from a TWC rep. He lowered my bill to $103.79/month for a year. That’s about a $50/month savings. I didn’t know how negotiable that was and it was close to what I was expecting so I took the offer. Thanks!
Charlie
There you go. I told you not to be too worried. $50 bucks a month for a year is $600. That is nothing to sneeze at.
wow, thats awesome
, I had horrible luck this time 
I get cable, internet and phone, and it had gone up to 210 a month and its my job to keep the stuff we have , no one wants me changing the phone or anything, we have 2 dvrs (no one wants the whole house thing) and 5 rooms with tvs (so 5 boxes altho 2 are dvr`s yet they charge me for 5 set top boxes AND 2 dvrs and they are the same thing) so I twittered, they took my info and the next day the rep woke me up the next morning, I was half asleep, and he said they have no deals to help except he could charge me half price for the boxes, so I figured on top of what I had that would have to do, then right before hanging up he told me it was 215 a month, and dont ya know its even more then that after taxes??? my bills even higher now then it was, and im stuck with this for 6 months, he told me I could call back in 6 months to try again (well twitter again in 6 months) I truely wish there was a better deal here, would love o try fios but arlington texas doesnt have it yet. if I could have saved 50 a month I would first send this site a little money (as id have it LOL, and then try to pay down a credit card every month ughh. good luck to anyone in my area, the twitter works well usually, but right now they are very tight with helping here for some reason
Aaron in retention at Time Warner Cable is the least helpful, most co descending persons I’ve spoken to in a long time. Stay away from Aaron and Time Warner Cable. I’m going back to AT&T immediately. Time Warner just lost a
Customer for life and my $1,200 a year.
Thanks so much for the great idea. I had already been on the phone with three separate people over the past two days and was getting nowhere fast. Following your advice I became a twitter newbie, opened an account and fired off my twitter. Had a request to DM info within 33 and 34 mins. Will update you later with results.
Your idea worked like a charm. Instead of my bill going up $30 when my 2 year lock ends, it’s going down $15. Awesome!
Question before I would take any steps; I only have Internet through TWC and they are the ONLY one where I live. Cancelling that would leave me…. well, without any alternative. Would it even work to tweet and tell them to cancel my service..? Plus I only have the ‘basic’, but it’s still almost double from what I paid at first…
As for using Google Voice (I didn’t read all of your stuff on this), the cheapest way to do that (afaik, since I’m using that) would be to get OBI ($45) and “hook up” the Google Voice to it. You’re set and done for just $45 without any other fees beyond that. (as long as GV stays free of course)
Here’s an interesting dilemma- I’m about to move out of my apartment. Here we have the deal where basic cable and basic internet is included with rent so that cost disappeared from my bill. I have a cable tier, 2 cable set boxes and 1motorola modem (not sure if I keep that).
Now- right now I think I would just have to downgrade to remove my small little amount (28ish dollars); however because I am deaf- the phone is a difficult way to go as I never know who I’m getting and my blood pressure usually goes up when
trying to hear and talk to them. Shame one cannot downgrade online-seems just silly. So I am going to try the email route (I don’t have Twitter…
maybe someday… maybe). Thing is I don’t WANT them to call me!
So- hopefully if I can stress it enough…they’ll stick with emailing lol.
Any other suggestions/advice more than welcome!
I’m thinking of dropping my landline and my cable service altogether, and just going with high-speed internet. With a ‘smart TV’ I could get TV through my wireless internet, via hulu-plus and netflix, and still get most of the shows I usually watch. Add a Voip device, and I still have phone service. Even with all those fees added together, I’d still be paying half what my Time Warner bundle is costing me, so the extra devices I’d have to buy would pay for themselves within a year. Switching over would be a pain in the ass, but I am sooo sick of Time Warner raising my rates through the roof that it’s looking more worth it all of the time.
After spending an hour on the phone Monday night (and being switched to a number that disconnected me) and another hour Tuesday night (being told I was not eligible for any deals because I’ve been a loyal customer, oh and you have to call again tomorrow before we’ll do anything), I took your advice and tweeted. Let’s see if that works. If not, I’m going to Verizon. Then, ironically, I’d be eligible for the deals.
It’s been 10 years and I have given TW $5000.00. WOW is such an understatement.
I happened upon this site when researching best price for new internet cable for my parents who are still on dial up, uuuggghhh. Then I realized that I have been diligently paying my $41.95/mo for 10 years for ONLY internet and come to find out it is the ‘basic’ slower speed. (Which is only 3Mbps which is very slow compared to the next pricing level ‘Standard’ that has15Mbps)
Showing my lack of knowledge here… people talking about the speed say ie: 30/5 what do each of the numbers represent? How important is the second number? How noticeable is the difference between the 3Mbps and 15Mbps? Is it worth upgrading?
Currently (March 2013), what is a reasonable price range nowadays??? I am asking for guidance because I don’t want to jump at the first thing they offer. Oh, and I own my own modem and wireless router so don’t need those included.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, for any help and guidance!
Hi Jan. It really depends on what you do with the Internet. If all you do is browse web pages and read e-mail, 3Mbps is perfectly adequate. If you want to start watching online video, get Netflix, or if you are sharing your connection with others at home, faster is much better.
Standard speeds are now 15/1Mbps with Time Warner. The first number represents download speed, the second represents upload speed. If you send photos or video files to friends and family, or download files or music, faster upload speeds are noticeable. Otherwise, it probably won’t matter that much to you.
But $41.95 a month for 3Mbps service is terrible. You have two choices right now, both giving you much faster service at a lower price:
1) Sign up for Earthlink, which works over Time Warner Cable’s network. You will get 15/1Mbps service for six months at $30 a month. No modem fee. You are billed on your Time Warner bill and they can make the change on the phone with no visit. But you will lose your Road Runner/TWC e-mail address. If you use Hotmail, Gmail, or a web-based e-mail address, this will not affect you.
At the end of six months, you can sign up as a “new customer” with TWC for a year on a price promotion, which ranges between $30-40 a month for 15/1Mbps service.
2) Use our method described in the article above to argue for a better deal. At the very least, you want the same price new customers get (research on TWC’s website to see what they are charging for 15/1Mbps service).
If they won’t give it to you, switch to Earthlink and then come back to TWC when that promotion ends.
It worked. My bill was lowered from 170+ with taxes to 102. Thank you so much!
Thanks for the great information! I did exactly what you said and I got a call this morning (after less than 24 hours from my tweet) and Kay gave us a $60 per month decrease in our bill. Our bill was about 200 and now it will be around 140. Here’s my question: I’ve heard of people getting much better deals than I got. My brother got a decrease of about 120/month and he has the same package I do. I found a deal through Windstream that is $75/month for bundled internet, phone and TV which looks good. Do you know whether or not I can take another run at customer retention or should I be grateful for what I got. Thank you very much for your help Phillip!
Deals change all the time. They were more aggressive last year than this, so that may explain why your brother got a better deal. Once I accept a deal, I usually live with it until it expires.
Windstream has their Prism service in some areas. It is comparable to AT&T’s U-verse. If that is the service they are selling, make sure you get broadband speed information from them for that offer and compare what television package they are offering. Also check for hidden fees for equipment and installation. The $75 intro rate on a triple play is suspiciously low to me, so I’d start checking that fine print. Some of these are on 2-year contracts with the lowest price only applicable during the first year. Then it goes up after that and you are still locked into a contract.
Thanks Phillip! Great advice, re: Windstream. I thought the same thing about their intro rate being suspiciously low, I just don’t have enough experience to know what to look for. That’s why I appreciate what you are doing – yours is a very nice service.
Also, I will take your advice on the deal I got – good point. Take care and thanks again!!
I read many folks here saying a)they will fish to get a better price and b)others are fed up with the total cost and *will* cancel and the reps here this and in both a) and b) there are reductions in fees because TW offers discounts. I called to complain and I got substantial concessions. My problem is I don’t want any of them because in truth, TW is dying and they know it. I want to cut the cord and just get Extreme Internet and pay half of what I am paying now. I don’t need to pay $35 plus $5 modem fee for digital phone when my wife and I have two cell lines with unlimited minutes. We don’t watch most of the crap on TV and we share a Netflix plan with our in-laws. We have premium channels now we will never watch because we have Playon TV software that allows us access to most of the popular shows via the networks, HULU, etc. plus we can stream off of major network sites. All this and without having to pirate! We got offered a dvr but we have Replay units that are free, give us 3,000 hours of standby recording time, and we have a step down box to move digital back to analog to record digital shows. We’ve been whole-house networked for 10 years and TW’s digital dvr does just 35 hours. We no longer need their phone, their content, or their dvrs. We just need their internet. People are cutting the cord because TW’s content and services are no longer relevant. There are enough options out there including free streaming and over the air free digital channels with an antenna so that there is plenty to watch. People are waking up to the fact all they do is channel surf begging the screen to show them something worthwhile to watch. With Playon, we get independent films, foreign films, old shows, current shows, and PlayLater if we want to record. TW used to sell the sizzle but that’s old now. The content isn’t worth almost $180 just for basic cable, phone and internet. And…if people want to pirate (we don’t), it is all out there available for downloading. TW doesn’t have an exclusive anymore and people are waking up to the fact they shouldn’t be paying for it like it was an exclusive. One other thing. We have some box we plug our cell phones into, can’t remember the name, and the box lets us plug our house phone wiring into it. We can receive cell phone calls on our house phones, including getting faxes. We use CallClerk software to manage our calls via a pc to cut out scam calls, telemarketers, etc. (something that TW can’t offer), and we get vastly superior voice mail with email notifications, attached wav messages, faxes, etc. all in our email on our cellphones or by internet using our laptops. Finally, we know how to use SSH to tunnel in to our home network so we could watch TV on the go when on vacation or driving with the kids (we have unlimited cell data plans still) but we rarely do this because there are too many streaming options from Disney, etc. TW has ice to cell and we are Eskimos and it isn’t relevant anymore. We can get by with $85 a month for internet and that’s half of what we paid per month. I have neighbors who share Extreme wirelessly and they are into it for $45 each. It has reached a tipping point.
I’m surprised no one has said the terrible customer support isn’t a reason to cancel TW. I have wanted to cancel a million times just on that point alone. I have nothing against people who speak English as a second language. I do have trouble with people who are not properly trained, not knowledgeable, and who repeat your questions about three times to show they are listening…only to have to ask you a couple of times during the call why you are calling. Ask them to tell you what their records show for your MAC address on your modem and they act like you asked them to lay a golden egg. Ask them to do anything and they will try to deflect you to call the modem manufacturer or your router’s manufacturer. As for the follow-up calls…if TW doesn’t realize how crazy their 3rd party follow-up callers sound with their poor quality phone line, very bad broken English, and mumbling with a “press 2 to be removed from the calling list” then I don’t know what. Even when I have complained and provided the number, TW reps claim they don’t know who the caller is and that it is not TW. When I say they have specific info about my account and my “that-day” call to TW, the TW reps swoon and say they can’t figure how how this could be. We’ve had to block the caller because calls come in at 8 am and at 9:30 pm on our cell phones. Oh yes, TW could take a lesson on how to block calls. What do they think? That we are stupid cattle who don’t know how to use technology that is not theirs? They don’t have an exclusive on anything anymore. The only people who are crisp and light a match and stomp their feet and clap their hands for our money are retention people. They must get paid commission because they actually pay attention, listen, speak standard English, and can make deals. Those types of calls are the only ones that still keep us subscribed. We’ve evaluated the Extreme Internet service and it will only be a matter of time until we cancel everything else. Can’t afford them.
If I set up a cancellation date. Can I back out of it? I still want to keep Time Warner. I just want to see if they will give me a cheaper rate or if they won’t care and not call me back.
Yes you can back out of it. I’d recommend trying the Twitter method we describe above because it saves you time and aggravation dealing with your local customer retention reps. TWC will call you with an offer instead of calling them and arguing.
I don’t have a twitter so I emailed yesterday. But I think I still didn’t take the right path by my email stating “I want to set up to disconnect my services at the end of the billing cycle. I pay more than what Verizon offers and just can’t afford to pay what I’m paying anymore.” They responded by saying “I have asked the local support supervisory team to contact you to arrange the disconnect.” I guess I should have already arranged the date previously. They haven’t called yet.
A general note to readers of this thread: TWC is currently running a special for customers without HBO/Cinemax. Call and ask them if you can get six months of HBO and/or Cinemax for $5 each. They pitched this to me this morning while I was calling them about an equipment problem. The deal also gets you HBO/Cinemax Go (the online streaming services) and the on-demand channels. After six months the rate increases to $19.95 a month total for both HBO/Cinemax (if you take both). Regular price is $14.95 for HBO and $12.95 for Cinemax.
Ive been trying the twitter method as above, set up cancel date etc. I have YET to talk to anyone except the standard sales dept or customer service dept. Afetr trying twitter AGAIN, someone FINALLY left a voicemail with a local-ish phone number as their ID. The callback number she left was……..the STANDARD sales dept again! IT IS impossible to talk to any kind of manager whatsoever. I dont want stuff for free. I just want to discuss options with someone with authority. If they dont do that for customers, fine. Just dont keep telling me I will be able to talk to someone when it NEVER happens. Ive spent HOURS AND HOURS on this project. Its stunning how much of a circle Im running in.
Thanks so much! I used your twitter tactic, and within 24 hours, I had my bill dropped $18 a month, got a year’s worth of free Showtime, and upgraded my internet from 15 mbps to 20!!!
I stumbled across this site today, and I’m glad I did. Our 12 month promotional rate with Time Warner for internet/TV/phone ended in January. I emailed TWC today at the email address above, indicating we were considering switching to Frontier for a comparable bundle for around $100/month. Within a couple of hours (on a Sunday, no less) a local retention agent called me who offered to lower our monthly rate from $135 to $93 (including tax), good for the next 24 months with no contractual obligation.
Thanks Phillip!