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Is your promotion with AT&T U-verse coming to an end? Are you actually paying regular price for Internet, phone, or television service? Why?
“AT&T will do whatever we can to keep your business,” an AT&T customer retention specialist tells Stop the Cap! “If you seem serious about canceling service by quoting us rates from one of our competitors, we will give you an even better deal to stay with us with faster speeds and a lower price.”
AT&T has been attempting to improve its “promotional churn” numbers — the percentage of customers who switch to AT&T U-verse with a special deal only to cancel after the promotion ends. So far, it seems to be working, especially in the Midwest where AT&T’s pricing has been so aggressive, Time Warner Cable admitted it has had trouble keeping customers and winning former ones back.
Providers are especially vulnerable when promotional packages expire and rates reset to the regular retail price, often $30-80 or more a month, depending on the number of services. When the first bill reflecting non-promotional pricing arrives, a lot of customers with bill shock consider their options and some leave for a better offer elsewhere.
Time Warner Cable handles this by offering a less generous, follow-up promotion when the original one expires. AT&T usually waits until customers try to cancel service before a “customer retention” specialist goes to work to save the account.
An AT&T customer service representative working in AT&T’s customer retention department talked with Stop the Cap! this week about AT&T’s current pricing and promotions, but requested anonymity because she was not authorized to speak with the media.
“When a customer calls in and asks to cancel service, those calls are automatically passed on to our department to change the customer’s mind,” says our source. “We take calls of all kinds including profanity-laced, ‘one-way’ conversations from angry customers upset about poor service, those fishing for a better deal, and those that have already set up an installation appointment with a competitor.”
“We are trained to resolve customer concerns, so the guy who loses U-verse service during Sunday football doesn’t need a lower rate, just a serious effort to stop those outages from repeating,” says our source. “We’re worried the most about customers who can quote our competitor’s best promotional offer and are prepared to switch immediately. These customers are clearly price shopping so we have to find ways to lower our price, improve our service, or a combination of both or the customer will walk.”
With U-verse still being a relatively new product, AT&T invests a considerable amount of money to provision service to new customers. To recoup that investment, AT&T needs customers to maintain service for at least a few years. If a customer cancels as soon as their promotion expires, AT&T will lose part of that investment.
“It is actually better for us to upgrade your service and even cut your price than to lose your business, so we do exactly that,” our source says. “That is why our best retention offers are not available to new customers. That is actually a good thing in my view because we’re treating our current customers better than those who are not,” she adds.
Stop the Cap! has assembled a guide to help current AT&T U-verse customers snag one of these retention deals and save. However, please be aware your results can vary based on a number of factors including: your past payment history (chronic late-payers will not qualify for the best offers), the level of competition in your area, the customer service agent you are dealing with, and the perceived seriousness of your threat to cancel service.
We have focused most of our attention on the broadband part of U-verse, but those with bundled service can also get some attractive retention deals.
“It doesn’t hurt to ask even if you are still on a contract,” says our source. “Although we won’t give contract customers the best deals, we can often offer a free speed upgrade through the customer retention department.”
What about U-verse’s 250GB usage cap?
“It’s not enforced in most areas and I’ve never seen a customer call to cancel because they had overage fees on their bill,” says our source. “If they did, I’m sure we’d just credit them. I don’t see us losing a customer over this.”
Getting Prepared
You will be calling AT&T. Do not bother using their online chat support, e-mail, or snail mail to ask for a better deal. You will not get one. AT&T’s approach to customer retention requires a specially trained representative to speak with the customer by phone.
Visit the website(s) of the cable company and any other competitors serving your area. You will need to have specific pricing and service details handy when asking AT&T for a better deal. “Don’t make it up, because we will likely take a look at the same information you found and point out any fine print that might make a competitor’s deal less attractive,” says our source. “We are asked to document these details in the notes we place on your account. These are available to any other representative that looks at your account.”
Think about what is most important to you, upgraded service for the same price or a lower bill. The representative will have a few different retention offers to choose from, and in some cases a supervisor may need to authorize the better-priced deals. Most will require a one-year term contract.
Making the Call
A lot of customers want a better deal but don’t want to feel stressed out asking for one. Don’t worry. In most cases the entire process will take less than 15 minutes. But it helps if you can call when you are free of distractions or pressured for time. Hold times might vary and in some cases a less-than-helpful representative might require you to start negotiations over with someone else.
Have paper and pen ready to take notes. You will want to write down the name and extension of the representative and details about the types of retention plans being offered, especially if AT&T manages to ‘lose the paperwork.’
Do -not- call AT&T’s regular customer service number. Instead, call 1-800-288-2020. You will be prompted to select your state, asked for the phone number associated with your account, and offered a menu of choices to proceed. You need to say or select the option to “cancel service.” This will route you directly to a customer retention specialist.
Making Your Case
You: I am calling to cancel my U-verse service. I have been offered a better deal with the cable company.
AT&T: Really? We don’t want to lose you as a customer so let me pull up your account. Can you tell me what our competitor is offering?
At this point, you want to quote the deal you found on the competitor’s website and quote the offer. Let the representative know you are switching because of the price and/or features.
An alternative approach that has also proven effective:
You: I just received an offer from my cable company that has made me seriously consider switching but I wanted to reach out to AT&T to see what you could do to keep my business. I’d like to learn what promotions I might qualify for.
AT&T: Let me check. Tell me what the competitor is offering you.
You: (Describing the offer) There are certain things I like about the offer from the cable company but I could be persuaded to stay with U-verse. I am just concerned because for the amount you charge for broadband service, I can get faster speed at a lower price with the cable company. Are there any promotions that can boost my speed and offer me a better deal?
When the representative comes back on the line, they will usually offer a small discount or service credit ranging from $5-10. But better deals come to those who hold out.
You: My neighbor is getting a better deal than that. He received a speed upgrade and is paying something close to half the regular price for the next year. Is there anything like that available?
AT&T: Let me check. Yes there is, but I will need to speak to my manager.
“When we put you on hold to ‘speak to a manager’ this usually means we are putting notes on the account to justify the higher value retention deal we are about to offer,” says our source. “But if something unusual comes up, like a one-time credit or waiving an equipment fee, we may need a supervisor’s approval.”
Stop the Cap! has verified some valid U-verse retention deals that are commonly available throughout the United States. In some highly competitive areas, these deals are often sweetened with a $100 service credit instantly applied to your bill. You can always ask. Although AT&T might offer some of these for six months, most can be extended to 12 months upon request. Be ready to commit to AT&T for the next year to avoid any early termination penalties in the typical 12 month term contract that comes with these offers.
It is important to be flexible and don’t fixate on any particular element in an offer. A representative may not be able to waive surcharges like a modem rental fee (buy your own) or a Local TV Surcharge, but they can usually find a deal that more than compensates you with a much-reduced rate.
If the representative seems reluctant to extend an offer to you, thank him or her for their time and call back and speak with someone else. Some AT&T representatives are more helpful than others.
Frequently Seen U-verse Promotions
- Broadband-only service: 3Mbps for $14.95/mo, 6Mbps for $23, 12Mbps for $25, 18Mbps for $28, or 24Mbps for $33 (Buying your own modem avoids rental fees but if you plan to rent, ask if there are any promotions that reduce or waive the fee);
- Bundled TV/Internet Service: The most commonly available offers bundle 18Mbps broadband with U300 service at prices that range from $101-103, although $104/month can upgrade you to 24Mbps with U300 in certain parts of Florida. (1-yr contract)
“We really aren’t routinely offering many deals for speeds above 24Mbps because too many customers don’t qualify for faster service,” says our source. “Offering something they can’t get only further disappoints them, which is something we prefer to avoid.”
This came literally one day too late. I canceled yesterday.
This deal works great but should be updated for price increase, I got 24 Mbps for 35.50 for 1yr.
This did not work for me. I got a very rude customer retention specialist who actually proceeded to lie to me on the phone. We have had uverse for almost 3 years now and she tried to tell me I can’t cancel because we are under contract? I told her we were out of contract after the first year and we have never made any changes to our service? She proceeded to tell me any promotions they offer force you to be under contract. I decided at that point I didn’t want to do business with a company that lies.… Read more »
She wasn’t lying to you sir, I’m a billing & sales representative for Uverse, DSL, and POTS phone services. All the good promos available through not only retention but in the billing & sales department come with a contract term for however long the promo lasts. The only retention promo I’ve seen that doesn’t is a $5 off for one year promo.
Was that a confirmed and signed “contract”? Was it verbal? Was it sent out in a letter as bulk mailing, or with a first class stamp? Was it’s delivery confirmed?
I’ve always had good luck with negotiating Uverse rates but had an unlucky spat of 3 unhelpful agents. Been with for 4 years but I’m honestly thinking about cancelling. U300 with 18Mbps is a good service but I’ve been paying $100 a month and they say the best they can do is $131… ah no. They are calling that the “Best manager rate” and won’t budge. I’ll try one more time and then it’s curtains! They didn’t even try to throw in HBO or something!!! They did offer the internet only for $37.50 but won’t include that discount with TV,… Read more »
Just called, took about 35 minutes but they did give me the rate I wanted. The first year with them I paid $68 with taxes and fees for dvr and and modem for U family and 6Mbps speeds. Now I wanted U200 and faster internet so at first they offered $98 a month with dvr and modem fees included, but then she called her service specialist when I didn’t want that deal. The service specialist (manager) offered me the same deal and I still wasn’t having it, so she offered $84 with all fees w/o taxes. That I agreed to… Read more »
Just tried today. My promotional price for my 24Mbps ends near the end of June (with the option of extending the discount) – I pay about $51/month.
Spoke to the retention department and the lady seemed absolutely certain they couldn’t come close to meeting the competitor’s price.
I think I am going to try, again, closer to the ending date of my promotion (June 20th, I think) and see if they’ll ‘wheel and deal’ then.
So, no-go, for me as far as getting my rate further discounted (and I followed the suggestions of the article in terms of approach).
Tried today, no go. Got a very nice rep, but she told me she could not come close to what DirecTV was offering me. I was told by the DirecTV rep that they are partnered with AT&T, that conversation was in regards to my current internet service – that I could keep it & add to my DirecTV account. The partnership fact seemed further confirmed by the Uverse rep’s complimentary statements about DirecTV, their service, etc.
So, I guess you can’t get them to meet the competitor’s price when the competitor is not so much a competitor! 🙂
Worked for me! I just negotiated U200 + 45 Mbps (up from 18) to $111 — that’s a $79 discount from what I was paying.
You were getting screwed big time my friend! Your new deal isn’t so hot either. You need a better negotiater!
You just saved me $1200 over a one year deal plus I got two additional TV receivers free. AT&T actually beat the DirectTV price by $8 a month, which is something I was not expecting at all.
It took a bit of work to figure out how much the various competitor’s packages would be, but I reckon a return of $600 an hour for two hours of research is pretty good!
Thanks!!
I just called and spoke to someone very nice. I was paying $140 for U200 and Max internet, and quoted Comcast’s price of $99 for about the same deal, with no contract. They offered me $85/month to keep U200 and upgrade my internet to Elite, but I had to sign a 1 year commitment. Fine with me, since I have seen Comcast and am not impressed!
Worked for me as well! I’m actually paying $10 more than my old promo Uverse U300/Max Plus Internet (18mbps), but I was able to negotiate for the U450/Turbo internet (24 mbps)
Just got off the phone w/AT&T U verse retention agent. Two days ago I called, expecting to be able to accomplish what the article suggested but I failed. However, having a definite plan I was prepared to switch to (per the article) and the agent seeing I’d called before, I was able to get exactly what I was looking for–Internet only. I’m giving up the TV component for a digital antenna in my attic. All I ever watch is local channels anyway. So my bill is being cut almost in half!
Max+ and 200 for $120 including HD and 3 DVRs. I’m pleased.
Thank you so much for the article. It was very helpful!
Spoke with a retention specialist. I was able to keep the same rate and discount for six more months, no contract, and with double the internet speed. Weird, right? U200 and 6mbps, now 16mbps, and 2 DVRs for $80 month. Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for the article! I saved so much. Got U200 + max turbo (24mbps) + hbo + hd + dvr for 3 tvs all for a total of $122 a month the whole year and the gift cards took out the wireless installation fees.
I was just offered
18Mbps for $33
24Mbps for $35
45Mbps for $40
I’ve never anything faster than 12 in my life so I went for 45. But then I was told it would require new equipment at $7 more per month. I went for the 24 for $35 which didn’t require a monthly rental fee. It’s more than the $28 for 12M which I did have, but I get double the speed for $7 more. I’m pleased with that.
First call was offered
12Mbps for $36
18Mbps for $41
When I saw the price differences I had to call back. When I said that I know of better deals available and that Time Warner was going to do 15Mbps for $35 and that is only $5 off regular prices then other operator did better. I got 18Mbps for $31.50! Much better. Thanks for the advice. Oh, and by the way, max speed in my area for some reason is 18Mbps. Bummer.
I just called few minutes ago Got 45 mbs for 47.50$
Sometimes just calling them and talking to them about a small problem helps too. about two weeks ago i had U200 and 18mbps and i was chatting with someone online about a movie promotion code that they did not credit from my account. After they credited my account the person in the chat then upgraded me to u300. I called to add a receiver to my son’s room and they offered me a deal to upgrade again for free. So now i pay $106 for u450, 18mbps of internet and 3 receivers (2 wireless) and i am extremely happy.
I’m happy but it took an hour and a half this time. My current deal (expiring in 2 days) is $80 for U200 + Elite (6MB) internet. According to AT&T’s site my rate was set to increase to $140. I talked with billing, their best deal was $100 with faster interest +$100 gift card. I talked with “customer loyalty”. Lots of back and forth but their initial offer was $125, then $114, finally after saying I was about to cancel, they offered $85 for U200 + Elite (6MB) internet. I took it. Ridiculous, they won’t give supposed loyalty customers as… Read more »
I called to get a Uverse box upgrade 6 months after I upgraded to HD with antiquated equipment, they only upgraded the software on the box. The DVR was being crowded out by on demand movies that I never used. A very rude customer service person said I needed to pay them $100 for a new box. After refusing I told them I was going to leave AT&T. I called them to cancel service and after a half hour on the phone they agreed and sent me an email on how to ship back their box. After I switched to… Read more »
Unsurprisingly, new customer promos are ~ 40% less than rack rate @ AT&T U-Verse. I’m on month-to-month U200 + 18mbps plan ($174/mo) with 3+ years as a customer. A rep told me yesterday that I would qualify for new customer pricing only if I cancel my existing service and wait for 60+ days (which I’d rather not do). Has anyone on month-to-month plans been able to get new customer pricing without having to cancel service for 60 days? I’d even consider paying full price for the next 2 months as long as I got new customer pricing thereafter for 1… Read more »
I was paying 91.23 out of pocket inclusive of everything for U200 and 18Mbps. As soon as the promotion ended after a year, the cost went up to 158.57. I talked to the customer rep responsible for customer willing to cancel and prevent from canceling. I talked with them for almost an hour but we they couldnt offer any deal that I liked, so I decided to cancel the service. They tried their best that I do not cancel but since they couldn’t offer anything good for the price that I was paying, I ended up canceling the server. The… Read more »
This totally worked for me! They gave me 12Mbps for $25.50/mo with a one year contract. I was paying $31/mo for 6mbps so this was a good deal. Be advised that you should try to get a deal a few days before your contract expires, I have 5 days before my previous deal is up. Takes about 15 minutes.
Thanks for the tip. My ATT bundle was set to expire so I did my research and found the best deal from Cox Cable. Then I called the number you listed, and ATT matched the Cox deal. I went from $150 for U200 (with DVR), 5Mbps internet, and phone service to $127 for U300 (with DVR), all free movie channels, 18 Mbps internet, and phone service, locked for 12 months. Major improvement!
Called this morning.(Uverse internet only) The CSR I got on the retention desk did not ask me what Time Warner was offering, but went straight to their offer of 18 mbps for $30.50….which beat TW by $5.00! So I was happy with that. Asked if they could knock off the router lease fee of $7.00 a month. She said no. I asked her how I could return my router since I could buy it on ebay for around $20. She went to her “let me ask my manager about that” mode. Came back and said the router lease fee was… Read more »
This really worked for me. i have the u300 and max package with promo prices. I called at the end of my promo prices. With the promo prices ending, i was looking at a bill near $180, a $70 increase. After using this technique and a length phone call, (20 initial wait, 35 of convo with service rep and negotiations) i got the offers down to $120, to $113, and final at $98. This price included a drop to U200, was told all i was losing was movie channels and kept everything else, and got an increase in internet to… Read more »
I only have U-verse internet in Florida. I’m only in Florida 2-3 months out of the year and have been paying $25.50 for 12 Mbps. My promotion was going to expire Sept. 9 and the new charge was going to be $56 so I called AT&T and explained that I only needed the internet a few months out of the year and really couldn’t afford to pay the $56 a month for a full year. I said I was going to cancel and the customer care representative said that the only deal they could make me was 6 Mpbs at… Read more »
When you speak to them on the phone will they agree to put their offer in writing? I have been through this scenario with Comcast and was told something on the phone and agreed, but when I got the bill it was diferent from what they promised. I called and was told that I had been “misinformed” and did not actually get the deal they promised. I cancelled that day.
Does AT&T pull shenanigans like that?
I have had better luck using the chat line so that there is some documentation of the transaction. The same thing happened to me with AT&T. Had representative guaranteed that they would give me exactly the same price for my second year and when I called to confirm there was no record of this guarantee and was told that they couldn’t do that. When I said I was going to cancel the representative worked with me and gave me a deal that was only about $3.00 more per month and increased my internet speed. You really have to be mindful… Read more »
When I first signed up for Uverse two years ago, my bill was $111 for U200 with Elite (6 mbps) Internet and their HD premium tier (an extra $7 for a block of channels I wanted but wouldn’t get otherwise) with one receiver. After the contract was up and after calling a couple of different times the best I could get was$124 for U200 with their Max Internet (12 mbps) while still keeping the HD Premium Tier. That jumped up to around $130 a few months back due to what they called increased operating costs. My contract has expired again… Read more »
I have spoken with the retention dept as the local cable company really beats Uverse. I really do not want cable in my house but ATT is being really stubborn. I have 18mbps currently paying $30.50. plus the ripoff fee for the wireless router which they say I MUST pay for. The fee goes up next month to $61. They will give me $15 a month off but nothing more and still have to pay $7 a month for their wireless router. Cable I can buy my own modem, ( $79 on Amazon) it can handle up to 343 mbps.… Read more »
My bill for 12 Mbps had recently increased from $39 to $51, but the cable company was offering up to 60 Mbps for $39.99, so I called AT&T, and ended up getting 18 Mbps (max available in my location) for $30.50/month. Not bad! I probably could’ve held out for better, but the lady was nice, and I was satisfied with the offer. Thanks for your help!
I was under a 1-year promotion contract for 24mbs and U200 for $106 a month which ended last month. They raised the rates to $117. Since we don’t watch much TV and due to the increase in rates, we opted to cancel the TV portion. I called to cancel and was connected with the Customer Retention department. They offered me a rate of $73 for the same service all inclusive, and I still stuck to just the Internet. Why would they raise the rates for someone that has been paying them on time and barely utilizing their TV services only… Read more »
So I am fortunate enough to have a new competitor on the block in the form of Google Fiber. They are still about a year out from installing in my neighborhood so I decided to beat ATT over the head with their offering. By the way, the Google Fiber offering in my area comes in 3 flavors: 1) 7 years of free 5 Mbit Internet with a one time $300 install charge. 2) $70 a month for 1 Gbps upstream and 1 Gbps downstream. 3) $120/month for 1 Gbps up/down and all every available TV channel. The TV+Internet deal also… Read more »
Here’s a crazy idea, why doesn’t AT&T just offer a fair price to all customers and stop playing games? They often advertise a promotional price for new customers as low as $14.99 a month for the first year for Uverse internet. I’m now paying the regular price, $46. Now, I know they aren’t losing money at $14.99, they are at least breaking even at that price. So, to triple the price when the promotion ends is just crazy. If I was paying $25-30 a month, I would consider that fair. Instead, I’m being gouged because of the lack of competition.… Read more »
Quote “I have to say, for a giant, faceless corporation customer service at AT&T has generally been great. ”
Wow, how can anyone say that. I mean, get a real statistic like:
http://www.customerservicescoreboard.com/AT&T+Uverse
which shows an overall rating of 34 out of 200.
I can say that because it’s been my experience. I never claimed it’s true for everyone.
I have been with ATT of and on for a long time then with Uverse i hit hard time so i dropped every thing and went with Comcast with 24 mps plus 10+ channels for $49.00 and tax $51.99 total now im trying to get my old Number that i have had for 45 years and port it to MagicJack and ATT wont release it they say its MJ and MJ says its ATT that’s the problem ATT said that they would make the number active so it could be ported BUT MJ can’t get them to release it I… Read more »
Remember that Uverse can switch you over to DirecTV seamlessly, too. I got rid of UVerse Family (where hope of being entertained goes to die) and 15 MB internet at $140, and got DirecTV Choice plus 18 MB internet for $104.
I just called Xfinity to get a quote on switching service. The Xfinity rep was mumbling, kept having to put me on hold to get prices and was unable to tell me an exact price until I scheduled service. He said their would be monthly charges for each box as well as the modem and an additional charge if we wanted DVR but he didn’t know how much each charge would be. He told me twice “the installers have that information and will let you know.” So I hung up and called Uverse, following the advice to get to the… Read more »
I was paying $25.50 for 12Mbps on a 12 month term. When the 12 months were up, I was offered and accepted an upgrade to 24Mbps for $28 per month on a 12 month term.
I had to call three times over 1.5 weeks. The first two times I was offered $15 off list prices. The third time I received a half price offer to upgrade from 12Mbps to 24Mbps. Over the years, I have upgraded from 3Mbps to 6Mbps to 12Mbps to 24Mbps on the half off upgrade offers. The half off upgrade offers require a manager’s approval.
This worked really well! i talked them down to $67 on the u300 $30 for the home phone and $37 for the 45mbps internet now im paying $134 a month instead of close to $200 very happy!
Called today – spoke to a super friendly, easy-to-understand rep in the retentions dept. I was looking at $175 a month plus taxes/fees with my package expiring on Oct 5th for U300 and 24mbps internet. I downgraded to U200 because the movie channels weren’t worth it to me, and 18mbps internet because before I had upgraded to 24, I had no issues with the net. He quoted $115 (includes the HD fee and Modem fee) – I asked if there was anything he could do to get that down a bit more and he gave me a $72 credit effective… Read more »
Hi, My contract is up Oct 10th. AT&T wants to increase my Uverse and I-net (6MPS) by 34%. Today I just used your strategy and called the 800-288-2020 number. I explained my two alternatives and asked if there is anything they could do. She responded no. She also noted that any promotional changes could only be done or even discussed only after my current contract ended (Oct 10, 2014). I explained that one year ago we were contacted by AT&T Retention Department well in advance of our termination date. She indicated that they don’t do that anymore. She informed me… Read more »
A Comcast guy going around my neighborhood knocking on doors offered me the preferred plus Triple Play with 105 Mbps for $89.99/month. After additional boxes, fees etc, it will cost me $114. I’m paying Uverse $156 for U200, HD, and 12 Mbps. I also pay Voicepulse $15 a month for the phone and will cancel that for more savings. I’m hoping I don’t have any problem getting AT&T to process my cancellation as the deal Comcast is giving me is much lower than listed on the Comcast site and something AT&T probably won’t be able to match. If they try… Read more »
Didn’t work for me.
My promotion expired and the rate nearly doubled. All the rep offered was $30 more than my previous promotion with a 1 year commitment. Poor customer service.
I called three days ago when my “promo” expired and talked to someone who I thought was in the retention department. When I asked if I could keep the promotion, or get something cheaper than what Comcast was offering, he basically went on to lecture me about economics and how I had received my one time only promo, and now it was time to let “new” customers benefit.. and if he gave me the discount again, the company would eventually lose too much money because no one was paying “full” price. When I asked if he could transfer me to… Read more »
Great article! Just got off the phone with a retention specialist. I followed the suggestions & After 3 rounds of negotiations & asking to speak with the manager’s manager & threatening to cancel & go elsewhere, I was finally able to get 50% off the internet speed I was wanting with a 1 year contract.
I had U300 + 18 mbs internet + HD + 3 DVR’s. After promotion expired price jumped from $116 to $164/month. I called yesterday and requested to cancel service from menu. The specialist was able to offer me $120/mth for everything plus he upgraded my internet to 24 mbs.
Have any of you actually cancelled the service and tried to rejoin before 3 months of cancellation? I’m curious if they’d prevent you from getting the ‘new customer’ promotion when you attempt to rejoin.
I just canceled the service today. I am putting the same service again in 4 days under my wife’s name. I be saving $30 per month and getting $250 rewards card.
Please let us know how that goes.
I’m really glad I’m cancelling. They just sent me a letter saying that my “high speed” internet could be cancelled withing 10 days for cancelling automatic payments.
Just coming off the 24 month promotion. Pricing will jump from an average of $159.77 per month to $218.39. Checked out Comcast, got all their information and called, requested cancel service. Immediately received a person who had no interest in retaining my account. He tried to upsell me on increasing services for $180 + $40 for extras (ie. increasing service for the same $220 per month). Mentioned that Comcast had the same package for $159 and he proceeded to tell me to enjoy the competition and good luck. NO INTEREST IN RETAINING ME AS A CUSTOMER!! ?? Should I call… Read more »
Michael – I’d call back. Just got off the phone with a retention agent. There was a little back and forth but she was quite interested in retaining my business. I was paying $103, my bill was set to jump up to $156 and we settled on another one-year contract at a rate of $113.
I would echo what the article and other commenters have said – if you don’t get a retention agent, you’re not going to get a deal. Could just be luck of the draw.
I called the other day and they offered me 45M for 47.50 (that’s including the rental fee for the new modem)
Have any of you actually cancelled the service and tried to rejoin before 3 months of cancellation?
I’m curious if they’d prevent you from getting the ‘new customer’ promotion when you attempt to rejoin.
I just got off the phone with AT&T. I called saying that I found a promotion through Time Warner for $34.99 for 15 mbps and I am trying to cut down on some of my bills so I am very interested in switching if it will save me some money. I currently have Uverse Max at 12 mbps and am paying $51 (before taxes and the equipment fee) for that plan. I asked what she could do for me before I decided to switch to Time Warner and she came back with $41 (not including taxes and the equipment fee)… Read more »
” I told her that I will just go ahead and cancel my service and sign up with Time Warner and she seemed more than happy to do that than offer to drop the price by $6 more.”
Remember all a customer service agent can do is enter a service that is in the billing system. They can not get creative and offer anything.
I just got off the phone.
I have U450 & Max Plus internet. I was paying $140 a month. The promo is over and now it’s about $200 a month.
Best the lady could do was lock in $160 a month for a year. I’m not sure that is good enough. I could get equivalent service from Comcast for about $135 a month.
I didn’t take any action yet. I’ll call back again later.
I was paying $98 a month with taxes and fees for U200 (DVR, HD, 2 boxes) + Elite (6mpbs) for the last year.
Contract was up and renegotiated for another year to $113 with taxes and fees a month for U300 + max plus (18mbps) and a $100 one time credit.
Thanks for the website it was so helpful!
My 2 year contract expired in September and the bill jumped $50.00 for a bundle of voice, internet, and tv. I compared packages with competitors for just internet and tv; called to cancel the unneeded voice portion and asked them if they would renegotiate the internet and tv service. I was upgraded to 18mbps (from 12mbps), 3 months free of premium channels (I just have to call and cancel at the end of 90 days, and the service rep said it was likely they’d extend the offer). Originally they quoted $110.00 for a 12 month agreement, but dropped it to… Read more »
I had U300 & 24mpgs (Max Turbo) internet. I called – spoke to a nice lady, who tried to rebundle me with a home line – not interested. I was already prepared to go down to U200 – as it still has all the channels I watch. She gave me U200 and Max Turbo for $133 for 12 months, which I’m pretty happy with. I wanted to hold out for more – but she was very nice, non-aggressive, and it’s still a nice chunk of savings. Living in an apartment I also don’t really have any other cable/internet provider options… Read more »
This sounds pretty true in most parts but I go a mile further by negotiating a good promotion w/ a competitor provider (just in case). Don’t make an official appointment for ‘installation’ but provide them w/ name, address & phone number so 2-3 before the 1- year contract w/ at&t officially ends you have the peace of mind that in case no discount deal is reached, you still have a choice.
I was at the end of my 1-year contract. I called and asked about the current promotions, none of which sounded very appealing. I quoted a price from Time Warner, and the rep immediately said you still be to pay the equipment fees, hd fee, yadadadada… So in my head, I was like “sh*t, that didn’t work.” Anyhow, there was a bundle going on, U300 + Internet max plus (18mbps) + home phone that was going for ~$117. I can’t get rid of the home phone says the rep, it’s part of the bundle. Without home phone, the bundle cost… Read more »
I found a company that saved me $28 per month on my cell phone bill. It’s called BillXperts.com.
All you have to do is sign up on their website and they’ll negotiate with your service providers on your behalf.
It’s free although you have to share a part of the savings with them.
I also liked their “satisfaction guaranteed” policy: if they cannot get you any savings, then you don’t need to pay anything.
It worked for me so I would highly recommend them.
Their website is http://www.billxperts.com
I manage my father and my accounts for Uverse and recently was informed our fully loaded rates (includes all taxes and rentals) for u300 and Max internet were going from $122/month to $180/month. So a total increase from $244/month to $360. And this included DVR’s that had to be cycled (turned off and on) at least 3 times a week. I called and told the Uverse CSR this was unacceptable and was prepared to cancel 2 accounts and move to TWC who had what I wanted for $124.month. After a couple of phone calls totalling at least an hour, the… Read more »
I had Internet only Max Elite I think (18 Mbps) with my 1 yr promotion expiring on Feb 1st (about 2 mo from when I called) & was paying $34.95/ mo. Asked to cancel from menu, exactly as said above, and was answered in 1 min by a friendly customer retention specialist. I told her that I had offers from cable companies in my area, that I wanted to see if we could work something out to get my payments lower, & that I would consider adding TV if the price was right. Once I made her understand that I… Read more »
I am really mad at AT&T as they recently raised my TV and internet bill. I called them several times but each time I had to hang up because of the wait time. Finally, after waiting more than 20 minutes, I managed to talk to a representative and I got transferred to their retention department. The lady was polite but I did not manage to get any discounts as they told me I already had the best rates. When I threatened to switch to Comcast, they basically told me: “OK”. So I looked up on the internet and I found… Read more »
@ Roger, @ Mary: thanks guys! I tried Billxperts.com and it really worked! $19 off my cell phone bill, $21 off my cable bill and an other $14 off my internet one. It’s $650 worth of annual savings! Spread the word, this company is awesome.
Ok my service was u 300 24 Meg’s hd. 3 receivers paying 159.00 a month my contract was up .. So I called they got me to u200 and 24 Meg’s for one year for 106.00 ..”ok I said Comcast is offering 140 channels and up to 50 Meg’s for 79.99 can you get me close to that while I was talkin to the manger .. He came back and said ok u200 and 24 Meg’s for the Internet .. I said that you guys want to drop the hd on me .. I said I would make the deal… Read more »
Still trying ti get go thur called 5 times stay tune
Thank you so much for the article. We had U-verse 450 with 24 Mbps with 3 receivers. We were paying about $150 a month until the promotions just disappeared into think air and the next bill was $225. I called retention services and the lady was very friendly. She bumped us up to 45 Mbps and dropped us to U300 (Didn’t use all those damn channels anyway) for $155. At no point did I quote the competition. In hindsight I probably could have been more pushy and tried to get a credit but I looked at it as an overall… Read more »
Awesome article
Just got 12MB and U-200 with HD included free for $93 a month. Also made them throw in movie channels for a month free.
Had: U200, Max Turbo 24MBs, 2 Additional TV Recievers, $129+tax called just now, 1st year promotional price ends in 3 days. Now (with one year contract) U450, Max Turbo 24MBs, 3 additional TV Recievers, $136+tax I said I was wanting to cancel so I could move to a better deal. Explained the big points of the comcast deal I would switch too. Said it would be the same price as im paying now, Include HBO, have 3 additional recievers, and most importantly to me it would have 50MBs. ATT person offered to keep everything the same for a 2 dollar… Read more »
I tried the different ideas you guys shared and some of them seem to work. For instance the $100 service credit seems to be easy to get. But, there is no way to get a decent price discount valid for 12 months, even if you mention the competitors’ names and promotions. I think billxperts.com is the best way to go as they managed to get a me Uverse 450 and 24MB for only $89.99 a month. That sounds like a good deal for me.
Thanks for the tip Roger: after reading your post I signed up on the billxperts.com website and they just came back to me with nearly $45 off my monthly cable and internet bill.
Mary
Mary, your response to Bill fascinates me because based on your e-mail address, you already work for or represent Billxperts, something you failed to disclose.
Roger, it would be fair to our readers to note that you apparently work for or on behalf of Billxperts based on your provided email address. We expect readers to disclose such relationships.
Regarding those deceptive “Billxperts” spammers polluting this thread – I’d advise people NOT to use outfits like that. They aren’t doing anything an individual can’t do on their own, and posting deceptive comments should should tell you everything you need to know about their business practices.
____________________________________________ W HOLLYWOOD CA 90069-6415 Print Download PDF Previous Balance: $148.38<<<This is what I paid before I called and beg the Retention Department that I can no longer pay them this much. She ask me how much I can afford but I still want my TV channels! Look under the line and I have Internet TV and Uverse450 HBO Cinema and Showtine Payment – 10/03 – Thank You! −$148.38 Adjustments: $0.00 Total Balance From Previous Activity: $0.00 Current Bill for Sep 9 – Oct 8, 2014 Account Charges Monthly Charges High Speed Internet Equipment Fee: $7.00 Total Monthly Charges: $7.00… Read more »
This worked for me today. The cost was $44 before the end of the promotion, and then it went to $61(For 18mbps) I called the number listed above, and told the rep that it went up to $61, and that I couldn’t pay that much. I brought up the fact that TWC was going to sell me 15Mbps for $34.99. At first she offered $47 for 18 mbps; I then asked if they could come closer to the $34.99 that Time Warner was offering, and then she had to talk to a supervisor. Ten minutes later she comes back and… Read more »
This worked for me today, thank you!
I first tried the online chat because i was at work and got nothing then i called and got an $60 discount!!!
Just did this. Very nice gentleman helped me out and took about 15 minutes start to finish.
$47.50 for 45Mbps for 12 months. =)
Thanks!
Great article on how to deal keep ATT costs under control!
We’re moving, and we started paying full price for U200 and 12Mbps ($135+tax!) at our current place recently. I called and said we’re moving and shopping for new internet/TV service, and the rep’s very first offer was the new customer offer of $91/mo for 1 year, with no haggling! Total time on the phone on a Saturday morning even was 14 minutes, including coordinating the service transfer logistics. Not bad! Although now I’m wondering if I could have done even better…. 😉
My results: they wouldn’t budge.
They suggested I put my service in someone else’s name so as to qualify as a “new customer” for intro discounts. I’m not going to do that.
Currently paying about $200 for max plus internet package and U300 TV. No premium channels.
That is NOT decent pricing. I plan to cancel and switch.
Did the same for me this week. Called multiple times and got different pricing from different people. Had 300 plus 18mbps and all they seemed to want to do is knock all my services down or add a home phone. And still charge me an arm and a leg. When I said to just cancel me she said ok send you stuff back or you will be charged thank you. Nice retention department.
Called AT&T today at the number listed on the article.
I said I wanted to cancel service bc my cable provider was giving me a better deal. I told her that I have been with AT&T for 6 yrs. First words out of her mouth was, ok we can cancel your service right now. I even asked if they can do a better deal with a 1 yr agreement. No can do!!
Nice way to keep your customers AT&T. I will be switching very soon.
I don’t think they care much anymore. But I guess since charter bought att broadband in at louis they don’t care if they retain customers in St. Louis. It would be interesting to see where people on here live to see if location allows them to get a good deal to re up. I was basically told piss off
I live in St.Louis and I just called after my rate went from $25/month to $50/month. I said I wanted to cancel unless they could give me a discount and she basically said there were no promotions available at this time and she couldn’t do anything for me.
Great article! I had U200, 18mps internet with 3 receivers, HD with no premium channels. I was paying $163/month and received a mailer from Comcast promoting 300 channels including some premiums, 30mps internet and home phone for $89.99. I mentioned the deal Comcast was offering to see if they could match without adding a phone. I wasn’t able to get the same rate as Comcast (wasn’t expecting too really), however I was able to upgrade to U300 which includes showtime, TMC, and encore as well as upgrade to 30Mps internet and pay $125/month for the next year! At $456 savings… Read more »
Very helpful. I called an pretty easily got my bill reduced by $60/month and a U300, 18Mbps and phone package. They also threw in a one-time $60 bill credit.
That is what I have, but they are only offering it at $165. Is that what you are being charge?
I used to pay $149.99 for the U300+18Mbps+phone package. After the discount that billxperts.com negotiated for me, I got my price reduced to $119.99. Not too bad although I could probably get a better rate if I switched provider…but I don’t want the hassle of switching. I am suprise to read that some people pay $160+ for the U200 package.
Prices are probably different from one state to another I guess.
I hate the procedure to get a better price, and you need to do it every year.
ATT would rather have a large number of staffs dealing with those haggles rather than giving its customers a better price.
Every time it cost me at least two hours to get a good promotion.
I pay $165.37 per month for U200, Max plus internet and U-verse phone. I have 1 DVR and 3 receivers. Who watches 200 channels! Will be shopping for another carrier, real soon.
No longer fits my budget
Ive had Uverse for 3 years. I recently called to move my service and negotiate a better deal. I didn’t have my bill in front of me when I called and they were trying to tell me that I’ve been paying $165 a month and that he could get me down to around $130 /month before taxes. I told him I would call back after some research. I called back when I had my bill in front of me and I have never paid more than $145 a month after taxes. When I called back I asked to disconnect my… Read more »
This tactic worked flawlessly. My initial contract expires soon. I spoke to a representative from the retention department. She provided me with the same promotional price I was paying, credited my account close to $100 and upgraded my internet service from 18 Mbps to 45 mbps for no extra charge. Thank you!!
Ok this article was good. Helped save me $40 per month plus gave me a one time credit of $40. Did my research with the competition first. I didn’t really want to cancel with att just knew I was overpaying as my contract was a month past. The cable companies are bad don’t have a good product. Worth the 40 minutes had to go into a one year contract but save $400 + per year.
Thanks for the suggestions. Dropped my expensive U300 /all movie channels/ 18mb internet 4TV’s & HD from $255/month to U450 / 45 mb internet for $184/mo. Got $92 bill credit now and $32 or so credit on the U450 for next 3 months. Probably could have played hardball to get it somewhat lower but happy with what I got. At least a bit of an improvement.
I got the same incentives for another year plus a free upgrade in speed to 45 mb. I have u450 and was saving $55 per month. Now I’m saving $65 per month. Plus, I received a $50.00 credit. The first time I called, I would have had to pay more for the same (around $15 more per month), keep the same speed Internet and get no statement credit (I asked for $100). I asked the nice fella to write down all that we talked about and called back today (around 4 or 5 days later). My current contract expires in… Read more »
I talked to Thomas in the Indianapolis retention department. He offered me a $40/month reduction in my package which consists of U450, Internet Max and Voice 250. He was very accommodating and told me to always call retention at 1-877-999-1083. I took the deal, which includes a one year commitment.
WOW! This article is amazing. My contract is ending next week and my bill was going to go up $60/month. I looked around and found a good deal from Mediacom to use as a bargaining tool. I called the At&t number listed in the article and 20 minutes later my bill isn’t going up and they upgraded me to the next internet plan. So grateful for this article and will definitely use these tips again.
Just tried this out, I have U450 and 24mps internet. My bill just jumped from $140 to $220, called and tried this, he originally told me that could drop down to $175. After price dropping comcast he managed to offer up $161 a month, hardly what i was hoping for, but he did upgrade my internet, and all the equipment and services charges for free. Not sure if the deal was that great, but figured I might have to try again. Opinions?
I have been an att customer four years usually they lower my monthly after promotion was over but this time no help at all they were trying to stick me with services i didnt need and finally they decided not to help me and i cancelle my account. Will wait acouple of weeks to call back again as new customer.
they rather loose my account than to help me…cancell
Was able to get a great deal for $31 for 18 MB per second Internet only. currently paying $47 for 12 MB
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