So, I've been having our AT&T phone and internet service debited automatically out of my checking. We live in Altadena, and our cellular reception is a joke. Also, we have a baby. So, it seems having a landline would be important in case of emergencies. By emergencies, I mean calling 911 (which someone tried to tell me would go through even if I didn't have reception, but I don't understand the technology of how that would work and I do not want to find out the hard way) -- but I also mean calling my mother in the middle of the night when the baby won't stop crying and I am completely freaked out. Or, when the baby has fallen down, my husband promises he's fine, but I still need to hear it from my mommy.
But for that charming, old-fashioned landline phone service and high speed internet, how much could it be, really? In my mind, I was paying maybe $40 or so a month for it. This figure is based on absolutely nothing seeing as I never actually looked at a bill, the bill is in my husband's name and it's never occurred to me to actually, you know, open his mail.
Imagine my surprise when I'm scrolling through my online banking statement, and the number $90.65 jumps out at me. WHAT?? $90??? What the hell did I spend $90 on? To AT&T? What does AT&T have that costs that much? Did someone steal my informaiton? Is someone going on some kind of telecommunications spree with my money?
Yes. Sadly, that someone is me. I'm paying $90.65 including tax for my combined home phone and high speed internet service. I called the number conveniently located on the online entry and I negotiated myself a much better deal. $90???? Seriously??
HOW I DID IT: I kept saying customer service to the automated system until I got a real human being on the phone. I realized then I was woefully unprepared to make this call. Did I have a billing statement in front of me. Umm, no. OK. Can I provide the last four digits of my husband's social? Umm, no. How about the exact amount of the most recent bill I paid. OH, YESSIRREE! I know that! OK. Actually. I didn't know. I remembered the $90, but had to log back into my bank account to retrieve the .65. So, once I did that, the representative took a look at my account and explained what I was paying for. Also, we had "no promotions" on our account. There's always a promotion to be had.
He looked at my phone service, and said he could drop that down from $37 a month for unlimited nationwide calling to $29 a month for a year.
For the internet, there were three options. A.) $10 off for a year. B.) Sign a contract for one year, and lock into $28 a month for a year. C.) No contract, but 50 percent off for six months. I took option C, bringing me down to $21.50 for six months. After that, I can call in and check for another promotion. I made a note in my calendar to call back in six months and again in a year.
The lesson: You don't need to be terribly prepared for these kinds of calls. Two, read your bills. Three, turns out internet and phone service is much like cable service. You have to call in and fight for the best rates, and keep an eye on your rates spiking.
Savings: I got a one-time savings of $21.50 since he went ahead and reduced this month's bill by that amount. I've reduced my overall bill, before taxes, from $80 a month to $50 a month. That's another $30 for me, for at least six months.
Total Recurring Monthly Savings So Far: $190 a month.
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