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Saving Money Through Penny Pinching: Getting Help

There is a little known resource that is in your home or maybe in your pocket that can help you save a lot of money.  That resource is your telephone.  All of the businesses that you pay bills to have customer service lines for people like you to call up and get help if you are having a problem with that company.  Amazingly, even monopolies like your electric company pay to keep customers service representatives on call just to help you out.

What few people know is you can use that connection to save a lot of money negotiating for a better deal.

Working the Customer Service Reps.

Very few customers actually call the customer service reps at their phone company, utility companies or credit card companies.  But these people are trained to be able to work with you if you are having a problem paying your bill.  A good example is the company who handles your phone service.  This is a competitive business so if you call them up to report that you cannot handle their high prices, they can give you the service you need for much less money.  You just have to call them up and ask them for help and then ask the right questions of the right people.

It’s really surprising that to get a lower interest rate on their your cards, a better insurance payment or even lower costs for gas or electricity, you just have to ask for it.  This is especially true if there is competition for your business.  If you don’t like it that your cable TV bills keep going up, just call them to tell them you are switching to satellite because of their rates.  Just watch how they scramble to give you a cheaper program.  This should be an annual ritual with all of the companies you write checks to each month.

Don’t get discouraged it the service rep gets difficult with you.  You can always ask to talk to his or her supervisor.  Or just hang up and call back and get a better service rep.  Persistence makes a big difference when it comes to saving money on your bills.

You have a lot of leverage if you are willing to pit one competitor for your business against the other.  Don’t be afraid to get another bid for your internet service, your insurance or even for your lawyer.  Then when you talk to the agencies you already do business with, let them know that you have found cheater bids.  In most cases, they will meet or beat those prices rather than let the competition steal a customer away.

Some Tips on Calling Customer Service Reps.

• Never assume you will lose.  The only guaranteed way you will not get what you want from a business is to not ask.  So call them up and tell them what you want.  Believe it or not, this kind of negotiation is exactly what customer service reps are paid to do.  So make them earn their paychecks by giving you a good deal.

• Don’t give up. If you are calling for a refund or to get your rate brought down, don’t let one bad phone call discourage you.  Keep calling until you get someone who is willing to help you.  Don’t get emotional.  As the saying goes, don’t get mad, get even.

• The internet can help.  You don’t have to call lots of competitors to get bids for your services.  Many times the businesses who want your business will give you a bid through their web site.  If you don’t like how your bank is treating you, there are websites that will make lots of banks compete for your business.  You will always win that kind of situation.

Experts Are Out There to Help You

Sometimes what you need is an expert to come to your home and help you figure out what to do about lowering costs.  Utility companies keep experts like this on staff and they can send someone out to your home who knows what they are doing to help you find ways to save money.  It really is just a matter of asking.

In a lot of cases, the advice you get from an expert won’t change your life or cost very much money.  There are lots of ways to cut down on your energy use and some are as simple as replacing air conditioning filters or using timers on outside lights so they are not on all day.  If the improvements to your home might cost more than you can handle, many utility companies know how to get you a grant or a low interest loan for that home improvement.  Not only do you end up saving a lot of money, you start living greener as well.  And that benefits everybody.

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