Can you bargain with Xfinity?

Submitted by dydyfly t3_1186veq in newhampshire

I’m paying 75$ per month right now for 200Mb internet. I see advertisements of 25$ per month for the same speed internet. Is there any chance I can ask them to lower the price?

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Sirhc978 t1_j9fkomz wrote

Threaten to cancel, then you will eventually be transferred to customer retention and you will probably be offered a better deal.

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dydyfly OP t1_j9flab1 wrote

I think Xfinity is the only option where I live. If I cancel I just won’t have internet and I think they know that

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Sirhc978 t1_j9flinp wrote

Just tell them you'd rather pay for Starlink.

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northhiker1 t1_j9ft5cf wrote

There's also T mobile internet for $50.00 a month, everything included. Think it works well in most of NH. That's another bargaining chip. But yes, threaten to cancel tell them you will be going with T Mobile and they will give you a better deal

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kitchinsink t1_j9llj0s wrote

So, you still have to threaten to cancel to get another deal, regardless of whether it is a monopoly or not.

When you call, you ask for their cancellation department, and you'll receive a person who can give you the discounts that you would get if you were a new customer, provided you sign a contract, typically for 2 years.

Source: I have done this more than once, in multiple states.

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The_Beardly t1_j9ftlg8 wrote

I tried to do this to get a lower rate on tv and internet. Said I’d go Hulu and they were just like “we don’t offer packages anymore 🤷‍♂️

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MagicalPeanut t1_j9idflq wrote

You do not need to threaten to cancel. Every 1-2 years, depending on how long the contract goes, I DM their Twitter and ask for their promotional rate. And every time I ask they give it to me. No threats, no nonsense—just a simple inquiry. $59.99/month for the 800 Mbps plan. A lot of people seem to have a lot of bad things to say about Xfinity but I've never had anything but good experiences.

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Sirhc978 t1_j9iq3tv wrote

Can you share a copypasta of what you DM them on Twitter? My promo rates just expired.

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MagicalPeanut t1_j9klumn wrote

It's not much of a copypasta, but here is how my last conversation with them was initiated:

Hello, my name is ____________. For verification my address is ____________ and account number __________________.

I have a couple of things: First, I think there is an issue with speed in my area. In the past on my plan I was getting 600 Mbps just fine, but I recently heard about a speed upgrade to 800 Mbps in my area, so I tested but now I'm down to 225 Mbps. I tried restarting my cable modem and router, but the speed is consistently lower.

Second, would it be possible to sign another two-year contract on the 800 Mbps tier and get the same promotional pricing as before?

It's not as complicated as people make it out to be. You just need to ask. After a couple more messages they reprovisioned my modem for the correct speed and signed me up for a new contract. The downside is that there's a prorated ETF, but I don't really care since I've had no issues and don't plan on leaving.

The service industry is a difficult job to be in and being nice to these people can go a long way. It takes a special kind of person to work in an environment where you're constantly getting requests from people when they are most unstable (ie: they're upset because they don't understand something or something isn't working).

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Imaginary_wizard t1_j9fn9hy wrote

No. I tried everything I could and they wouldn't budge. Finally switched to fidium and I wish I had done it years ago

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occasional_cynic t1_j9fp3ue wrote

I was paying $100/month for 200MB, and I did not even have the xfinity router. Called multiple times and they would not budge. Then last year Consolidated brought Fiber to my road. Best move ever.

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Imaginary_wizard t1_j9fpg22 wrote

I had tv too because my wife didn't want streaming TV. Switched from xfinity to fidium and youtube tv and now save 130 per month.

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Imaginary_wizard t1_j9fpp6o wrote

Oh and had "gig speed internet" with both providers yet fidium is significantly faster

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occasional_cynic t1_j9g4itr wrote

Yeah, getting raked over the coals is never fun. Was thrilled when then announced fiber to my place. And I do not consider cellular a real option even if I had good signal near my house.

I just wish Consolidated Communications partnered with YTTV or Fubo instead of DirectTV (bleh) for streaming. Would be cool to bundle them, or at least get some sort of discount.

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bpwo0dy t1_j9g5ffp wrote

Is consolidated comms a good alternative? 1000/40 is what I get w Xfinity

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Imaginary_wizard t1_j9g8meh wrote

If you're actually getting the 1000 down then maybe just compare cost. They told me my plan was 1000 down I'd rarely get more than 200-300 hardwired into the xfinity gateway. They had no explanation, just told me I could save 10 per month changing my cell plan.

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occasional_cynic t1_j9gkqmq wrote

CC "Fidium" offers 1000 symmetrical for $70/month. Also, FTTH service always offers better latency, real world speeds, and reliability that DOCSIS or cellular. So, if you have it available, I do recommend it.

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Imaginary_wizard t1_j9g85h7 wrote

Agreed. Cellular will be an option eventually I think but it's not there yet.

YTTV partnership would be nice to save a bit more. I switched in May of last year and it's been nothing but positive for me

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ChickenNoodleSloop t1_j9ns6bo wrote

When consolidated hit our street, we switched on principle. Gigabit fiber for about a third of what we were paying for 600* mbit? Sorry Comcast there's nothing your retention department could have done.

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occasional_cynic t1_j9okenw wrote

Yeah, honestly even if Consolidated cost more I still would have switched due to much better upload speeds, plus how Comcast has treated me over the years.

Then after switching we received communications from Comcast for months that we needed to return our equipment, despite not having any. It took several phone calls for them to stop.

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HillyjoKokoMo t1_j9fx63e wrote

How much is fidium for you? What area you in? Feels like Xfinity has a monopoly in my area.

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Imaginary_wizard t1_j9fy4ye wrote

In salem and my gig internet is $70 per month. I believe it bumps up to 80 after the first 12 months.

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optimistic8theist t1_j9ggi0j wrote

>Finally switched to fidium and I wish I had done it

We are tentatively switching to Fidium this week! I'm a bit nervous since I work from home and things are reliable enough - but I am also over the poor customer service with Xfinity and annual pricing increases. But it sounds like you're loving it? Any complaints?

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Imaginary_wizard t1_j9gkd2z wrote

No complaints from me. Lots of streaming, gaming. 30+ of devices connected without issue. Haven't had to deal with their customer service yet, but I'm actually getting advertised speeds

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herefortheguffaws t1_j9i9ir3 wrote

We just switched to Fidium and we love it. I work from home as well and they hitched us up while I was still working. Only had to get offline for one minute and I was back in business. Our speeds are much faster now and we’re not sharing bandwidth with the rest of our neighbors who are working from home. The IT guy at work told me that if Fidium is not in your area call them and tell them you’re interested. When enough people in an area request it, they’ll bring it to your area.

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laquifconch t1_j9fnxbm wrote

Just did this, was paying $110. Cancelled service cause the agents do not care that you want to pay less, they're literally trained to be screamed at over this stuff. Waited a few hours. Set up new account in wife's name, now paying $30 for the same speed.

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donkeyduplex t1_j9fmgrh wrote

Indeed, bargaining is a stage of grief.

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FreeNinedy9 t1_j9fre6o wrote

My whole town has Fidium available but my street doesn’t yet because my utilities are underground. Threatened to cancel with Xfinity and they said “yeah right”

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no_clipping t1_j9fyg3k wrote

Used to work for Comcast customer retention back in the day. Miserable job, don't reccommend it lol. Anyway they don't have the ability to just give you whatever deal you want - the deals available are pre-chosen by the customer service system based on your history with Comcast - but there should be at least something in their toolbelt that they can use to sweeten the deal for you.

Call in, tell them you'd like to cancel, be adamant about it, and when you get to customer retention, give them the same spiel and let them know it's too expensive for you and you'd rather go without. They'll inevitably throw some offers your way to try and keep you.

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59000beans t1_j9gi6gl wrote

I was told a way to get the promotions is to switch to a TV/Internet package for two weeks, call back and ask to switch to Internet only (or vice versa), and then you will get some promos similar to a new customer rate on your account, and be able to lock it for 3 years.

Also, dont use the web chat. Call the xfinity number, 1-800-xfinity and dont do a callback.

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Lumpyyyyy t1_j9gf5at wrote

Check to see if consolidated or Fidium are in your area.

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Rolling_Beardo t1_j9gklle wrote

Nope they don’t give a fuck about their customers.

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Careless-Raisin-5123 t1_j9hina6 wrote

Yes but you will be on the phone for hours and will wish you were dead a few times in the process.

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Alternative-Cry-4667 t1_j9hrvlj wrote

You must be a new customer I pay $150 4 years later

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dydyfly OP t1_j9i4gs4 wrote

You feel there should be some law and order on the matter

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cutyolegsout t1_j9fq4wd wrote

You can cancel and sign up as a new account to get the intro offer. I'm sure you can convince them if you try hard enough.

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geoff5093 t1_j9fsh9l wrote

Yes, in a way. I have never paid retail rates for internet in the last 10 years. When my promo period expires, I always call up and ask to be put on the current promotional rate for my internet plan. I look this up ahead of time as a new customer to check offerings. So far I've been able to get the price reduced every time my promo expired. I'm paying $80/mo for their 1200Mbps plan. I'll mention it's too expensive and I'm looking at alternatives, and they then offer me the current promo pricing.

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FreezingRobot t1_j9g6g2s wrote

Every time my contract is up, I call and tell them I'm going to cancel because it's too expensive, and I get a better deal. The worse possible scenario is you do actually drop it, go to Fidium for a short while, and then go back as a "new" customer.

Same goes for SiriusXM, they want to charge me $21/m but I'm actually paying like 9 because I threatened to cancel.

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akmjolnir t1_j9gf1h7 wrote

I pay $79/month for GigaBit, so it's worth calling to talk to someone.

Or, realistically, see if you can find a better ISP.

Can you get Fidium fiber?

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nullcompany t1_j9gj81s wrote

Sure, you can get that rate. You just have to move to a new address first.

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ComprehensiveFool t1_j9gjmmu wrote

When Fidium was becoming available in my area I called Comcast. I stated Fidium was offering me X price which was much better than xfinity pricing. I stated I’d prefer to stay with them and they beat Fidium by giving 300mbs for $49.95 for two years.

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movdqa t1_j9gk837 wrote

Yes. I'm paying $49.99 for 200 MBPS internet. They will entertain lower prices if you have viable competition at your address.

The ads are promotional and for a limited time. I also have service in MA at my mother's place and it's $40/month for 400 MBPS but it goes to $108 after two years.

I have been doing the negotiations thing since around 2015. It wasn't all that pleasant back then but the last few times, they just said "OK". They are losing paid TV customers and probably growing broadband customers and it costs them a small fortune to get a customer back once they leave for another service. Because such services are sticky because of equipment costs.

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wickedhip t1_j9gq7j4 wrote

I have xfinity, 800 down, 20 up, 69.99 a month. Tell them you're leaving unless you get a better deal.

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jejo426 t1_j9hkake wrote

Yes. I was paying $89 and now pay I think $10

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jondaley t1_j9hpfjy wrote

I used to be able to get deals by threatening to quit. Now they make you switch back and forth every year or two to keep the low prices.

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bossman118242 t1_j9hpkmo wrote

message them on twitter. their twitter people are good.

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fallfallingleaves t1_j9i8lhl wrote

You just have to get the right customer service rep. I just didn't want mine going up to $87 from $65 after 2 years. Ended up with 200 mb for $45 for the next 2 years. Twitter support. But it isn't chat, so it takes them a long time to reply. Be prepared for what could be a 5 minute conversation to take 3 hours.

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Infinite-Trader t1_j9j8egv wrote

Just did this yesterday. Was paying $87/mo for 200mbps. I threatened to cancel because their price went up 10% this year so they lowered it to $70/mo and increased the speed to 800mbps. Definitely worth it to call!

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bjornborkenson t1_j9jbg01 wrote

I did this very recently. Depending on where you live, they’re offering promotions to undercut Fidium. Call and wait to be escalated at least twice - that’ll be their best offer.

I went from $85 for 250mbps to $75 for 1000mbps.

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