Save Money By Rethinking Your TV, Internet And Phone Needs
Too_Many_Tools
TMT
Save Money By Rethinking Your TV, Internet And Phone Needs
CHICAGO -- The shaky economy is putting many Americans in saving mode.
One place people might look to trim their budgets: monthly Internet,
TV and phone bills.
According to research from Consumer Reports, competition for cable and
satellite customers between AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS high-speed
fiber providers has driven down rates for Internet, phone and TV
service.
All types of Internet/TV/phone-service bundles have dropped in cost by
up to 20% over the past year, to as low as $80 a month, according to
the research. And although promotional rates are usually applicable
for the first one or two years, providers are reluctant to raise rates
after the period is up -- especially in competitive markets.
For households that use all three services, bundling often provides a
better deal than purchasing services a la carte, and often will come
with extras such as free installation, the research found. Still, some
consumers are finding they don't need all three services, especially
if they can find decent substitutes and trim bills at the same time.
"When times are good, we tend to put our finances on automatic pilot,"
said Gail Cunningham, spokeswoman for the National Foundation for
Credit Counseling. Today, consumers are becoming a lot more thoughtful
with their spending decisions -- and even small cuts in monthly bills
can make a huge difference over the course of a year.
Make sure, however, that whatever changes you make to your budget are
right for your family's lifestyle and can be sustainable over the long
term, Cunningham said.
"Don't go cold turkey," she said. Instead, focus on changes that are
harder to notice. If you have a choice, "cutting back is always better
than cutting out," she said.
Decide what you need
More people are dropping their landlines and relying entirely on their
cell phones, Cunningham said. Dumping an unlimited local calling plan
from AT&T, for example, could save about $20, according to pricing
information on the company's Web site.
But if you decide to eliminate a landline to cut costs, make sure you
have a cell-phone plan with enough minutes to handle all of your
calls, Cunningham said. Those interested in keeping a landline only
for emergencies should make sure they subscribe to the most bare-bones
option available.
Others are scaling back cable lineups and turning to DVD services like
Netflix and streaming online video to fill the gap, said Marc Hedlund,
CEO of the personal finance site Wesabe.com.
Visitors in forums on Wesabe.com aren't necessarily talking about
sacrificing services they're used to -- they're discussing how to
replace higher cost services with less expensive ones, Hedlund said.
"Essentially, they're coming up with substitutes, some of which might
be free or lower cost, that in better times we might not think twice
about," he said.
Unlimited DVD packages from Netflix start as low as $8.99 a month, and
include unlimited streaming videos that can be watched on a computer
or on a television, according to Netflix.com. (To watch the streaming
movies on TV, a connection device is necessary, which could require an
added upfront charge.)
In the Chicago area, for example, there's a $50 difference between the
promotional monthly rates of the lowest and highest priced digital
packages offered through Comcast, according to its Web site. In this
scenario, scaling back a cable plan from the biggest to the smallest
and adding a Netflix subscription could save a family about $41 a
month.
And don't overpay for Internet speed: Consumer Reports recommends the
typical 5 megabits per second download and 1 Mbps upload speeds for
most users. Unless you're doing a lot of downloading or sharing
lengthy videos, anything more may be a waste of money.
Comparison shop
Before calling your provider in an effort to cut your bill, take a
look around the Web to see what specials are available from all the
providers in your area, including cable, satellite, DSL and fiber-
optic service. Sites including WhiteFence.com can help consumers
compare rates for services side by side, but Consumer Reports
recommends also going to the companies' own sites to check for the
best deals.
It's a good idea to ask a customer representative if the price that is
quoted is the best available offer. Sometimes representatives of the
same company can even quote different rates, according to the Consumer
Reports, so it might be wise to check back again.
"If you want to be sure about it, ask for a sample bill and make sure
it matches up," said Donato Vaccaro, associate director of survey
research for Consumer Reports National Research Center. Confirm taxes
and fees, as well as one-time expenses.
Do some haggling
It costs advertising dollars to reel in new customers, so often
companies will do what they can to keep existing customers happy.
Hedlund often tells this story: When he lost his job during the last
recession, he attempted to cancel a newspaper subscription. He was
told by the representative that he could receive the paper free for
three months; by the time that period was over, Hedlund already had
another job. He remained a subscriber.
These days, people may have more resistance getting a similar response
when they inquire about canceling service, Hedlund said, as companies
worry about their own bottom lines. But it doesn't hurt to ask.
Be armed with information about what competitors are offering and
indicate a willingness to switch. If there's a special rate for new
customers, don't be afraid to request the discount, Cunningham said.
"In this economic environment, much is lost for lack of asking," she
said.
terryc
> Your thoughts?
>
> TMT
>
>
> Save Money By Rethinking Your TV, Internet And Phone Needs
This article is like all the rest. It is really about dropping your
landline and moving over to expensive wireless based services with
exceedingly expensive data costs.
In comparison, my ADSL link runs on th back of the copper landline and the
data I get is very cheap.
The communication problem is that many of the people I communicate with do
not yet have a smilar setup, So I can not take advantage of email,
webcams, chat, irc, irq. skype, etc, etc.
Tony Sivori
About six years ago I saved money by the dropping land line, pager, dial
up internet, and cable TV. I replaced those four with cable internet and a
prepaid cell phone.
Works for me. I don't miss cable TV. I do talk on the phone much less than
the average person, so the by the minute cell wouldn't work for everyone.
--
Tony Sivori
Due to spam, I'm filtering all Google Groups posters.
Too_Many_Tools
Note how the author of this article emphasizes reducing but not
eliminating costs.
The author was paid by the same companies that want to sell you stuff.
These companies are scared (rightly so) that you will just quit
sending them money.
Who do you want to have your money...them or you?
TMT
www.Queensbridge.us
September 2008 I stopped paying for cable TV.
I now get free OTA DTV and watch other stiff on broadband.
Wife pick movies on Hulu
I have barebones POTS.
I get cell phone service for $5.00 a month. Go to www.virginmobileusa.com
Check out Virgin Mobile phones and plans. Buy one of their phones and
activate it. Enter Kickbacks Code number: yQqUHOsQ to get 60 minutes
of bonus airtime after you add money to your account.
Gordon
cc32-44a1-9a8...@q18g2000vbn.googlegroups.com:
>
>> --
>> Tony Sivori
>> Due to spam, I'm filtering all Google Groups posters.
>
> September 2008 I stopped paying for cable TV.
> I now get free OTA DTV and watch other stiff on broadband.
> Wife pick movies on Hulu
>
> I have barebones POTS.
>
> I get cell phone service for $5.00 a month. Go to www.virginmobileusa.com
> Check out Virgin Mobile phones and plans. Buy one of their phones and
> activate it. Enter Kickbacks Code number: yQqUHOsQ to get 60 minutes
> of bonus airtime after you add money to your account.
>
I'm thinking along the same lines as you. Back in April I cut the
cable. We also have a free DTV converter box for OTA DTV. Works
like a charm. We get other programing over the internet. Hulu,
TVUplayer, JLC's Internet TV, and Joost are some of our favorite
places.
Still paying throught the nose for landline phone tho, fios
internet came bundled with Voicewing phone. When we have run
out this contract, I'm going to drop Voicewing and go to a
VOIP service.
Cell phone is Sprint. I'm paying too much for that. I'm
going to get a 7-11 Speakout phone and give it a try. Very
cheap carrying costs. I'm also going to see if I can use
my LG smart phone with a carrier that resells on the Sprint
network.
I was paying over $160.00 for CATV, Phone, cell, and internet.
My goal is to get that below $100.00.