A SAVVY customer has shared how they managed to shave hundreds off their broadband bill by using a Martin Lewis haggling hack.
The saver named Phil told readers of Martin’s MoneySavingExpert about how he slashed £765 off his Virgin Media contract.
He said: “I followed your [MoneySavingExpert’s] guide on how to haggle down broadband costs guidance and renegotiated my Virgin Media contract for broadband, phone and TV.
“I went through retentions, turned down their offer of £129/month, and they put me through to a UK team.”
He added: “They offered £94/month. I told them my wife was looking for a better price, so we settled on £87/month, saving £756 over the next 18 months.”
Haggling is a proven tactic that can help you save hundreds on everything from broadband and insurance deals to TV and mobile phone packages.
Martin said many of his readers have saved hundreds by following his simple steps.
To begin, the money expert said you first call your provider and ask for a better deal.
“Say you’re paying too much or rivals’ deals are cheaper. If that doesn’t work, say you’re leaving,” a note in his blog read.
He explained that by following the above steps your provider will usually put you through to its deals department where you can negotiate an offer.
However, Martin said that before you ring your provider it is worth going in prepared and make sure you know what competitors are offering for the same package you have.
If you are ringing about your TV he also said to do a channel audit and get rid of anything you don’t want.
He said: “There’s no point in paying for channel packages you don’t watch.
“Virgin has a selection of packages to choose from and you could always opt for a more basic one to cut costs.”
If you’re struggling to pay for your phone or internet, talk to your provider, Citizens Advice recommends the following
Ask if they can offer you a cheaper deal. You can find their contact details on their website or on a letter from them.
You could tell your provider you’re thinking of switching to a cheaper deal with a different provider. Your provider might offer you a cheaper deal to get you to stay with them.
If you don’t want to stay with your current provider, find out if you’ll be charged an ‘exit fee’ to leave – check your contract or contact your provider. You’ll usually be charged an exit fee if you want to leave before the end of a fixed-term contract. This can be expensive, so it might be better to wait until your current contract ends.
You can check if you’ll be charged an exit fee to leave your mobile contract by texting the word ‘INFO’ to 85075. It’s free to text this number.
If you’re near the end of your contract, your provider should contact you to remind you. They’ll also let you know about their best available deals.
Martin also informed readers that haggling works best when you’re near or beyond the end of your contract.
However, ultimately the guru said that If customers do not get what they want they should consider leaving.
He explained: “Remember, new customers normally have the pick of the best TV, fibre broadband and line rental deals and there are other providers out there.”
Phil was not the only customer to save by using this method, with readers also hearing from Dawn who saved £684.
She said: I’m with Virgin Media and my bill was going to increase to £64 next month.
“After calling them and following the MSE tips they have offered me a new price of £26. This will save me £684 over the contract term.”
The Sun previously created an eight-step guide to haggling with your provider, which you can check out here.
Many customers are still paying more than they need to when it comes to broadband.
This is often because of mid-term price hikes, which are written into a lot of broadband and mobile phone contracts.
The Sun previously revealed that 11million customers are at risk of paying more than they need to on their internet and television deals because of this.
These agreements mean that around April each year, providers can increase what they charge, usually in line with inflation plus an added percentage (for example, Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation + 3.9%).
From January 15 next year, providers will be banned from doing this in percentage terms and will have to include an exact pounds and pence figure in your contract – but this will still mean customers have to pay extra.
Research, by Utility Warehouse, found that many customers are aware of these increases, but are choosing not to switch service providers.
It was discovered that those who don’t switch their contracts over lose an average of £28 a month, or £336 over 12 months.
Being met with price rises can be a stressful experience, especially if you are worried about your financial situation.
Most contracts come with terms and conditions that say your provider can increase the price each year – either by a set amount, or an amount linked to inflation.
If your terms and conditions don’t say your provider can increase the price each year, your provider should have given you 30 days’ notice before putting up the price of your deal.
You won’t be able to cancel without a fee if either:
If you are moving house you should check if your provider offers the same service in your new area.
If they do, you might have to pay a small fee to move the service to your new address.
