How To Lower Your Bills: An Easy Script To Negotiate On The Phone

When you first sign up for a new service you are most likely given a super low price to get you in the door. As the 6-month or year-end contract ends you bill gets higher and higher. You see ads on TV for that same company offering lower rates to new customers than to you who is a LOYAL customer. That is just not right.

Today, I’m sharing a script that you can use on the phone to help lower your bills.

The lower your bills, the more money you can put towards debt, savings, or investing!

Twice a year put it in your calendar to call the companies that charge your recurring bills: car/renter’s insurance, cell phone, and cable.

Always be polite.

This is the biggest tip with negotiations. I get it, our instinct wants to lash out. We are frustrated that we just got a huge bill that is not what we budgeted for but being polite and nice to talk to will get so you much further.

I’ve worked plenty of customer service jobs in my day, if I had a customer that was super nice and relatable I wanted to do everything I could to get them a solution!

Ask for help.

The psychology by asking for help is you are giving them the opportunity for a win. Their brain will go “Yes! I’m here to help, let’s figure this out!”

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I’m going to walk you through a 5 step method:

1. State the problem.

2. Show your loyalty.

3. Show them you are willing to walk away.

4. Don’t give up.

5. Thank them.

Here’s what you say: 

You: “Hello NAME, how are you doing today? I’m doing great, thank you for asking. I’m having an issue and I would love for you to help me.”

Them: “I’m doing great, thank you for asking. I’m happy to help you today, what seems to be the issue?“

You: “I saw on your website that you have a new package with an unlimited data plan for only $5 more a month than I am paying now. How can I add this to my plan?“

Them: “Unfortunately, that is only for new customers. To add the unlimited data plan to your account it will be on $14.99 a month more.”

You: “How long have I been a customer with you?“

Them: “Eight years, Mrs. Smith”

You: “Eight years! That’s a long time. How can we work together to make sure it’s nine?” or “As a loyal Sprint member for eight years, I’d really love to continue being a loyal valued customer.”

You: “I really want to have a good customer service experience today with (company name). What can you do for me?“

Them: “Let me look into this, may I place you on a brief hold?”

You: “Yes, take your time.“

Them: “I’m sorry, there is nothing we can do, that offer is for new customers only”

*Repeat steps 2 and 3, stay polite and calm the whole time*

Them: “I’m sorry, I still can’t offer you that rate.”

You: “As you know times are tough so I’m thinking of switching to [COMPETITOR COMPANY]. Can you switch me to your cancellation department, please?”

*You will then be transferred to their customer retention department*

You: “Good afternoon, times are tough right now. I see that [COMPETITOR COMPANY] is offering the unlimited plan that I want for $15 a month less, that’s $180 a month. I know that customer acquisition costs you hundreds of dollars and it just makes sense to keep me as a loyal customer. I’ve already been with you for eight years. So what can you do to offer me this plan for less money?“

Them: “I see where you are coming from and we value you as a customer. Yes, I can match the rate on the website.”

You: “Thank you so much, I really appreciate your help. I am glad to stay with you and your company.”

Now, sometimes they don’t budge. It’s okay, keep your cool.

Thank them for their time and hang up. If you aren’t satisfied, wait a day or two and try another method of contacting them. Often times you will speak to someone else who is more helpful.

More ways to save on your bills:

• CIT Bank: BEST High-yield savings account; your bank shouldn’t be charging you money. Instead, YOU should be making money off your money!
• Ladder: Get a quick, free quote on term life insurance, affordable, online term life insurance. No exam! No waiting! No hassles!
• GetUpside: Earn 20 cents per gallon on gas cash back when you download the app and use code FIAB20.
• Fetch Rewards is a free grocery savings app that rewards you just for snapping pictures of your receipts. That’s it. Really. Free gift cards on groceries on thousands of products every day, no matter where you get your groceries. Just scan your receipts and get gift cards from retailers like Amazon, Target, Ulta, Applebees. Use code QHKBH to earn 2,000 points ($2)!
• GoodRx: Free app that provides you savings of up to 80% on your prescriptions (even if you don’t have insurance). $5 sign up bonus!
• Rakuten: Get cash back on online purchases and automatic coupons and savings with their browser plugin… and remember, you have to make a $20 purchase to get your $20 for free!
• Lively: A modern health savings account. Prepare for tomorrow by making smart decisions about finances and healthcare today. Lively HSAs are free for individuals and families, so you never have to worry about hidden costs.
• Build Wealth by Investing in Index Funds Course: I’ve teamed up with my friend Jeremy from Personal Finance Club to teach you everything you need to know to invest in index funds! How to open an account, how much to invest, and how to choose an index fund. You’ll gain the knowledge and confidence to invest optimally and build wealth for decades.

Save on home and auto insurance with Gabi:

If you are overpaying for your auto and home insurance, there is a service called Gabi that will do all of the shopping for you… for free!

Here’s how it works:

Gabi will be your personal insurance shopper, they compare multiple offers from the top insurance companies.

With Gabi’s technology, they will quickly get quotes to match your current coverage. No need to visit multiple websites and little to no manual entry.

You can rest easy knowing that you’ve explored all of your options. When Gabi tells you the best price, you can trust them. Gabi will never share or sell your information.

Get your FREE QUOTE with Gabi!

Want someone to do the negations for you? Check out Billshark

What Is BillShark & How Do I Start?
Have you ever seen a promotional rate for a phone plan and realized you’re overpaying? We are all looking to save money on our monthly expenses, but sometimes it can be incredibly stressful to research a service and sign up for a lower rate. At BillShark, their job is to take all the time and effort out of saving money.

Billshark’s Services:

There are many areas of your monthly expenses where you may be overspending. If you’re looking to save money and cut down on monthly bills but aren’t ready to give up a Netflix account or lose your unlimited data phone plan, BillShark can help.

BillShark will go through each of your monthly services to determine where you can save money. Once they find an area where you’re overspending, our team can negotiate lower payments for you, hassle-free.
Internet packages, cable TV, home security services, and cell phone plans are just a few of the many bills that American households are commonly overcharged for. If you don’t know the latest rates or don’t have the time to negotiate every fee, you may end up paying hundreds of extra dollars.

Getting Started:

It’s surprisingly easy to get started with BillShark. First, sign up with a free account. Next, their sharks will compare your rates with various other rates available to you. They’ll find an identical plan at a lower cost or negotiate a lower cost for your exact same service. Our modest fee of 40 percent of your savings helps us to keep saving you more money in the future. Don’t wait to start reducing your spending without altering your lifestyle

Get started with BillShark!

Refinance Your Student Loans

In just 2 minutes you can see if refinancing your student loans could cut years off your student loan payments.

With Earnest, right now you get $100 back from refinancing. You pick your payment and loan term, remove a cosigner, and can consolidate multiple loans.

Lowering your interest rate with Earnest means big savings and much faster loan payoff!

Here’s how it works:

1. Get an instant interest rate estimate with no impact on your credit score.

2. Fill out a simple application to see if Earnest is the right fit.

3. Pick a monthly payment from monthly or bi-weekly options.

Get your $100 back and refinance today!