Has anyone had any luck in getting a lower bill by trying to cancel service?

[SAWYER]

I simply do not use data on my phone that much, we have Employee Referral Family Unlimited on two Blackberries. I think the price is 109/month but after taxes etc it is usually 120+. I am sick of paying this much for a phone. I like Sprint, it has been good service but I do not like paying the big bill, especially when I hardly talk on a phone. I am seriously considering canceling my account and getting Page plus or something similar. I wonder if Sprint would budge on price upon canceling my service.


I called and asking about getting Sero and they said no, but I didn't push the issue.

 

[Bateluer]

Long answer, possibly. If you're dissatisfied with your bill given what you use it for, research an alternative. Details on the alternative plan, pricing after taxes/fees, etc and know what you desire your Sprint bill to be, and what you'll settle for. Go into the conversation with Sprint armed with that, but don't bluster and threaten to cancel your service if they don't budget on the price.

It helps if you've been a customer for a long time as well. Most reps will be very agreeable if you're polite and present your case well.

Everything is negotiable, if you go about it the right way.

 

[MrX8503]

At $120 you're paying $60 per user for a smartphone. You can't really get any cheaper than that. Your other option is to use a dumb phone since you said you don't use all that much data.

 

[zoiks]

They likely won't shave off any dollars on your existing plan. A possibility is that they might add you to a much reduced plan with less minutes and no data so that you can pay less till your contract expires.

 

[gsaldivar]

It never hurts to ask. The worst that can happen is they say "no" right?

I recommend being persistent and polite. Having the exact price of switching to one of the competitors never hurts either.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Page Plus's data is so limited, I couldn't stand it, and their billing & customer support leaves a bit to be desired, use them or Virgin as a bargaining chip, but don't jump ship to them...

 

[shortylickens]

Yup, with Verizon. And actually I did cancel. They emailed me a day later and asked me to stay on with a special customer loyalty program. Much cheaper voice. This happened to coincide with their new low data usage plans. I took both. Saved a bundle.

 

[Phynaz]

At $120 you're paying $60 per user for a smartphone. You can't really get any cheaper than that.

You must have lousy negotiating skills if you think you can't get lower than that.

Especially with Sprint. They will give away the house to stop the hemorrhaging of customers.

 

[LeonarD26]

Sprint has stopped giving away the house..... Check out some sprint related forums and you'll see... good luck!

 

[NutBucket]

And it's likely that $60 includes unlimited text, unlimited data, navigation (not that google isn't free) and unlimited calling to/from any mobile #. It really is an awesome price compared to other carriers.

 

[Destiny]

I used to work in the wireless industry since it's baby days and the answer is YES you can... just be polite and talk to the right person...

I have easily cut overage bills in half or elminate it competely... $100 plans dropped to $70... even getting a promotion that the customer didn't qualify without having to renew her contract and switched two year to one year contracts...

 

[her209]

Sounds like you have the same plan I had. Signed up back in Feb 09 with the VP referral code.

Check with Sprint to see if your employer qualifies you for a discount. Also, if you bank with a credit union, that'll get you a discount, but be warned you'll have to renew your contract for 2-years which seems silly. I am looking to get 2 more lines added at a cost of $14.99 each which drops the per line to $35 from $55.

 

[shabby]

I used to work in the wireless industry since it's baby days and the answer is YES you can... just be polite and talk to the right person...

Yup you gotta talk to the right person, up here in canada that's called the retentions department. My bill is supposed to be almost $100, right now its around $35.
Every business is willing to negotiate a lower price to keep a customer rather than lose a customer.

 

[T2urtle]

100$ bill down to $35 is INSANE. almost never heard of but it shows how much of that is actual profit.

i haven't done the calling in to get a lower bill but i've called in to collect on promos. $30 internet package was offed at $20, i jumped on that and then $20 was offered at a $5 rate for a short while and i got on that. Student/employee discount was 13%. I never called and told them i needed a lower price. But i'm paying $100ish dollars for 3 lines and i know a new customer today would pay about $180. Good customers that pay on time are very valuable i guess.

 

[basslover1]

When I had Nextel back in the day, just around the time Sprint purchased them, they were very easy to deal with. I went through about 4 phones, all broke, and none of them were my fault they just flat out sucked.

I wasn't due for an upgrade for another 8 months, but the guy on the other line was very helpful. He told me he'd give me one of their new "rugged" phones for the 2-year price w/o having to re-up. He also comped my text plan for the remainder of the contract.

Just gotta call and ask, be polite and they'll almost always be willing to help you out.

 

[hanoverphist]

It never hurts to ask. The worst that can happen is they say "no" right?

one of the guys in my office got 14% off his vzw bill by threatening to leave about a year ago. i did the research, found better phones and cheaper plans and told vzw the same thing he did, they responded with "we will be sorry to see you go, but its your decision". fuck me. even using my corp account as leverage (which i have joint control over where we get our phones as well) they didnt see any reason to shave any off the bill.

 

[gsaldivar]

they responded with "we will be sorry to see you go, but its your decision".

You have to be persistent. Call back and try again with a different rep and maybe a different approach. Always keep your cool and be polite. It's a good idea to have any ads handy from competitors that you can use for leverage.

"I can sign with X today for $28.00 less per month than I'm paying here, and I get the same features and a brand new phone. I'm quite happy with the service here, but I really need a new phone and I can't justify paying an extra $672.00 ($28 x 24 months) just to stay with your company. Is this really the best you can do? Can we run the numbers again and see if there is any room to improve the deal? I don't want to leave, but I don't want to keep overpaying for my service either....."

Good luck!