There a number of things you can do if you want to get a good cable TV deal. They are:
- Doing Proper Research
Once you have decided to use a cable TV provider, it’s important to research thoroughly. Save all the flyers and mail that comes in from various cable companies and look at ads in the newspaper.
Look out for promotion deals and promotions from online resellers of brick-and-mortar stores’ services. There are many such places where you can get huge incentives on signing up, including attractive rebates. However, it’s likely that you’ll pay slightly higher on subscriptions. Simply do your math and determine whether the additional cost is worth it.
Next, look through cable TV forum sites to find out which deals other cable subscribers like the most. You’ll notice that the deals here are likely to be much better than anything advertised in newspapers or online. Sites like TV Providers are also very useful.
You’ll also glean useful information on how to deal with the sales agents in order to realize the highest benefit for yourself. For instance, most chat agents are outsourced and hence more likely to give special deals compared with call agents who are actual employees who have less leeway in giving deals.
- Signing up
Having decided that cable TV is for you, the next step is to make sure you get the best sign-up deal. You should know which services have the strongest signal in your area – it’s no use going for a cheaper provider whose infrastructure in your area poor, meaning that you’ll be having a lot of downtime.
Remember that a majority of attractive signup offers lapse after six months or 1 year, depending on the company.
Look online for the best deal they have and note it down somewhere: the starter deal as well as the long-term one. Next, call the cable company and see what they have to offer; it is usually slightly better than the deals they give you online – they may throw in some perks like extra channels or discounts on DVRs among others. If your agent doesn’t seem to be budging, hang up and call again to get a different agent.
Your best option however is on the online sales chat which you can access by visiting the provider’s website. You can negotiate much friendlier starter package e.g. an extension on the lowered prices as well as all the other perks the call agents give you. If you notice that the agent accepts your offer too fast, you might be able to negotiate for even more perks. Tell them you’re reluctant to close the deal, and see what they’re willing to throw in before finally agreeing to sign up.
Conclusion
Cable TV is one of the few things for which you have considerable control over the kind of deal you end up getting. First, determine what you want and then explore every avenue to ensure you get the best deal possible. With a little planning and research, you can get the kind of deal your neighbors will be jealous about.