Internet Only @ Comcast - Strategies to lower price?

September 20, 2015 5:04 PM

I have internet for emailing and streaming Netflix or casting via Chromecast. I don't have a huge TV so picture quality isn't super high on my list.

My bill is going up to 70/mo though I don't really need any more bandwith than to stream. I don't game or do high end stuff nor download. I admit I may just be out of touch with how much it costs just to have internet. I don't have much bargaining chips though CenturyLink is in my area. I don't care about sports or cable and I don't bundle phones I have a cheap no contract plan. Any thoughts on how to negotiate a lower bill or do I need to change my already low expectations of Comcast? Here are the tiered Comcast packages. I am willing to drive to a Comcast office and have a meet and greet. Phone and chat has not worked for me, maybe b/c I don't have much to ante up since I don't want extras.

This may be too common a question so thanks in advance for any thought. I don't expect a magic bullet but experienced advice is helpful.

posted by chicaboom to Computers & Internet (17 answers total)

Best answer: I have Comcast's cheapest $29.99 internet. We game/browse the internet/torrent sometimes all at once and never an issue. I actually have found it to be really fast. I'm glad I listened to my boyfriend and got the 'slowest'.
posted by shesbenevolent at 5:10 PM on September 20, 2015

Response by poster: Sounds promising...
posted by chicaboom at 5:27 PM on September 20, 2015

Best answer: Thankfully Comcast is not in my area, but I did call up our cable internet provider and asked to cancel my account. After several transfers, I was able to get access to the lower, basic packages that the previous representatives would not let me get and I was able to cut my internet rate in half and the service has stayed the same. If you are willing to play the "I want to cancel my service" game, that would also be an option. It has also lead to lots of promotional offers to upgrade, but I just ignore that as junk mail.
posted by Nackt at 5:50 PM on September 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

As Nackt mentions, you need to find a way to get transferred to the Loyalty Department. Threatening to cancel is the surest way down this path. They will almost always cut you a deal, but sometimes it only lasts 6 months so prepare to play this game over and over again through the years.
posted by oxisos at 5:58 PM on September 20, 2015

Best answer: Yes, the secret to a successful relationship with Comcast is to get a cable+internet package that's cheaper than just internet using a special, and then mark your calendar before it ends to call and cancel until you get it extended/reduced further. Or move to a city with Google Fiber. Also, depending on what you do with Internet, a VPN service can pay for itself if it gets you the speeds you need on a cheaper subscription.
posted by michaelh at 6:29 PM on September 20, 2015

Response by poster: VPNs...I hadn't thought of that in the recipe. Thanks, @micaelh.
posted by chicaboom at 6:58 PM on September 20, 2015

Clarification: cable+internet is not cheaper than internet alone in every market and it's usually only a good idea if you need faster Internet. For example, the cheapest internet I can get is $30/mo, but I am paying about $50 for a cable+internet package that's equivalent to the $80/mo internet-only package they would offer me and much faster (tested) than the $30/mo tier.

In other words, do research if you want to calibrate your purchase that finely.
posted by michaelh at 7:10 PM on September 20, 2015

Not to derail, but how exactly would a VPN service help? You'd still need the primary connection to the internet to be fast enough for whatever you're doing, no?
posted by BillMcMurdo at 7:58 PM on September 20, 2015 [3 favorites]

You need the Comcast rate card. Some cities or state utilities commissions will post it online, some won't, in which case you have to ask Comcast for it. It will tell your your service options and their associated prices, one or more of which may be cheaper than your current rate. This does not involve any sort of negotiation. If you call them and try to switch to slower speeds they will likely tell you that it's no good for streaming, but that's basically made up rubbish. You can always try it and see.
posted by kiltedtaco at 9:15 PM on September 20, 2015

Not to derail, but how exactly would a VPN service help? You'd still need the primary connection to the internet to be fast enough for whatever you're doing, no?

VPNs give you the choice of UDP which is often faster (definitely is in my area) and the encryption prevents throttling by website/type of activity.
posted by michaelh at 9:50 PM on September 20, 2015 [2 favorites]

In the past I've been able to get get Comcast to give me the rates they are advertising for new customers, or at least something between that and the supposed standard rate. This time, I had no luck, even talking with people from multiple departments. (They bounced me around like crazy, all acting like they didn't have access to the rates any fool can find on their website, even the loyalty/retention department.) In the end, I switched to a local provider. I'm not sure if it's just me, or if this is a more general thing. I mean, they know what your options are, and I think they are less willing to negotiate than in the past.
posted by ktkt at 11:31 PM on September 20, 2015

Best answer: I just went through this dance this morning with Time-Warner. Different company, but same approach. (And the cable monopoly in my state.)

In my case, Time Warner was going to raise my internet-only rate by 50%. The first agent I spoke with was all about stonewalling and offering downgraded service as the only alternative. She told me that annual price increases with no added value to the customer is the way "American businesses do it". I mentioned that the price increase seemed illogical since Google Fiber is coming here next year to this area. She didn't skip a beat.

Cable pricing structures are all a bit of a scam. Every company offers a confusing batch of tiered "new customer" or "introductory" or "special" rates that last for a limited period. The companies know that only a percentage of customers will have the patience to call and bargain when the inevitable price spike hits.

So, check Comcast's site and see what rates it's offering there. Then, just be insistent and explicit with the first agent you speak with that you really don't understand the reason for the increase and that you really just want to find a way to keep your costs under control, etc., etc. Don't lose it, don't rave, but do question everything. The agent will very likely repeatedly offer to "Just set that up for you now!" Say no. (I kept asking, "As a loyal TW customer for more than 10 years, why should I have to pay 50% more than a new customer for the same product?")

Eventually, I was transferred to a "Consumer Solutions" rep who, after some time, reduced the increase to within a few dollars of my current rate. It's another "special offer" that will see an increase in 12 months, but that's never going to change as long as these corporations have no real competition, if then.
posted by justcorbly at 7:28 AM on September 21, 2015

Best answer: We are internet-only Comcast subscribers too. I have had several different variations of their bundled deal - including "triple play" with phone and cable, internet-phone combo, and internet-cable combo - each time riding out the term and then doing the "I'm going to cancel" dance to get a new deal. To save the money on renting their equipment, I tell them flat out that I will not use the cable service or the phone service and that I am only subscribing that way to get the deal; they do not seem to care and it saves a few bucks a month. I REALLY don't like having to go through that dance because inevitably it's a giant hassle at the end of the "special offer" term.

This last time around, I got really lucky. When I called for the first time I had to settle for one of their bundles to get good internet for $50/mo. Then the confirmation e-mail came it was totally messed up and had a zillion extras that I did not ask for. I called back and very politely said "this is crazy; all I really want is internet for $50 and I don't want and won't use ANY other service so can you help me do whatever bundle I need but strip out everything else?" And the guy kind of laughed and said "I got you, man" and hooked me up to an internet only, non-special price $50/mo deal. I get a bill and it literally has just one line on it and no discounts or bundles or anything. I can't believe it but the price has stuck for a long time and I don't have to worry about what happens at the end of the next term.

All of that is a long way of saying that if you find the right person and politely explain your exasperation they might be able to just mark you down for a no-nonsense internet only plan at $50 or less.
posted by AgentRocket at 8:02 AM on September 21, 2015

Best answer: Have you thought about switching to CenturyLink? I have 12 Mbps and got them to lower my rate to $19.99 a few months ago (I was at $50-something at the time at 7 Mbps and threatened to leave). They told me to call back when my 12-month discount is up and they'll renew it. I love CenturyLink as much as someone can love their internet provider.
posted by jabes at 11:29 AM on September 21, 2015

Best answer: Comcast has a competitor in my neighborhood that offers more bandwidth for less money. I don't care to switch for various reasons - one being that the other provider has a cancellation fee. But I've been able to use their pricing against Comcast for three years now to get my prices lowered. Last time I told them flat out that I was going to hang up and call the other provider to cancel, and I meant it. They backed down and renewed me for another year at $50 per month, Internet-only. I honestly don't even know what speed I have. Anything over about 20Mbps doesn't matter all that much.
posted by cnc at 12:34 PM on September 21, 2015

"VPNs give you the choice of UDP which is often faster (definitely is in my area) and the encryption prevents throttling by website/type of activity."

Uhm, can you elaborate? UDP is a protocol that's used by programs for communicating over a network but its main difference over TCP is that it doesn't check if a packet has been delivered. Your network connection utilizes TCP and UDP. UDP is most often used in voip and streaming media. So how does this speed anything up?
posted by I-baLL at 1:58 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]

Uhm, can you elaborate? UDP is a protocol that's used by programs for communicating over a network but its main difference over TCP is that it doesn't check if a packet has been delivered. Your network connection utilizes TCP and UDP. UDP is most often used in voip and streaming media. So how does this speed anything up?

My understanding is that if the connection is good, TCP's error-correcting becomes unnecessary overhead. I don't know much more about why it works, unfortunately.
posted by michaelh at 2:54 PM on September 21, 2015