A woman claimed that she was able to negotiate her Verizon bill. She said she got the bill slashed by a third. But was the deal too good to be true? Viewers are chiming in to say that there might be a catch.
In a 7-second clip, Verizon customer Lindsey Bauer (@lindzbauer) explains how she got her bill lowered via text overlay.
“I heard you could lower your wifi bill if you just talk to your wifi carrier,” she writes. “So I spoke with Verizon for about 1 hour and ended up lowering my bill by almost a third and getting faster internet.”
That leads the content creator to question, “What other bills are negotiable? Water bill? Insurance? Groceries? Give me all the tips plz.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Bauer via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment as well as to Verizon via press email.
Viewers think there’s a catch
Her video garnered over 47,000 views. Some viewers shared that they’ve also had success with negotiating bills. Others, however, were more skeptical, arguing that while Bauer got her bill lowered, it’s only temporary.
“I’ve had fees waived that were my fault plenty of times by just asking nicely,” one viewer revealed.
“Did this and they took 50 bucks off my bill,” another echoed.
“You didn’t negotiate. They upgraded you on a promo that will run out and you will be paying more than before when it’s over,” a third warned.
“Make sure you watch your bill because they have a way of messing that up royally,” a fourth advised.
Reduced price technique to score a better deal
In a follow-up video, Bauer shares what she told the Verizon worker to get her bill lowered.
“I don’t have a script per se but I can tell you a couple of things I said that I think got my point across,” she says.
She says she didn’t even have to call. She was able to negotiate through a built-in chat feature on the website.
“Basically, I said, ‘I’m looking to lower my bill and get better internet,’” she says. “They offered me one deal, and it was to have better internet. But then it was gonna be $10 more than I was already paying.”
She says she then threatened to switch providers and that did the trick.
“Tim then provided me another option which was much better conveniently and I accepted that,” Bauer says.
Scam or victory?
Telling your internet provider that you’re considering other options, like Bauer did, is one of the most efficient ways to get your bill lowered. Providers really don’t want to lose you as a customer and may get desperate if they think you’re on the way out.
There are some things you need to watch out for, though. For example, if your provider offers you a promo, keep in mind that your bill may very well increase once the promo expires.
@lindzbauer In this economy??? Drop the recs. #budget #wifi #negotiate #negotation ♬ beans – yawn.
Ways to lower your internet bill
In addition to switching providers or snagging promos, there are some other methods to successfully getting your internet bill lowered. Those include:
- Switching internet plans
- Purchasing a router
- Checking any add-on fees
- Searching for bundled plans (cable, internet, and phone service or mobile or cellphone and video streaming services, per Consumer Reports)
If you do speak with your provider, be nice! They will be more likely to help you.
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