Obtained Comcast or Spectrum web? Now’s a good time to threaten you’ll cancel

Final week, I secured my lowest value for Spectrum web in years.

All it took was a name to Spectrum’s retention division, which is the place you find yourself after telling the automated system you need to cancel your service. After a mildly tedious dialog with an exceedingly pleasant rep, my month-to-month invoice dropped from $68 to $45 monthly for the following full 12 months. Not solely did I get monetary savings, however my speeds elevated from 400 Mbps to 500 Mbps.

Whereas I can’t assure the identical outcomes all over the place, on the whole it’s a good time to threaten to cancel cable web service.

For years, Comcast and Constitution (which operates the Spectrum model) have boasted to shareholders that progress in dwelling web greater than offsets the collapse of cable TV, however now they’re dropping web clients to distributors providing sooner fiber and cheaper 5G wi-fi options. They’re extremely motivated to maintain potential defectors on board, so you must take full benefit of their collective insecurity.

What competitors appears to be like like

Final 12 months, Spectrum and Comcast misplaced 508,000 and 411,000 dwelling web clients respectively . The 12 months earlier than, Comcast misplaced 66,000, whereas Spectrum misplaced 61,000. Inventory costs for each corporations are already under what they have been two years in the past.

Against this, fiber and wi-fi dwelling web are rising. T-Cell and Verizon added 1.7 million and 1.5 million wi-fi dwelling web clients in 2024 respectively, whereas AT&T added 1 million clients to its fiber service. Each of their shares are up from two years in the past.

This isn’t rocket science: Wi-fi dwelling web is cheaper than cable, with plans beginning at $35 monthly for T-Cell and Verizon when bundled with cell phone service. Fiber, in the meantime, affords symmetric add and obtain speeds, which aren’t at all times accessible with cable, and it may be cheaper as nicely. (AT&T’s 500 Mbps plan, as an illustration, prices $75 monthly on a non-promotional foundation, $10 monthly lower than Comcast.)

Cable suppliers ought to have reckoned with this new actuality years in the past. As an alternative, they resorted to scare ways and misinformation. Comcast and Constitution each rolled out advert campaigns to persuade folks that they didn’t really need cheaper web service, which they later needed to modify for being deceptive. Comcast then tried to promote its web plans as “10G” in a determined try and look higher than 5G (regardless of being unrelated technologically). Promoting watchdogs pressured Comcast to drop that line of assault as nicely.

Cable’s response

Solely now are the cable giants doing what they need to have executed all alongside, which is to truly compete.

Comcast, as an illustration, introduced a somewhat-simplified set of dwelling web plans final week, beginning at $40 monthly for 300 Mbps service with a one-year value assure. (Clients can even pay a better value of $55 monthly to lock in that charge for 5 years.) These new plans additionally reverse a longstanding coverage of imposing information caps in most markets.

Final 12 months, Comcast additionally launched a separate pair of web plans beneath its “Now” model, priced at $30 monthly for 100 Mbps and $45 monthly for 200 Mbps. These plans don’t embody information caps both.

Spectrum’s response hasn’t been as splashy. It’s been extra centered on growing web speeds and bundling extra companies collectively, together with free streaming companies on its cable TV aspect, and a suggestion of $30-per-month dwelling web (at 500 Mbps) when bundled with two cell strains. It’s additionally been scrapping hidden charges and making an attempt to enhance its customer support.

However right here’s the issue: Cable corporations don’t need to hand out huge reductions to present clients if they will keep away from it. Whereas Comcast says its new packages can be found to anybody, present clients should name in to make the swap, and I’ve heard from a couple of readers who’ve run into issues getting the plans they need.

As my expertise with Spectrum has proven, it’s all a matter of reaching the precise consultant.

What you must do about it

Negotiating a decrease dwelling web value is simple. You simply have to bypass the usual customer support division and skip straight to the one with the objective of preserving you from cancelling your service. You may usually accomplish this by way of the automated answering system by choosing the choices that result in cancelling your service.

I perceive this may be nerve-wracking. When you have no intention of switching suppliers, you definitely wouldn’t need the cable firm to name your bluff and reduce you off with out warning.

Belief me, that’s not going to occur. Cable corporations function retention departments for the specific function of pumping the breaks on cancellations and speaking issues out first. Additionally they have entry to promotions that commonplace customer support reps don’t. (Each Spectrum retention specialist I’ve ever talked to has relished pointing this out.)

If it makes you extra comfy, simply strategy the topic in a circumspect manner. As soon as the retention rep is on the road, inform them you’re pondering about cancelling, otherwise you need to talk about the logistics of cancelling at a handy future date. In my expertise that’s sufficient to set the promotional gears in movement.

And if that doesn’t work, possibly it’s time to look into different choices. There are extra of them accessible now in additional locations, a lot to the cable corporations’ dismay.

Join Jared’s Wire Cutter Weekly e-newsletter for extra money-saving recommendation.