bt anytime calls £16.50, good/bad deal?

sherbie

hi, just to say a massive thanks again for all the help and replies! ure all stars!:j

i did call again, and was offered a free hd box, and half price hd for 6 months. i wasnt impressed, as online you can get a free hd box, and £100 m&s vouchers. i explained that i almost upgraded last month when there was £70 quidco, and m&s vouchers, but couldnt afford the extra, and was there owt else they could offer. i brought up maybe looking at sky talk, and line rental, and was offered 12 months free line rental, and broadband for £10, instead of £15. i was puzzled, as online if you start a new contract, and add calls and line rental, broadband becomes £7.50. (if you are calling, double check all the various options on the sky site, including building ure own package, so you know whats out there). i was told nope, thats only online, i was also told i could have either the box offer, or the line offer, not both, so i said id think about it.

i called back today, only to get a few questions answered... and got the 1tb box for £49,(couldve had standard for free, both the same as web site), and i got 12 months free line rental, and the half price broadband for £7.50 that i wouldve got online. i did try for half price hd too, cheeky moo that i am, but i didnt wanna push too far, as after spending hours looking at other providers, and doing a crazy amount of maths, i realised that even with full price hd, i was making a massive saving on calls and broadband, compared to what i had been on! it really does seem to matter who you talk to, so to anyone out there who hasnt had much luck, dont give up, it took me 3 goes! i will post this in the haggle sky bit, in the hope itll inspire others, but i just wanted those ere, who kindly took the time to help me to know... i could never have done it without you, i wouldve just given up, so a MASSIVE thankyou!
_party_:icotbaske:santa2: (easter chocky was nearest thing to a pint i could find!)

iQueen

I recently spent 2 weeks looking for the best deals, as I wanted to move to Broadband. What a minefield of stuff hidden in the small print!

Wasn't keen on changing providers - I hate all this shopping around and contracts.

I eventually went with Plusnet, for phone, anytime calls (inc 0845 etc) and 60gb of broadband/month, including line rental. They met the offer £27/month, (12 month contract, but for a one-off £25 you can have a 30-day rolling contract and leave when you like), offered by my Dial-Up provider - the UK tech support swung it for me, which is Freephone, 24/7 throughout the year. They also state on their website, that they will beat any price offered elsewhere.

I also rang BT to see what they could do after being with them for 35 years. I was offered line rental and anytime calls, paid quarterly (my choice) for £49/ qtr. They couldn't meet Plusnet with the broadband. They also hauled me over the coals for not ringing them and 'discussing' my disgust at their ever-rising prices! They assured me that, if I wish to return later, there will not be any charges and they will take my years of loyalty into account, offering me a cheap deal.

I will be saving £200+ per year.

Flushed with success I got my standard renewal offer from the AA for Roadside and Relay down from £114 to £59 - loyalty can pay off, same services + 2 extra calls/year + legal costs for anything. Been with them 14 years.

I've also done the same haggle with motor insurance and saved a further £50/year.

Tip:

Do some research into prices online, for similar services. Go first to your current supplier and ask them to beat the best from your research. Then go to that one and ask them to beat your supplier's offer. All suppliers are desperate to either retain your business or get new business and they have ENORMOUS lee-way on prices!

Good luck! Let's take back control of the prices we pay.

sherbie

iQueen wrote: »

Good luck! Let's take back control of the prices we pay.

too right! thanks for the advice, im gonna be a (not so) lean, mean haggling machine from now on! congrats on ure deals!:j

just a side note, omg, you know how i couldnt see the pint glasses before, theyre right next the to one i just used! doh! lol!:rotfl:

ladylouise62

iQueen wrote: »

......
Do some research into prices online, for similar services. Go first to your current supplier and ask them to beat the best from your research. Then go to that one and ask them to beat your supplier's offer. All suppliers are desperate to either retain your business or get new business and they have ENORMOUS lee-way on prices!

Good luck! Let's take back control of the prices we pay.

It doesn't always work - I just tried to get the enormous insurance renewal dropped to something more reasonable, and the present cost is already at the higher end of the table (and no, no reason for the hike)...

Me: "I just got my renewal which has gone up by 35% whilst my pay has gone down by 50%, so I want to cancel the automatic renewal, please"

Them, with no small talk, just straight to the point :" Well, I can't reduce it by as much as 35%" (obviously used to people calling just to get it reduced)

Me: "I have on my screen an identical policy for £50 less than my last renewal, and it's not the cheapest by a mile".

Them: "Errmm, OK, I'll ensure that your account is cancelled"

---

So after 14 years and just one smallish claim that proved that my house was secure, I have moved insurer. They've only got into this enormous hike thing in the last few years - they never used to... still, they've now lost a low-claim long term income - their loss.

Heinz

Hope you went through Quidco - to get cashback too.

Other cashback sites are available.