Every Friday I publish “Frugal Friday!“, an open-ended series with some of the simple and best ways to really save you money both now and in the future.
I was suffering from a small degree of writer’s block today. When I first came up with the idea of ‘Frugal Friday’, I had millions of post ideas zinging around in my brain, and it took much restraint not to write one huge article there and then with my ideas.
Now I have come to actually write another one, and my mind has gone blank. Every writer’s worst nightmare.
So I sat back and analysed myself for a moment. “What do I do that is frugal?”. I have written recently about saving money on your cooking and food shopping which are two of my passions, and something that everyone else has to do as well. I wrote about making good savings on the running cost of your car. Again, most people have a car and so that was a worthwhile article.
Then it suddenly dawned on me: haggling.
I have saved countless hundreds if not thousands of pounds over the years by haggling: with car dealers; shop assistants; telesales folks; a real varied range of different scenarios and people that more often than not, resulted in a saving.
Some examples from just this year include getting half-priced multiroom (for 2 rooms) for 12 months and a free Sky+ box for my satellite viewing pleasure. I got a 15% discount on my mobile phone bill without entering into a new contract. I even saved £150 off of a new set of tyres for my car.
So how do I did I do it, and how can you do the same?
Ask For a Discount
One of the simplest and most obvious ways is simply to ask for a discount. I once got 10% off in Curry’s just for asking if they could do me a discount! Front-line sales folks often have small discretionary powers when it comes to knocking value off of a product, but they won’t unless you ask.
Go Armed
I needed a new tyre earlier on this year on my car due to a slow-puncture in a non-repairable place. Two others were coming up for probably being illegal, so I decided I’d get them all replaced at the same time.
Unfortunately the ‘slow’ had suddenly gone from slow to not so slow, and I found myself in the nearest Kwik-Fit. While they are not exactly my first port of call for maintenance, it was a case of “needs must” as I would not have made it home. After choosing my brand, I sat down in reception.
I didn’t read the free magazines or drink instant plastic coffee, however. I dug my mobile phone out of my pocket and began price hunting for the brand and model of tyre I had just been cajoled by circumstance into purchasing. Unsurprisingly, the price I was paying was well over the odds of what I could have paid if I had ordered online.
When the chap called me over to pay, I asked for a discount. When he replied that the “price was good” already, I showed him my findings. Even my Ford dealer was coming out cheaper than what they were charging, and that was saying something. I walked out after a few more minutes of discussion with over £150 discount applied.
A Warning Shot
This works really well for services provided on a monthly basis such as satellite TV or cable, mobile phones, insurances, credit cards and so on. Mention that you are “considering leaving for another provider” and many customer service agents will launch into retention mode. How far you get depends on who you get, and what the company is, but sometimes this is all you need do.
I did this to Sky earlier in the year, and got offered Sky+ for free instead of the usual £60 installation. A good result. You can do the same with your credit card if you don’t like the interest rate, or your cell phone package, or your gym membership or any number of regularly paid for services.
Make The Explicit Threat
Sometimes though merely thinking aloud to a customer service agent is not sufficient. Sometimes you must explicitly state “I wish to cancel my account” before they will pass you through to the Retention Team. These folks have enormous power, and can make the world move if they like you enough and you are otherwise profitable.
I escalated my Warning Shot to Sky to an Explicit Threat and the tone of the conversation changed. It was no longer a cheerful discussion, it was pure business: They wanted mine, and they would clearly work to get it. In the end I settled for a free Sky+ box, free installation, and half-priced multiroom x2 for 12 months.
Don’t Be Afraid to Back Down
Sometimes, despite escalating through the stages of Asking, Arming, Warning and Threatening, you get met with the grim response of “very well. Your account will be cancelled.”
Ack! They have called your bluff.
You now have two options. You can back-pedal if you wish. “I should really discuss this with my partner first. I will get back to you on this” is a good back-down method. Sometimes, despite fighting the good fight, you lose. If you are ultimately happy with the service you are being provided with then there is no shame in backing down from the haggling fight.
Or Follow Through
If however you don’t mind switching (remember, new customers generally get some cracking deals), keep going. You may well find you get a call back about 5 days before your contract expires pleading with you to reconsider. This worked very well for me with my mobile contract with Three. I had built up a 6 year relationship with the company, but I was not really happy. I am still not, but that is another post altogether. I went through the stages, and eventually asked for my PAC code to transfer my number and close down my account. I had not expected them to let it get to that stage, though.
To my utter surprise, they gave it to me. Without argument.
I rolled with it and followed through. I was not actually all that concerned about losing the service, in reality. Except, 4 days before my contract was due to be shut off, I received a call from their retentions team pleading with me to renew my contract. I spent a good 20 minutes on the phone with them explaining that I did not wish to renew, but would remain if they could reduce my monthly payments.
I received a 15% discount without having to renew my contract. They will apply a 15% discount to my monthly bill on a month-by-month basis until I decide to re-cancel, upgrade or renew. That suits me perfectly!
Haggling is at the end of the day, all about being brazen enough to ask. As someone far wiser than I once quipped: “If you don’t ask, you don’t get!”
Have you haggled, or does the thought of arguing over a price seem embarrassing to you? Share your views in the comments!
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