Thread: The 'Art" of Negotiation

Most health insurance is not 'insurance' it's a medical payment plan. Insurance should only cover major issues/operations not the little things. Insurance is for big things that are unexpected. Enough people do the high deductables, ie. $2500-5000, maybe in time, prices start to drop. Maybe. Happy shaving. Save for stitches. +1 on negotiating. Tho I don't do enough. Hospital and cars works great.

My wife and I enjoy going to flea markets. She for books and other stuff, I for old files, razors, hones, etc.
Our daughters always get to pick something too, just to keep them happy.

For my youngest it's always stuffed animals. She literally sleeps on a pile of them. She always wants one more, at which point she'll be ecstatic about having the best, softest animal in the whole world, or completely devastated if she doesn't get it.

I always bid down on principle unless I'm already getting a steal (like a stuffed animal for 10 cents). Last time she found a large toy frog. The asking price was 2 dollars so I bid 1. Meanwhile my daughter was hugging it tightly and saying 'You're my best friend in the whole world and you are so soft and I'm never going to leave you alone and I love you (etc etc)'

The lady selling it smiled and said 'yeah I think she really wants to take it home with her'.
Negotiations did no proceed as planned.

My internet connection was so slow that I finally called up and stated that they fix it or I change... It worked out great. They rewired the cable to the street, did this and that - all in all, 4hrs work and now I have blazing fast internet. Best part is, for the next two years I get my tv, phone, and internet for 1/3 of what I was paying before the upgrade!

Why? Because these guys are tools!! After standing me up for two appointments and them re-booking me each time, I waited politely at my door and when the dude finally did show up that third time, I asked him why I would even let him into my house.

Anyway - the district manager was called in to solve the problem and hence the 1/3 off. But the fact of the matter really is, that this all transpired because I had the time to play that week. Had it happened any other time I would have called the competitor if not after the first time they stood me up, surely the second. Waiting around the house bites!

I just got an update for this thread. Apparently time warner has decided to charge an additional fee for renting the cable modem, although they're nice enough to give the customers the option to buy and use their own equipment. I just got the notice last week, and decided to go this way (small money, but I like having my own equipment).

In the process I noticed that my promo rate has expired, so I also called them for the standard yearly negotiation. I think I ended up with the wrong people (national vs. local) because they couldn't offer me anything. I'm going to call once again next week but during day time and if I get the same answer I will cancel the service on the spot and sign up with their competitor. The difference is something like $25/month so the $300 over the year is worth spending the 15-30 min of my time.

The only way they can win with customers like me is if they start offering loyalty discounts (in effect up to now they have kept me through retention discounts), not just sign-up ones, or if they'd lower the disparity between the sign-up and the regular rate.

I negotiate just about everything lol. Almost every retail store has a manager waiting to give me 10-20% off with their little managers discount code I always ask "is this the best you can do?" Then they offer the discount. Most places have their prices inflated, so I figure the discount brings it closer to the reasonable cost.

Electric and Utility bills are what they are and I don't like them.

Many other bills are negotiable or there are other choices.

You can cut your own hair and as well all know you can stop using expensive cartridge razor blades.

I cancelled my phone land line and now use Magic Jack with the same cordless phone I was using before and now pay $30 a year rather than $35 a month.

I don't have cable TV but can watch most shows for free on my computer at Project Free TV - Watch all your favorite tv shows and movies online free

You can buy DE blades and shaving soap in bulk and cut the prices in half or more.

There are many ways to cuts costs without cutting convenience or quality at all. I find that to be fun!

Originally Posted by JBHoren

I think this is THE crux of the matter: specifically, if you can shop other companies. Sadly, here in SoFLA so many of our "choices" are no longer choices.

Cable TV: Besides Comcast, there is no other provider; and DirecTV/Dish are non-starters (cableTV is included in condo association dues, and no external dishes are allowed).

Telephone: Having landline phone service is a "must", given the hurricane/tropical storm activity -- when the electricity goes out, cellphone's stop working (as do cordless landline phones).

Internet: Cable or telephone company (DSL), take your pick... but there aren't any discounts (and you'll be among the lucky, if your download/upload speeds are anywhere near the advertised speeds for which you're already paying.)

As for automobile insurance... well, I can't afford either a beater OR the insurance coverage (we won't even discuss gasoline or upkeep).

I guess I'll just spend more time honing...

Once the battery die that power the land lines you would lose that too.
they have a battery back up i think for something like 4 hours i ask my dad in the morning how
long it is. but when folks lose power everyone jumps on the phone start asking their freinds did you lose power.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

yea, so, I want that loaded new pickup at half price or I'll go somewhere else.

I perty sure that would never ever work.