Friday, January 5, 2024 – Is your Internet bill straining your budget? – Beware this dangerous fake McAfee renewal notice

Is your Internet bill straining your budget?

These days it seems like everything is getting more expensive, but one service that’s always been notorious for regular, but stealthy price increases is broadband Internet service.

If you’ve been paying for an Internet service plan for a few years you’ve probably noticed trends like this:

You sign up for a new Internet plan and the monthly rate seems quite reasonable, but over time your bill creeps ever higher until you’re paying as much a twice what you paid when you first signed up.

These changes tend to be gradual – just a few extra bucks this month, then another small increase a few months later.

Like the proverbial frog that doesn’t realize the water he’s sitting in is getting hotter until it’s too late, you might not notice these small increases until they have accumulated into a huge sum.

If you’ve recently discovered that your once-affordable Internet service plan is now stretching your budget, there are several things you can try in order to get those monthly fees back under control:

1 – Call your ISP’s Customer Service line and ask for a price reduction. Oftentimes they’ll respond favorably and lower your bill right on the spot to keep you from jumping ship.

But if the rep you’re talking to can’t seem to help, ask to be transferred to a “Retention” rep. Those folks typically have a lot more leeway in regards to the deals they can cut than the lower tier reps that always answer the phone when you first call.

2 – If Customer Service can’t (or won’t) help, check out your current ISP’s competitors to see if they can offer you a better deal.

Most Internet providers offer low introductory rates to new customers for the first year, during which time you’ll be able to save a ton on your monthly payments. Of course your rates will start to rise again after the introductory period has expired, but at least you will have enjoyed a year of greatly reduced rates.

Then when your contract period is up (which is usually after two years), you’ll be free to shop around again.

And guess what? You’ll likely get a great deal from your original ISP if you call them up at that point since you’ll once again be a “new customer” in their eyes.

3 – If there are simply no other feasible options in your area due to a lack competition, call your ISP’s Customer Service line again and ask about downgrading to a lower service tier (which you’d get at a lower price).

Of course if your Internet download and upload speeds are already barely tolerable, downgrading won’t really be a viable option. But of you’re currently paying for 1Gbps download speeds you just might be able to get by quite well with something like 200Gbps.

Bottom line: Most customers will find there’s indeed a way to reduce their Internet service fees without getting stuck with a noticeably slower connection.

What you do online will determine whether that’s the case or not, but most households will fare just as well with a 200Gbps download speed (or even less) as they do with gigabit speed.

And now, one final thought: Many rural areas across the U.S. are finally getting some real choices in terms of competition, and that means things are likely to get better in terms of price options real soon.