If you’re like me, you may have noticed the satellite bill has crept up a little bit over the past year. Well, you can change that. In lieu of canceling altogether and saving a bunch of money, you can call them and ask them to lower your bill.

That’s exactly what I just did. I called up and told them I was going to cancel my DirecTV service. They asked the standard questions in hopes of getting the response I gave… “It just costs too much for what little I watch.” Any mention of cost is the magic phrase for the to start makin’ deals.

The first offer was to cut $5 off my monthly bill. I told them that taking $5 off a $50 bill was not going to make much difference. Well, you have to understand that is just an opening salvo. I am sure their retention percentage is pretty high by offering a free Lincoln a month. The key is to resist their offers until they have completely exhausted their options and are ready to disconnect your service.

Sure, it takes about twenty minutes of your time and a little bit of acting, but hey – it pays off. I just hung up the phone with not only a free five spot off my service, but another fiver just for grins. But, a $10 discount is not all. They agreed to take $10 off my seven channels of HBO (regularly $12/month) as well. So we are talking $20 a month now off my same level of programming. Oh yeah… and then for kicks… I hemmed and hawed until they agreed to credit my bill an additional $35. Nice!

Its the little things in life… 🙂