If you don't ask you will never know

I had an interesting experience this weekend that drove home for me again that the current economic conditions have changed the rules we should play by. I received a call from Comcast.  Because my development has basic cable included in our HOA fees I was eligible for a new promo they were running.  Digital Voice unlimited local and long distance plus 6Mgbps internet access for $49 dollars a month for 6 months, then going to $88 dollars a month.  I pay about 120 dollars for the same services from AT&T now. So I was going to switch, but when I told Bonnie about it she was upset about having to lose her email address that she has through AT&T.

I called AT&T the next day to tell them I was thinking about switching (actually my DSL was out again and I was so fed up I told them I was switching).  Well that were the magic words. I was transferred to what they call the competitive offer desk or something.  The man asked me what Comcast was offering. I told him and he came back and beat their price on the 6 month price and the permanent price plus threw in a new modem!  So now for 6 months I have cut my home internet and phone bill by more then half and by over a quarter permanently.

I imagine there are plenty of companies looking to keep their customers in these times.  You should put your vendors through a similar exercise and save you and your company some money.  Except of course your security vendors, that is much too important to quibble over price with ;-)