Time Warner Cable.. clueless

Last night I got an email for $10 I could upgrade from Extreme (30Mbps) up to 50Mbps. I called the 800 number and asked for the upgrade. After half an hour on the phone (with India, or someone with the accent) she told me that offer was for the tier below mine. So I asked if I downgrade (to a cheaper level) then for $10 I could get the 50Mbps? At first she said yes then she said it would be $30.. fianlly she just kind of gave up and told me it was not possible to get the 50Mbps for $10 on top of my 30Mbps.
So I went back to the email and clicked the ad to go to the website and do it myself. After putting my info in it said that service was not available in my area, which I know it is.
So back to the beginning again, I select to use chat. Again it takes 10-15 minutes The woman tells me that is not really the offer, but since I have Extreme for 61.09, I could get the 50 for 74.99... so basically, after an hour or more I have to pay 64.99 for my Extreme plus $10 for 50 Mbps service.. just like the AD said. Basically I had a discount on my original service, so the bill goes up $13.00.

It took that loing to find one person who kinda knew what they were doing while I was screaming "Shut up and take my money!!!"

Later I'll post the chat log..

 

The best way to get a discount is to threaten to cancel - this doesn't always work, but it's worth a try.

Start by getting a competitor's ad (AT&T, Clear, etc.) that's available in your area. Call the local office of your cable company and tell them you're considering switching to the competitor's lower priced deal. If the initial person at the cable company blows you off, ask for the "retention department." Hit them with something to the effect of, "I'm trying to save money...is there any way you can match this offer?"

It doesn't matter how s**tty the competitor's service really is. Cable companies do not want to lose subscribers. Chances are they'll either give you a discount for between 3-12 months or offer you a free upgrade to the faster service package at no extra charge.

If you have 10-15 minutes and are halfway decent at bluffing, it's worth a shot.

 

I tried that over here in the UK and I was flatly refused, even by the retention department. Maybe it's my bluffing skills...