Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Utilities etc: The Art of Haggling
AKA- Not letting them take the p**s
I had both my AA membership and O2 contract up in the last few weeks. Both suggested that I went onto tariffs that were (to my mind) higher than I knew they could offer...
AA: My renewal came in for £147+. I have a 30year membership history with them... Last year I called and got it down to £87. My renewal was 66% higher than last year. And, no I had not called them out this year.. So, I did the merry dance with them again this year. I went straight through to the business retention team to save time. At first the lady I spoke to told me not only are the renewals automatically generated and they wait for the customer to call and haggle, but she could immediately get it down to £110. I said this was still too much and miraculously it went down to £89 which I accepted!
O2: After my experience last year when I threatened to leave them for another provider I again went to the retentions team who immediately offered the first 5 months of my new contract for free, almost halving the total contract cost. This was not something the normal front line guys can do, so make sure you go to the retention team...
The moral is that these guys, insurers, energy providers, Virgin, the lot, rely on our collective inertia to squeeze money out of us. Personally I find this morally corrupt, but hey, this is the game.
So, if you are coming to the end of your contract on anything, spend 10 mins calling them and squeezing them for a better deal!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Always good to be reminded. I'm not sure I'd call it corrupt, Justin. It's business. It does however leave room for businesses to take an ethical stance and commit to always giving customers the lowest tariff. Few if any do - and I imagine that's because they're all in it to make money. As long as we know the rules, I don't consider it to be unfair.
Now if the taxman or the Council played by those rules, I'd feel very differently about it.
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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Yes, it is business Hugh, but I suggested it was morally corrupt though- as I recognise what they do is perfectly a legitimate/ legal business practice. I react though at the time it takes to make the effort to drive them to do what they should really do in the first place. Worse, I am reasonable well educated, articulate individual with the nerve to face these guys down. My 90+ year old gran is not... So, from this perspective there is a disproportionate impact on more vulnerable members of society who are possibly least equipped and resourced (financially and otherwise) to do what I have done.
Blimey, I am becoming a socialist after all these years. Someone stop me now!
Sorry, did not want to start an argument on the pros and cons, but rather highlight that with some limited effort you can save a lot!
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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HOW long you've so far been given the runaround by the team players?
12 weeks?
I suggest, if this is a matter that should have been fixed quickly, that you keep a record of the amount of time you've spent trying to sort it out.
A letter of deadlock may be applicable in this kind of situation.
Could it be a matter for the Regulator?
Disclosure:
am a prospective councillor candidate
Highgate Ward | Liberal Democrat Party
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Hell's Teeth! What a pain in the ass. When I haggled my new deal last year with a lady from the Retention team she did something slightly different. When I got my first bill I noticed the issue and called back and was told that the deal I had was not possible. Nothing was written down and I had no email confirmation. This year I have learned from it and got an email confirmation of the deal. Thankfully the call was recorded and they went back into the tapes and found I was right, but I had to call them back to chase it to find this out, as they did not call me back (as they had promised).
I think sometimes they make these things as hard as possible, again so that those without the mean to argue their corner will quietly sod off and let them do what they wanted to in the first place!
I think Clive's point is a good one. I suspect if there was a customers charter that said that if your issue was not dealt with by the relevant utility in a given time and after a number of calls the customer (if proved right) has the right to claim compensation for their time and effort. This will soon whip the sods into shape and give them an incentive to get the issue resolved. Now, anyone with lines into any of the political parties, their is a good idea! There is a general election coming up soon isn't there?
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Sounds like a Sunday newspaper or Ofcom issue. I suspect a Sunday newspaper will get it solved quicker.
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It sounds time-consuming.
If you keep a detailed, accurate record of the effort you're putting in, it may yet become billable hours to which a Small Claims court may agree. However if, with justification, you threaten this, you should be prepared to go all the way. They may try to spin it out.
If it goes to a Small Claims court, they would almost certainly want to be represented by a barrister. If you are confident about your case, that shouldn't worry you.
If, without justification, they damage your credit rating, I can see your claim against them escalating.
The book by Herbert Cohen, You can Negotiate Anything, is worth reading.
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I once went to the Small Claims Court and found it a highly effective remedy and as Clive says I claimed my time as costs, ad it was not at minimum wage I can tell you.
It was a big company (MFI), they simply did not turn up and the judge said right, you've won. The betty is you can use the court to enforce your claim and if the bailiffs go in they have to pay for that too!!!
However, not sure if you need to exhaust the ombudsman route first- who (joy) has the influence to make sure you are properly compensated!
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