Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

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Topic Author
Looking4Answers
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Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by Looking4Answers »

https://www.moneytalksnews.com/service- ... your-bill/

Considering using for my mom to negotiate phone and satellite tv.
runner3081
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by runner3081 »

Why not just do it yourself and save the fees?
Topic Author
Looking4Answers
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by Looking4Answers »

Because what is recommended is saying that you are switching providers, and I cannot honestly say that.
runner3081
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by runner3081 »

Looking4Answers wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2019 1:30 pm Because what is recommended is saying that you are switching providers, and I cannot honestly say that.
So you will pay someone to be dishonest for you?

Just make the calls, tell them you want to speak to the retention department and see what happens.
Topic Author
Looking4Answers
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by Looking4Answers »

No, if I thought they were going to say I (or in this case my mother) was going to switch, I would not use their service. I do not know how they reduce people's bills. Hence, my original post.
JBTX
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by JBTX »

Looking4Answers wrote: Wed Aug 28, 2019 2:50 pm No, if I thought they were going to say I (or in this case my mother) was going to switch, I would not use their service. I do not know how they reduce people's bills. Hence, my original post.
So under no circumstances would she ever switch?

Ways to reduce your bill

For TV;
-are there any bundling discounts?
- any paperless billing or autopay discounts?
- are there any promotionals, especially if you have premium channels like HBO?
- are you eligible for any loyalty discounts due to longevity?

For phone (harder to get discounts)
- are there any packages that cost less for level of use?
- any lines not needed?
- sometimes you can negotiate your way into a intro promotional rate - not easy to do.

When you dial in ask for the "retention" or "loyalty" group. You don't have to say you are going to cancel. Just say "my mom is on a fixed income and money is tight. She likes her service and she would prefer to remain a customer, but she is always getting flyers from competitors in the mail for cheaper service and her current service is costing too much. Can you do anything to help her?". If they don't give you options ask about the questions I listed above.

If you aren't satisfied with the results, the last resort is you can actually cancel, but post date the cancelation several weeks out. Chances are within days you will be flooded with better offers from them. But I suspect that may be pushing it too hard for you.

Just remember, these providers give different pricing to different customers. For those like yourself or your mom who don't feel comfortable aggressively pursuing your best interests the companies are quite comfortable charging you quite a bit more.
Topic Author
Looking4Answers
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by Looking4Answers »

Thanks, JBTX. We have already checked into the majority of your suggestions. Mom lives in a rural area where her options are not as good as some areas. We expect fiber optic lines to be run there in the future, which hopefully will give a few more options.
wriley4409
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by wriley4409 »

Looking4Answers wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2019 1:30 pm Because what is recommended is saying that you are switching providers, and I cannot honestly say that.
The wording that I use goes along the lines of 'I have been comparing your prices to <insert competitor> and there is quite a difference. I have been satisfied with the service that you have been providing, but I am concerned about my monthly expenses. What can you do to make me feel good about continuing to use your services?' This has almost always led to me receiving a lower rate for 6-12 months.
Topic Author
Looking4Answers
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by Looking4Answers »

Thanks, wriley4409. Well said.
brianH
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by brianH »

Looking4Answers wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2019 1:30 pm Because what is recommended is saying that you are switching providers, and I cannot honestly say that.
Many of the service providers are on to this game. The last time I tried this with Verizon, they sent me to the retention department, who proceeded to call my bluff and start the disconnect process. I had to admit defeat and back out.

The only things that seem to work to get the super-deals they advertise for new customers is closing your account and reopening in your spouse's name or actually switching to the competition for 6+ months. Both will result in a period of no service, and too much hassle.
Topic Author
Looking4Answers
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by Looking4Answers »

DoTheMath
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by DoTheMath »

brianH wrote: Thu Aug 29, 2019 8:51 am
Looking4Answers wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2019 1:30 pm Because what is recommended is saying that you are switching providers, and I cannot honestly say that.
Many of the service providers are on to this game. The last time I tried this with Verizon, they sent me to the retention department, who proceeded to call my bluff and start the disconnect process. I had to admit defeat and back out.

The only things that seem to work to get the super-deals they advertise for new customers is closing your account and reopening in your spouse's name or actually switching to the competition for 6+ months. Both will result in a period of no service, and too much hassle.
One option is to go ahead with scheduling a cancelation but ask that they schedule the cancellation to go into effect in, say, one week. The reasoning being that you'll need a few days to get setup with your new provider and don't want to go without service. This was no problem on their end. It's helpful if you do want to make a switch. And, despite being told it was simply impossible to give us a discount on our current service, within a day after scheduling the cancellation we received an email offer with a substantial discount if we stayed on for another year.

And ask if you can reverse the cancellation order if you were to change your mind during the week. Our rep said "no problem". There was zero risk on our end no matter how it played out.
“I am losing precious days. I am degenerating into a machine for making money. I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I must break away and get out into the mountains...” -- John Muir
Hypersion
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by Hypersion »

I've used Billfixer and had a good experience. I call up my cable provider myself and got them to reduce my bill by $10 a month. Then I sicked BillFixer on them and they got me a month of free service.
Topic Author
Looking4Answers
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by Looking4Answers »

Thanks, Hypersion. Here is a review of a number of different companies: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/finance ... best-rated
If anyone else chooses to try any of these, please come back and post your experience!
Hug401k
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by Hug401k »

I used Bill Shark and they got me back down to the introductory rate for FIOS Triple play. I had tried negotiating myself and got offers that saved me $10 a month or so, but they probably saved me another $20-$30 plus I got some more channels and faster internet speed. I did have to make a 2 year commitment. The negotiate yourself game has definitely changed and i don't have the patience. personality, or time to negotiate for hours.
SheReadsHere719
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by SheReadsHere719 »

I’ve been using Trim to monitor my cable bill. We still call every year to negotiate our rate. The main additional benefit Trim offers is that they monitor for outages and will obtain a statement credit on your behalf. We’ve gotten the credit a few times, which I appreciate!
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NewMoneyMustBeSmart
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by NewMoneyMustBeSmart »

Looking4Answers wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2019 9:53 am https://www.moneytalksnews.com/service- ... your-bill/

Considering using for my mom to negotiate phone and satellite tv.
I used trim. They saved me money by changing my plan to one that didn't support tethering. Big mess. Had to unwind it and took hours.

They are not doing anything I can't do myself in my spare time. Plus they caused me problems so nota bene there is risk.
-- | Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts - Einstein | *Everything I write here is an unreliable opinion*
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whodidntante
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Re: Any experience with Trim or Billcutterz?

Post by whodidntante »

I spent a half hour speaking with a nice lady from comcast today. Not the best way to spend time, but I saved $55 a month on my bill, so the ROI was there. Unfortunately I'll have to do it again, most likely in a year.
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