Charter Spectrum is among the service providers that offer amazing deals to their customers. No matter its cable TV, high-speed internet, or landline phone. You will find many options to choose from and save money when you sign up for the services. But the situation suddenly changes when your promotional period is over. Instead of paying the low price, your bill goes up by 10% to 40%. Now that is frustrating and not affordable for many. There is no doubt that Charter Spectrum is one of the best service providers but considering the increasing costs every month, customers are not very happy.
Especially in times like these when retaining a job has become a problem for many due to social distancing measures. In times such as these, it becomes a priority. And if you have been a customer for over a year, the increasing cost every month starts bothering you a little bit more. But do not worry because there are ways to reduce your cable bill and before we go to them, we first need to understand how Charter Spectrum services work.
How does Charter Spectrum work?
Charter Spectrum Cable TV packages are not very expensive – or at least when you sign up. The reason for that is promotional or introductory pricing which customers get when they sign up for the services. That promotional price is not the actual price for that plan. After 12 months, which is the usual promotional period, the prices go up to the regular price rate. That means a sudden increase in your monthly cost of service that shows on your Charter Spectrum bill. Since you are already paying broadcast fees, sports surcharges, and what not with your Cable services – that increase in prices seems a problem.
Ways to reduce your Cable bill
Increasing bills can be a problem for many, but certain ways can be utilized to reduce your monthly bill. Some of these are time–taking and require patience because you will have to go through a process and do some research as well. Moreover, you might have to call Charter Spectrum Customer Services more than once and discuss your issue.
Negotiate with Customer Services
One of the best ways, without downgrading your plans or reducing any equipment – is to get in touch with Charter Spectrum customer service and talk to them about the increasing service charges. They might just tell you that this increase is because your promotional period has expired and that is causing the price increase but discuss ways with them to reduce your prices and how you can get promotional rates again. If they say no, talk to the retention department.
You might have to call more than once to get a solution and be prepared to let them know that you are going to cancel your services as well if you do not get a good price on your services. As soon as they will switch you to the retention department, they will be able to offer you certain plan changes or maybe put you back to the same rate you were paying before.
Before you call customer service to do that, make sure your account is in good standing – which means your previous bill are paid. Also, put some effort and find out about the other options available in your area, their speeds, and prices so that you have something to tell them as a second option for you.
Remove unnecessary services
In case you have more than one service, consider canceling unnecessary services. For instance, you might have a cable, internet, and phone bundle when you are only using cable and internet. In this scenario, consider getting rid of phone services which will save your over $10-20 at the very least.
Save on equipment charges
With Charter Spectrum TV, you do not just pay for the cable services, but also the equipment. Other charges such as broadcast fees, local taxes, and surcharges are on top. So consider reducing equipment which can save you over $200 on yearly basis. Each TV box costs you about $8 and if you have DVR services, that is an additional $10-$15, depending upon the number of boxes. So if you have more than one TV boxes in your house, get rid of the extra boxes on TVs that are not frequently used.
Charter Spectrum TV App can also be a great way out for you in this case because you can stream through TV App without getting any boxes if you have smart TVs in your house. Since you already are a Charter Spectrum TV customer, you will get access to that app for free.
Change to a lower plan
Switching to a lower plan can be a lifesaver if you have a silver or gold package with Charter Spectrum. Although you would not get any premium channels with that, that would be saving you up to $40 every month.
If you are a sports fan and have a Silver or Gold plan just because of the Sports channels, call customer services and switch to Select plan and get the sports package added manually into your plan for an additional $5. Moreover, you can stream your premium channels such as HBO by subscribing to their streaming instead of getting them through your cable services.
Final Verdict
Who does not like to save money? But the process can be hectic. You might have to call customer services more than once. Moreover, you will have to spend hours searching for other options available in your area so you can compare and present a good argument to Charter Spectrum customer services. But I can assure you it will be worth it as it can save you hundreds of dollars every year.
