首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
How to Cut the Beastly Cost of Digital Services If there was ever a time not to procrastinate (拖延), that time is now. Wi
How to Cut the Beastly Cost of Digital Services If there was ever a time not to procrastinate (拖延), that time is now. Wi
admin
2012-06-20
61
问题
How to Cut the Beastly Cost of Digital Services
If there was ever a time not to procrastinate (拖延), that time is now.
With the economy in poor shape, and many Americans pulling back on their spending for fear of what tomorrow (or even this afternoon) will bring, now is not the time to assume that the cost of some of your entertainment and communication expenses are set in stone.
I found that out the hard way recently when I wondered if I could cut off my expenses. Off in the corner of my desk sat a fax machine. Once humming with activity, it had been quiet for most of the last three years, except for the occasional times it spit out an ad for a fake vacation or false health care plan. I gave it little thought. That was the problem.
I canceled the fax’s rarely used, but just as rarely noticed, phone line and cut my monthly expenses by $30.
Bitten with the savings bug, I rushed about, gazing over every bill in sight. Next on the chopping block: a third-party long-distance service once offered through Costco that was cheap at the time, but was now costing me much more than an all-in-one phone plan. I rearranged my telephone plan, originally ordered 15 years ago, to now include unlimited local and long distance. Total savings: another $32 a month.
Seeing our newfound cash flow, my wife asked me to examine her business’s phone bills. We removed a separate long-distance plan in favor of an all-in-one service and saved $20 a month. For those keeping score, that’s $82 a month so far.
With just a few hours of work, it became clear that it was possible to save hundreds of dollars, even thousands a year without decreasing the level of services we already received.
Here are some more tips on how to do the same.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Cable, satellite and telephone companies can only be overjoyed that millions of their customers take no action to lower their bills, and instead routinely pay much too much for overpriced plans they purchased a decade ago.
Faced with increased competition, they will gladly tell you about better package prices if you ask, but they won’t be calling you up to tell you how you can save money.
Pull out your bills and then call all your providers. Tell them you’re paying too much and you want to lower your bill. They can only say no.
If They Say No, Threaten to Switch
As in a teenage romance, your digital providers seem to care about you only when you’re about to break up. If you’re thinking about switching to another satellite, cable or phone provider, call your current one and let it know.
And remember this: The regular customer service representative won’t be as powerful as someone in the cancellation department to cut you a better deal.
"We will work with our customers to find a package that suits them," said Bill Kula, a Verizon spokesman.
At their discretion (i.e. their ability or power to decide responsibly), Verizon sales representatives can cut the price of DSL service, offer free months of Internet access, increase the discount on voice service or give a $50 American Express gift card to customers returning to Verizon’s television service.
AT&T gives its employees similar powers to make deals. Representatives are known to offer enhanced services for a basic price, and to lower the cost of one service to its bundled price even if you’re not buying the bundle. "If it’s a matter of keeping the customer, we’ll do the best we can," said Fletcher Cook, an AT&T spokesman.
Satellite and cable companies are also quick to make deals once you tell them you’re thinking of bolting. Receiving discounted service, months of free-pay TV or low or no-cost DVRs is common.
Bundle Your Services
With traditional landline (固定电话线路) ownership decreasing as more customers use only cellphones, the major phone and cable companies are filled with packages intended to keep you from leaving. AT&T, for example, offers local and unlimited long distance for $40.
That price drops to $35 if you also get wireless (but you must tell the company to combine your bills). A $99 package includes unlimited landline service, a DSL connection and wireless service for $10 less than those services would cost if priced separately. The company will also pay new customers $100 to sign up.
Verizon offers a package of unlimited local and long distance via landline, DSL and 150 channels of DirecTV starting at $80. Unlimited landline voice calling and DSL are $50 a month; depending on the plan, new customers can receive a $125 to $175 rebate (回扣). Comcast is reducing the price of some of its HD packages by $15 to $20 for the first year. And Time Warner is cutting the package price for its cable, DSL and phone service by $20 a month for one year in some regions.
Reconsider Third-party Carriers
Once, third-party long-distance companies offered cheaper long-distance calling than you could get from your local provider, but that might no longer be the case. Some, like the dial-around service 101-6868 and the prepaid PennyTalk, charge low rates for each minute to Europe and North America, but that’s only half the story.
They play down the fact that they add an additional 39 to 49 cents to a call for a "connection charge", raising the real rate substantially.
Similarly, Internet calling services that allow you to use your traditional home telephone may not save you money.
For instance, Vonage charges $25 a month for unlimited local and domestic long distance and free calls to five European countries. But the service still requires a DSL or cable modem connection. And because that service will not be part of a voice bundle, you may wind up paying the same or more than another phone company would charge if you went with one of its packaged deals.
Ask for Corporate Discounts
Many corporations have discounts with the major wireless phone carriers. Bring your corporate business card to a wireless carrier’s store or check your company’s intranet site for particulars. Depending on the company, you can typically knock $10 off the monthly cost for a smartphone’s voice and data plans.
Monitor Web Sites for Deals
Several Web site discussion boards trade secrets on the latest deals and how to get them. For cable and satellite, try AVS Forum (www.avsforum.com) and Satellite Guys (www.satellitegnys. us). Wireless deals can also be found at Fat Wallet (www.fatwallet.com).
If All Else Falls, Downgrade
Do you really need hundreds of TV channels? If not, get rid of cable or satellite, and watch free digital and HD broadcast TV with an antenna (天线). Send faxes from your computer. Cancel your landline and use only your cellphone; if you keep within your allotted (分配) minutes you can call anywhere in the United States for no extra charge. And when times get better, you can always add back services one by one. You might actually find that an essential service wasn’t needed after all.
From the discussion boards on some websites, people can get some information about______as well as ways to get them.
选项
答案
the latest deals
解析
空前的about及空后的as well as ways表明,本空应填一名词(短语)作about的宾语,且所填词和ways并列。题干中的discussion boards on some websites对应该句中的Several Web site discussion boards,get some information则由trade secrets推断而来,about对应on,as well as对应and,ways to get them 对应how to get them,因此该句中on的宾语the latest deals即为答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/50f7777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
Tounderstandthemarketingconcept,itisonlynecessarytounderstandthedifferencebetweenmarketingandselling.Nottooma
ManypeopleintheliterarywouldsaythatBritishliteraturehaslostits【C1】______nowadays.Manyothers【C2】______withthisopi
A、Inatravelagency.B、Inapostoffice.C、Inalawyer’soffice.D、Inabank.D
A、Atabakery.B、Inalibrary.C、Atarestaurant.D、Atatravelagency.C细节题。四个选项都表示地点,因此可推断是询问地点。根据男士所说“我每周去学校附近的餐馆工作三次”,选择C(在一
HowtoCuttheBeastlyCostofDigitalServicesIftherewaseveratimenottoprocrastinate(拖延),thattimeisnow.Wi
HowtoCuttheBeastlyCostofDigitalServicesIftherewaseveratimenottoprocrastinate(拖延),thattimeisnow.Wi
HowtoCuttheBeastlyCostofDigitalServicesIftherewaseveratimenottoprocrastinate(拖延),thattimeisnow.Wi
CaliforniahasanewprogramcalledtheDigitalTextbookInitiative."Startingthisfallwithhighschoolmathandscience,wew
CaliforniahasanewprogramcalledtheDigitalTextbookInitiative."Startingthisfallwithhighschoolmathandscience,wew
A、Thee-mailservicesaredevelopingveryfast.B、TheWebmailande-mailapplicationsbothhaveadvantagesanddisadvantages.C
随机试题
体现教育外部关系规律的是()。
患儿,21天。拒乳,体温38.9℃,前囟膨隆,面色青灰,反应差,抽搐一次入院。对确诊最有价值的检查是()
现代市场经济具有发达的要素市场,主要体现在()等方面。
促进城镇化健康发展,应从以下()方面进行努力。
英国苏格兰东北部地区因一种石球而备受关注(A),那里先后出土了400多个石球。这些石球并不简单的是球形(B),其球面上有多个凸起。这些凸起数量不等,形状也不同(C)。令人惊讶的是,这些凸起都特别对称地分布(D)在石球表面。
现在,越来越多的人放弃了原来的普通毛巾,用起了搓澡巾。然而,科学调查表明,除了方便外,尼龙搓澡巾对皮肤健康几乎没有什么益处。以下哪项为真,最能支持上述科学调查的结论?
在完全随机设计的方差分析中,在各组均值不变的情况下,如果被试问差异增大,那么()。
程序中可能出现一种情况:多个线程互相等待对方持有的锁,而在得到对方的锁之前都不会释放自己的锁。这就是【】。
Islanguage,likefood,abasichumanneedwithoutwhichachildatacriticalperiodoflifecanbestarvedanddamaged?Judgin
It’sabrandnewworld--aworldbuiltaroundbrands.Hard-charging,noise-making,culture-shapingbrandsareeverywhere.They’re
最新回复
(
0
)