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  3. How to Cut the Nasty Cost of Digital Services With the economy in poor shape, and many Americans pulling back on their spend

How to Cut the Nasty Cost of Digital Services With the economy in poor shape, and many Americans pulling back on their spend

admin2013-07-11  47
问题                 How to Cut the Nasty Cost of Digital Services
    With the economy in poor shape, and many Americans pulling back on their spending for fear of what tomorrow 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 down my expenses. Off in the corner of my desk sat a fax machine, which 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 cancelled 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 checked 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 adjusted my telephone plan, originally ordered 15 years ago, to now include unlimited local and long distance. Total savings: another $32 a month.
    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 love affair, 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.
    According to their decision, Verizon sales reps 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. Reps 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 ownership decreasing as more customers use only cellphones, the major phone and cable companies are filled with packages intended to keep you from wandering. 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(i&&).
    The cable companies have similar packages. For example, 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 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(内部网)site for particulars. Depending on the company, you can typically knock $10 off the monthly cost for a smartphone’s voice and data plans.
If All Else Fails, 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 your call is within certain 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.
In order to prevent their customers from wandering, AT&T______.
选项 A、provides months of free pay TV
B、offers a 40-dollar-bundled service
C、launches free wireless program
D、pays all customers $100 to sign up
答案B
解析
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