Arts and Culture

How to Lower Your Cable Bill

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The cable companies always sucker you in by giving you some amazing introductory rate, and then hiking it up six months to a year after you join.  It’s one of those things that you forget about until one day you look at your bill and say, “What the fuck?  Why did this double?” and then you look to make sure your dirtbag roommate didn’t order late night porno channels when he came home wasted.  He probably did.

Well, just last week I was appalled at what we were paying for cable so I called the cable company up.  I did some research beforehand to see what kind of sweet introductory rates they were offering at the time, and I asked to be switched to one of those.  Unfortunately they said no, but then I said, “You know, I’ve been thinking of switching to the Dish Network because because they are offering me a better deal, but I’m really happy with the service you’re giving me.  Is there any way you can lower my rate?”  At that point they switched me to some kind of “Retention Department” and the lady there was able to take almost $40 off my bill!  Not too shabby huh?  These companies obviously want to keep you (and your money) so they can be more flexible than you think.  Plus I think you would get the same result if you have Dish Network and threaten them that you are thinking of moving to cable.

So there you have it.  Give it a try and drop a comment to let me know how it goes.

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Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Stuart Schuffman, aka Broke-Ass Stuart, is a travel writer, poet, TV host, activist, and general shit-stirrer. His website BrokeAssStuart.com is one of the most influential arts & culture sites in the San Francisco Bay Area and his freelance writing has been featured in Lonely Planet, Conde Nast Traveler, The Bold Italic, Geek.com and too many other outlets to remember. His weekly column, Broke-Ass City, appears every other Thursday in the San Francisco Examiner. Stuart’s writing has been translated into four languages. In 2011 Stuart created and hosted the travel show Young, Broke, and Beautiful on IFC and in 2015 he ran for Mayor of San Francisco and got nearly 20k votes.

He's been called "an Underground legend": SF Chronicle, "an SF cult hero":SF Bay Guardian, and "the chief of cheap": Time Out New York.