When organising your monthly bills it is important to always get the best deals. It doesn’t matter whether you are looking at your gas, electric, phone or broadband if there is more than one provider (unlike with council tax) then there is more than one price available. More importantly more providers means more competition for them to secure you as a customer so remember there is always room for negotiation.
Here is my step by step guide to getting the best price on your broadband
1. Write down exactly what you want and stick to it
Before you start shopping around you need to know exactly what it is you need form the supplier. It’s no good going for the cheapest deal but not getting enough data or paying more than you need to because it sounds like a good deal but actually paying for something that you will never use.
2. Use a comparison site
Once you know what it is you are in the market for head to a comparison site. In order to see what companies are offering it is best to use one of these sites as they will list all the offers in the same place making it much easier to compare them to each other, saving you time and stress.
3. Understand the packages
Companies that sell broadband are ultimately selling the same thing, however the way they bundle this up will be different and you need to spend time really looking at what is is they are offering you and then doing the maths yourself to see which is the best deal. For example, one company might be offering you more data than another one or the length of the contract might differ from 18 months to 2 years so what seems cheaper initially is actually more expensive as it is over a shorter/longer period of time. Also read the small print and check for hidden costs. This will be easier to do when using a comparison site but I still recommend you get a note pad out, disregard the packages that don’t offer you enough or include stuff you don’t want and then convert the remaining packages to a monthly payment over the same period of time and compare them that way.
4. Negotiate
If you are already with a broadband provider now is the time to negotiate. Once you are clear on what you want, you have used a comparison site and compared the various packages and are vey clear on which company can offer you the best deal it is now and only now that you should go to your current provider and ask for their best deal. Don’t be afraid to tell them you want to leave, ask to speak to the retentions department, and be firm about what you want. If they can offer you an even better deal then take it but if not then know that you can leave and organise a better deal with a different company that very same day.
So many people make the mistake of ringing their current providers first, complaining about the deal they are on and then because they don’t really know what it is they want or need and they don’t know what other companies are offering they accept the first deal because it feels like a win and people don’t want to run the risk of ending their broadband contract and having the prospect of them needing to shop around in a hurry hence why all of that should be done first.
I hope this article has helped give you some clear guidance on how to get the best price for your broadband and if you do follow these steps and get a brilliant result in the negotiation stages please do comment below and let me know. I’d also love to hear about any more money saving tips you might have.