pectrum, a division of Charter Communications, recently implemented a new $5 reduction policy which applies to existing customers in my area. This policy prevents anyone from saving any more than $5 on their cable, internet, or phone services billing.

Spectrum, and Brighthouse Networks before it, have long played a game hiding of prices from their customers. Their game involves offering new customers one price for services, then increasing the billing amount every year hoping their customers don't take notice of increased bills. Sometimes the amount they end up charging customers for their services can border on the absurd. I've personally helped elderly grandmothers in my area who've had bills ranging from $160 for basic cable and 25 megabit Internet, to over $240 for the same service plus phone. As such I have thorough familiarity with the gambits Spectrum deploys to take advantage of their customers.



Another ploy Spectrum uses to confound their customers is refusing to reveal prices by requiring your full street address and other information. They use this tactic when you try to compare bills with other customers. They hide behind your unique address, using it as an excuse if anyone tries to compare prices. Spectrum representatives invariably explain that since each customer's location is different, their prices vary by location, and by virtue they cannot give you prices.

The only defense Spectrum customers have had to these continually increasing monthly service charges has been to either show up at customer service center or call their customer support. In each case you will wait on hold or in line, explain to the Spectrum representative that your current charges are unreasonably high, and ask if they can find a "promotion" to apply to your account. After waiting more time the representative would magically find a promotion to apply to your account, and your monthly charges will be reduced to a less ridiculous amount. I've helped many people do this and in some situations gotten $240 monthly bills for cable, internet, and phone reduced to $150.

Unfortunately the time when anyone could ask for a promotion to reduce their bill has come to an end.

Spectrum has rolled out a new policy this year to which all customer service representative must adhere. And the new policy is this:

Customers can no longer ask for promotions to reduce their bill. If a customer's wants to lower his bill, short of dropping services, the most a Spectrum representative can authorize is a $5 monthly savings in any given year.

The practical effect of this policy is that regardless of how many annual increases, and how much money is associated with to those increases, Spectrum representatives can at most only authorize $5 off the customer's bill. Think about that for a moment. For customers who are paying nonsensical monthly charges on cable and internet services, having had their bills jacked up by an unreasonable amount each year, if the customer shows up at the Spectrum offices or call up to complain, the most a they will an ever be able to see their bill reduced by is a measly $5 a month.

Oh, and on top of the new $5 policy, you should know that they've implemented a related policy in 2017. Their aim is to prevent people from cancelling their account and coming back as a new customer. Today if you decide to cancel their services, you can no longer come back as a new customer unless you go without any of their services for at least 30 days. This is another tactic they're using to gouge their customers and keep them paying inflated monthly bills.

But alas, if you are determined to save $50 to $100 dollars a month, for now you can use the following strategy to reduce your Spectrum bill. If you have an adult friend you trust, you can go down to the Spectrum office, disconnect your services, and have your friend open the exact same services at your home address. This assumes your friend does not already have a current account with Spectrum. You'll can end up getting 100 megabit internet for $39.99 and cable for $49.99, which are the the prices for new customers. After taxes and fees you'll wind up paying around $100, or about a $60 dollar per month less than their laughable $160 a month inflated charge. Doing the math that adds up a savings of more than $700 a year.

If you value your money, you'd best switch to new accounts before Spectrum closes yet another way to avoid their outrageous prices.