Thursday, June 8, 2023 – How to reduce your monthly Internet bill – How to convert music on old cassette tapes to MP3s

Like everything else, the prices we pay for Internet service just keep increasing, and they often go up when we aren’t paying close attention.

In fact, if you have your account set up to debit your bank account automatically it might take months, or even years to become aware of one or more price increases.

Luckily, there are several things you can try in order to lower your monthly Internet bill:

1 – Visit your ISP’s website with your browser in “Incognito” or “Private” mode and check out the current promotional deals.

The reason you want to be incognito is if the website detects that you’re a current customer it’ll hide the special promo deals that new customers can get from your browser.

Check out the “new customer” promo deals in incognito mode, make a note of the deal that interests you (it could well be the plan you have right now, but at a lower price), then CALL them at their toll-free number and ask them to match that deal.

They could always refuse to honor your request, but chances are they won’t.

Why? Because it costs them more to bring on new customers than it does to retain their current customers.

2 – Evaluate your current service plan to see if you could get by just as well with a cheaper one.

For example, if you’re currently paying for a plan offering 400Mbps download speeds, would switching to a lower tier offering 200Mbps downloads really impact your Internet experience?

The answer is probably no unless you have multiple family members who like to stream video all at the same time.

Another example: Are you paying for a bundle that you don’t truly need?

If you’re paying for an Internet and phone package deal but you use your cell phone 90% of the time, you could probably switch to Internet-only and never even miss the “landline” phone.

Or maybe you’re paying for an Internet/TV bundle but you always end up watching nothing but Netflix or Hulu? You could probably drop the TV service and go Internet-only and never even notice the difference.

3 – Shop around to see if your ISP’s competitors are offering a better deal. If so, call up your current ISP and ask them to match the competing offer. Chances are they’ll match it on the spot.

If they refuse to match the competing offer, tell the rep you’d like to cancel your service. You’ll then be connected to a “Retention” rep who will usually have a lot more flexibility in regards to the concessions they can make in order to keep you as a customer.

If the Retention rep can’t (or won’t) make a deal you can live with you can always go ahead and cancel your service and sign up for the competing plan instead.

Important: Only make this switch if the competing ISP has a good reputation for quality of service and support in your area. After all, a lower price is no bargain if the service you’re paying for is horrible.

Bottom line: You’ll never know what kind of deal you can negotiate with your current ISP unless you call them up and ask. And yes, call them on the phone because their website won’t be able to a lot of negotiating.

The latest from Rick’s Daily Tips Tech Blog…

• How to convert music on old cassette tapes to MP3s

It’s actually easier (and probably cheaper) than you might think.

• How to quickly fix a WordPress blog that was broken by a ‘bad’ plugin

It only takes a few minutes once you know what to do.

• Click here to see today’s ‘Picture of the Day’.

Every morning I post a new photo that I find inspiring, intriguing, or just plain beautiful to look at. Jumpstart your day by checking it out.

Rick’s Daily Pick…

Logitech M510 Wireless Computer Mouse

I’ve been using this particular mouse for years, on multiple machines. I love it, and I believe you will too.

Today’s post from ‘My Daily Smile’…

Time-lapse video: “Dance of the Northern Lights”

The aurora sure put on a magnificent show.

Tech news that caught my eye…

• Report: Amazon to launch Prime Video plan with ads

• Apple wants to turn your iPhone into a pet-tracking camera

• Scientists develop remote-controlled pill-shaped camera to diagnose digestive issues

• KeePass releases fix for password-leaking security bug (for now)

• New zero-click threat targets iPhones and iPads

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Your tech buddy,

Rick Rouse
https://www.RicksDailyTips.com