This Verizon customer used a simple trick to get a big monthly rate discount, and so could you
Are you frustrated by your mobile network operator's seemingly endless recent price hikes? Before switching to a different carrier (which is more or less guaranteed to slap you with the same additional "taxes and fees" when you least expect), it might be wise to... ask for a discount.
Although I obviously cannot guarantee that the carrier will react the same if you try a similar tactic (especially after this article), it couldn't hurt to give it a whirl and see what happens. Mind you, this is not the first time something like this has happened, and in fact, T-Mobile has reportedly offered its own disgruntled users various rewards and deals in the past to convince them to not pursue legal actions or FCC complaints.
That may sound silly, and in nine out of ten cases, it's unlikely to deliver the results you expect. But what if you can get your carrier to ask you to accept a reduced monthly rate on your wireless bill? That sounds even more far-fetched, but according to at least one clever Redditor, there's a way to draw Verizon's attention and start a negotiation.
Two small steps towards a big potential discount
All you need to do is file a complaint with the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and wait. You can probably think of a million different justifications for such an action, but the best argument you might want to focus on is the many price increases Big Red's loyal customers have had to face over the last couple of years and how a good chunk of them dropped with little to no advance notice.
While the FCC technically doesn't have the power to revert your monthly bills to their value from 2023 or even early 2024, the Commission can take various types of punitive action against wireless service providers if their practices are deemed unlawful or unfair to consumers.
Perhaps more importantly, carriers are regularly informed of any complaints subscribers (and even non-subscribers) file against them, and if you're lucky, a customer service rep will contact you with a settlement proposal of sorts. That was apparently the case for "Historical-Bug-7536" (cool username, by the way), who got offered a $2 monthly discount per phone line for a total period of one year.
Sensing that was merely an opening offer, the hero of today's story... accepted it, but told the rep that wasn't enough to get them to drop their FCC complaint. The negotiation continued for a little while, with the two parties ultimately settling on a $4 discount per line per month for 12 months. Since this Verizon customer claims to have a whopping seven active phone lines, that's going to amount to a total savings of more than $300, which is definitely nothing to sneeze at.
Will this strategy work for you?
Clearly, America's top three (or at least top two) mobile network operators know that what they're constantly doing is wrong, and trying to defend their customer-fleecing practices with arguments like "we're running a business, and businesses have to be profitable" is... pretty lame. Now let's see how many of you will gather the courage (and find the time) to challenge Verizon on the latest in a scandalously long line of price hikes.
In case you're wondering, starting a complaint with the FCC is as simple as filling out this short form on the Commission's official website.
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