GRRRR!!!! Subscription services

[Focus_on_the_fire]

As a newly minted Mustachian, I have been looking more closely at our bills. This morning, I discovered Tivo has been double billing me.

The backstory: at one point, I had two Tivos. I canceled one of them, but they continued to bill me for two.

This is where I get pissed off. Instead of a single bill showing both devices (I would have noticed that), they billed me twice a month with different amounts. Over the past however long, I would look at the bill and see that it was for one device and think it was normal. ARG!!!

I will call and raise hell. But, as angry as I am, this is really a thank you to the community. Thanks for helping me get on the Mustachian path. Imagine how long this would have gone if I didn't come over to the Mustachian-side. 

[BECABECA]

Ugh, that’s really annoying! But how awesome that this first reduction to your monthly expenses is as easy as making a quick phone call. Congrats on finding your Mustachian way!

[Focus_on_the_fire]

Absolutely! I know it’s a small win, but I feel like I have been sleep-walking through many parts of my life. It feels so much better to finally be paying attention.

[formerlydivorcedmom]

If it makes you feel better...when my grandfather died in 2007, my dad and his brothers sat down with my grandmother to go over all the bills.  They found a recurring bill to AT&T for renting a telephone (apparently this was once a thing).

The bill had been paid every month since the 1950s.  My grandmother is pretty sure the phone ended up in a landfill in the 1960s.  Granddad paid to rent the no-longer operational phone for more than 40 years because no one thought to tell the phone company they weren't using it anymore.

[bacchi]

If it makes you feel better...when my grandfather died in 2007, my dad and his brothers sat down with my grandmother to go over all the bills.  They found a recurring bill to AT&T for renting a telephone (apparently this was once a thing).

The bill had been paid every month since the 1950s.  My grandmother is pretty sure the phone ended up in a landfill in the 1960s.  Granddad paid to rent the no-longer operational phone for more than 40 years because no one thought to tell the phone company they weren't using it anymore.

Ouch.

My parents are over paying for internet/cable/phone. My dad complains about the increasing costs ("They raised the internet bill again by $10 this year.") but never calls and negotiates, even when I encourage him to do so. AT&T loves customers like that.

[Bloop Bloop]

Most subscription services (Netflix, Spotify, etc) can be used on multiple devices and multiple locations, either properly by upgrading to a Family package, or just under the radar. That is a good way to cut costs down. This even works with iOS family sharing meaning that you can split the cost of apps and subscriptions.

[Monkey Uncle]

If it makes you feel better...when my grandfather died in 2007, my dad and his brothers sat down with my grandmother to go over all the bills.  They found a recurring bill to AT&T for renting a telephone (apparently this was once a thing).

The bill had been paid every month since the 1950s.  My grandmother is pretty sure the phone ended up in a landfill in the 1960s.  Granddad paid to rent the no-longer operational phone for more than 40 years because no one thought to tell the phone company they weren't using it anymore.

Ouch.

My parents are over paying for internet/cable/phone. My dad complains about the increasing costs ("They raised the internet bill again by $10 this year.") but never calls and negotiates, even when I encourage him to do so. AT&T loves customers like that.

It definitely pays to pester subscription service providers.  I've managed to keep my internet/cable bill approximately the same for the last few years by calling and asking for the "retention desk" whenever they raise my rate. 

It also pays to raise hell if they screw you over.  Back in the early days of the cloud, I started paying a monthly fee to one of those companies that provides a cloud backup service.  It wasn't a large monthly amount, and over time I just put it out of my mind and assumed the backup would be there if/when I needed it.  I let that go on far too long after free/low cost services such as Google drive became available.  Well, the inevitable computer crash finally happened.  Imagine how pissed I was when I logged in to my backup service and discovered that it had stopped working some time ago.  And imagine how even more pissed I was to discover that some of the old backup files that they did manage to capture had been corrupted by their server.  Long story short, although I was unable to retrieve many of my files, I did manage to get the company to refund me every dime that I had paid them over the years.

[Focus_on_the_fire]

If it makes you feel better...when my grandfather died in 2007, my dad and his brothers sat down with my grandmother to go over all the bills.  They found a recurring bill to AT&T for renting a telephone (apparently this was once a thing).

The bill had been paid every month since the 1950s.  My grandmother is pretty sure the phone ended up in a landfill in the 1960s.  Granddad paid to rent the no-longer operational phone for more than 40 years because no one thought to tell the phone company they weren't using it anymore.

This is going to date me, but I vaguely remember my parents (now in their 80s) renting a phone. I was just a little kid so that must have been in the early 1970s. I better ask her where that phone is! HAHAHA.   

[Focus_on_the_fire]

Most subscription services (Netflix, Spotify, etc) can be used on multiple devices and multiple locations, either properly by upgrading to a Family package, or just under the radar. That is a good way to cut costs down. This even works with iOS family sharing meaning that you can split the cost of apps and subscriptions.

Now that's a heck of a good idea! Thanks.

[Focus_on_the_fire]

If it makes you feel better...when my grandfather died in 2007, my dad and his brothers sat down with my grandmother to go over all the bills.  They found a recurring bill to AT&T for renting a telephone (apparently this was once a thing).

The bill had been paid every month since the 1950s.  My grandmother is pretty sure the phone ended up in a landfill in the 1960s.  Granddad paid to rent the no-longer operational phone for more than 40 years because no one thought to tell the phone company they weren't using it anymore.

Ouch.

My parents are over paying for internet/cable/phone. My dad complains about the increasing costs ("They raised the internet bill again by $10 this year.") but never calls and negotiates, even when I encourage him to do so. AT&T loves customers like that.

It definitely pays to pester subscription service providers.  I've managed to keep my internet/cable bill approximately the same for the last few years by calling and asking for the "retention desk" whenever they raise my rate. 

It also pays to raise hell if they screw you over.  Back in the early days of the cloud, I started paying a monthly fee to one of those companies that provides a cloud backup service.  It wasn't a large monthly amount, and over time I just put it out of my mind and assumed the backup would be there if/when I needed it.  I let that go on far too long after free/low cost services such as Google drive became available.  Well, the inevitable computer crash finally happened.  Imagine how pissed I was when I logged in to my backup service and discovered that it had stopped working some time ago.  And imagine how even more pissed I was to discover that some of the old backup files that they did manage to capture had been corrupted by their server.  Long story short, although I was unable to retrieve many of my files, I did manage to get the company to refund me every dime that I had paid them over the years.

You got a refund for everything? Wow. That's impressive. Nicely done.

[Focus_on_the_fire]

If it makes you feel better...when my grandfather died in 2007, my dad and his brothers sat down with my grandmother to go over all the bills.  They found a recurring bill to AT&T for renting a telephone (apparently this was once a thing).

The bill had been paid every month since the 1950s.  My grandmother is pretty sure the phone ended up in a landfill in the 1960s.  Granddad paid to rent the no-longer operational phone for more than 40 years because no one thought to tell the phone company they weren't using it anymore.

This is going to date me, but I vaguely remember my parents (now in their 80s) renting a phone. I was just a little kid so that must have been in the early 1970s. I better ask her where that phone is! HAHAHA.

Someone I know in his mid-80s is STILL renting his phone. The phone he probably got in the 70s. I've mentioned that we could buy a phone for what he pays each and every month. He chooses to keep renting.

well....as they say there's nothing more personal than what you spend your money on, right?

[Just Joe]

If it makes you feel better...when my grandfather died in 2007, my dad and his brothers sat down with my grandmother to go over all the bills.  They found a recurring bill to AT&T for renting a telephone (apparently this was once a thing).

The bill had been paid every month since the 1950s.  My grandmother is pretty sure the phone ended up in a landfill in the 1960s.  Granddad paid to rent the no-longer operational phone for more than 40 years because no one thought to tell the phone company they weren't using it anymore.

This is going to date me, but I vaguely remember my parents (now in their 80s) renting a phone. I was just a little kid so that must have been in the early 1970s. I better ask her where that phone is! HAHAHA.

Someone I know in his mid-80s is STILL renting his phone. The phone he probably got in the 70s. I've mentioned that we could buy a phone for what he pays each and every month. He chooses to keep renting.

Wonder what would happen if you gifted your friend a telephone. I very much remember renting phones and paying to have touch tone dialing later on.