Broadband Haggling

If you haven't reached the end of your contract yet, unfortunately it's unlikely you'll be able to negotiate a lower price or leave your deal as you're committed until your minimum term's up (unless your provider increases prices – see our mid-contract price hikes info).

There's no harm in giving it a try earlier, but if you struggle, note in your diary when you'll be nearing the end of your contract – while providers now have to warn you when you're out of contract it's still a good idea to do this so you know when it's coming up. Call back then (notice periods are often 14 or 31 days, so to avoid it rolling on any longer than necessary, don't wait until the final day).

If you're coming to the end of your contract, or are out of it, you're wielding a powerhouse weapon: loyalty. Tell them you want to move to a new provider and it'll automatically lead to a 'why are you leaving?' chat. 

The customer service person should put you through to the 'customer retentions' department – aka the Holy Grail of haggling – where the operators have serious discount-giving power. (NB: This department might be called 'disconnections' externally, but make no mistake, customer retention is its job.)

If you've had issues with your provider in the past, such as slow speeds (compare the advertised speed of your package to what you actually get by doing a two-minute broadband speed test) or long customer service call-waiting times – then politely tell them about it when you haggle. They should want to try to make it up to you.

While unconfirmed, we hear rumours that staff members at some providers have different quotas of deals they can offer.

Even if that's not true, it certainly feels like that to many. So, bear in mind you may have called the wrong person at the wrong time – calling back a few days later and speaking to someone else could pay dividends.