Call for a Better Deal

ANCHOR LEAD IN:
EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK THESE DAYS, COMPANIES ARE OFFERING PERKS AND FREEBIES TO BRING IN NEW CUSTOMERS. THAT'S GREAT FOR THE NEWBIES - BUT WHAT ABOUT LOYAL OLD CUSTOMERS? IF YOU'VE BEEN AROUND A WHILE, A GOOD DEAL CAN BE HARD TO FIND! IN TODAY'S HEADS UP, ____________TELL US HOW YOU CAN NEGOTIATE FOR A BETTER DEAL...

TRACK ONE Length: :06
RECENTLY, DYLAN TWENEY (TWEE-nee) DECIDED HE NEEDED A NEW CELLPHONE. BUT WHEN HE WENT IN FOR AN UPGRADE, HE WAS TOLD 'NO GO'...

SOT:
KEY @: :07 Dylan Tweney, Went looking for a better deal
"Carriers are more interested in you if you're a new customer than if you're an old customer."

TRACK TWO Length: :05
HOWEVER, BANKRATE'S AVIYA KUSHNER (AH-vee-YAH KOOSH-ner), SAYS LONGER-TERM CUSTOMERS CAN GET A GOOD DEAL IF THEY PUSH FOR IT.

SOT
KEY @: :16 Aviya Kushner, Bankrate.com
"Sometimes they'll say no, this is only for new customers, but sometimes there's some bargaining room."

TRACK THREE Length: :08
KUSHNER SAYS THE HOTTER AN INDUSTRY OR A PRODUCT IS, THE LESS LIKELY YOU ARE TO GET A DEAL - THAT'S WHY TWENEY COULDN'T BARGAIN FOR A CHEAP RAZR.

SOT
KEY @: :29 Dylan Tweney, Went looking for a better deal
"To switch to the Razr would be around 2 or 3 hundred dollars."

TRACK FOUR Length: :09
BUT WHEN THINGS COOL OFF, THERE ARE BARGAINS GALORE...FOR INSTANCE, CABLE AND D-S-L PROVIDERS ARE IN HOT PURSUIT OF CUSTOMERS THESE DAYS - SO PICK UP THE PHONE.

SOT
KEY @: :41 Aviya Kushner, Bankrate.com
"Most consumer advocates recommend, for a cable company, you want to call once every 6 months and negotiate"

TRACK FIVE Length: :06
BANKS WILL GIVE FREE CHECKING TO CUSTOMERS WHO USE DIRECT DEPOSIT. AND EVEN YOUR AGE CAN GET YOU A SWEETHEART DEAL...

SOT:
KEY @: :54 Aviya Kushner, Bankrate.com
"Banks in areas with a lot of older customers, will throw in additional sweeteners, for example, they'll offer discounts on long term care, or discounts on disability..."

TRACK SIX Length: :09
BOTTOM LINE, KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR ADS AND BE ASSERTIVE. DYLAN TWENEY DID END UP WITH A GOOD DEAL ON HIS CELL PHONE, BUT ONLY BY OPENING A NEW ACCOUNT IN HIS WIFE'S NAME.

SOT:
NO KEY Dylan Tweney, Went looking for a better deal
"The ironic thing actually, this is kind of funny, is that the rebate that we got after 6 months is called a 'customer loyalty rebate'."

ANCHOR TAG:
A WORD OF ADVICE...WHEN YOU CALL TO GET A BETTER DEAL, DON'T OVERDO IT AND BE POLITE. KUSHNER SAYS CREDIT CARDS COMPANIES HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO DUMP A CUSTOMER WHO CALLS REPEATEDLY FOR A BETTER DEAL. SHE RECOMMENDS NO MORE THAN TWO OR THREE CALLS A YEAR FOR ANY SERVICE.

SOURCE INFORMATION:

Aviya Kushner
Reporter
Bankrate.com

Aviya Kushner covers two very different fields: personal finance and the arts. She is a regular contributor to Bankrate.com, and her financial stories are frequently reprinted on MSN.com and AOL Finance. Kushner's stories about writers and contemporary literature appear in The Jerusalem Post Magazine and Poets & Writers. She has also been reviewing books for The Jerusalem Post, BarnesandNoble.com, and other publications for the past seven years.

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