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May 13, 2013
David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church
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Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas
Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate
Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility
May 6, 2013
May 3, 2013
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Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine
April 29, 2013
Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust
Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?
Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA
April 26, 2013
Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty
April 24, 2013
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Jewish World Review
The Game I Play With the Cable Company
By
Lisa Gerstner
(Cameron Huddleston is a Contributing Editor for Kiplinger.)
I get a discount from my cable company for having a bundled package of cable, Internet and phone services. But every year I have to haggle with a customer service representative to keep that discount.
Why? Because the discount is what the company gives "new" customers when they purchase all three services. So I have to take time out of my busy day to call the cable company and complain when my bill increases -- sometimes even threaten to switch to another provider (which I wouldn't do because I can get the best deal from my current provider). The conversation usually goes something like this:
Me: I noticed that I'm being charged more for phone and Internet service now.
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Customer service rep: Yes, it looks like you had a one-year introductory offer with a special rate for those services.
Me: What can I do to keep that rate?
Customer service rep: Well, we can rebundle your services -- basically put you into a new contract.
Me: Is there a charge for that?
Customer service rep: Yes, $25.
Me (after doing the math and figuring I'll still come out ahead because I'll save $35 a month by keeping my phone and Internet charges at their previous level): Okay, let's do it.
I have automated bill pay, so it would be easy to overlook these annual increases. And I'm sure plenty of people don't bother to contest the price hikes. But think of all the money they (maybe you, too) would save by enduring the headache of haggling with the cable company -- or any service provider -- to get a better deal.
And the next time I have to play this game with the cable company, I'll try to haggle my way out of the $25 charge I usually agree to pay to get better rates.
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All contents copyright 2012 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.
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