Our average bill for our Verizon bundle services over the last year had been $180.00 a month.    The “bundle ” which includes FIOS TV, Internet and phone was advertised at $99 but after adding HBO, DVR and taxes we were paying almost double that.

My husband and I had to go through our own negotiations before we called Verizon to try and lower our bill.

He wanted to get rid of the “land-line” entirely.  I lobbied to keep it.  I’m home with three kids all day and while I’m not a talker I do make calls to the doctor, school, my mom….  I also feel safer having the phone in case of emergencies.  (I do own a prepaid cell phone that I refilled for $20 once in November.)   For now, we are keeping the phone.

We both agreed to get rid of HBO.  That alone was $25 a month!

We also decided to get rid of the $15.99/a month DVR service in our bedroom and go with “Media Manager” system for the house.  The “Media Manager” is $19.99 a month and it is a DVR for one TV but allows you to watch recorded programs on all TV’s.  While we still have to rent a Standard Receiver for the bedroom this change resulted in a  net of $6.00 a month.

My husband called Verizon and asked to speak with the retention department. He asked them to go over EVERY fee they are adding to bill and explain it.  The conversation took about 30 minutes but in the end they agreed to credit our bill for $30 a month for a year!

In the end we will save $61 a month off our bill. 

That is $732 a year.

I can’t believe how little changes and a little effort really add up.

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