bear7962, my ISP with U-Verse started out at $15 a month. They rapidly went up on the rate over the nest couple of years, however, until it reached $50 a month! The next time they tried to go up on the rate, I belled them and said, "I feel I already pay you a very fair price for the service I receive. However, if it is not enough for you, then I will find another ISP because I am not going to pay you any more than I am already paying, so either let me know you are happy with this amount, or we can to close the account today on my last day of prepaid service."
I think they were shocked, but I meant it! They told me to call the "customer loyalty/retention" number on the last day of my service, which I did so, and they managed to keep me at the same rate. Companies will take as much as they think they can get away with taking from you if you let them. That is their raison d'etre.
I had a similar experience with Firestone. I was giving them thousands of dollars of business each year trying to keep my old motor running after breakdowns, vandalisms, etc.
One night, someone either drunk as a skunk or high as a kite hit my motor as it was parked on the road in front of my house. They hit me unbelievably hard given that I live on a quiet, residential road that is reasonably wide. They did a tremendous amount of damage and even left park of their bumper in the street! My motor was not drivable. They knocked the ball joint out of the tire area and bent the axel. I never got an estimate on the body work because it would have been A LOT more than then the vehicle could be sold for.
Anyway, I had it towed to Firestone, and they wanted $1200.00 to repair the mechanical damage. I replied, I will give you $800 and not a penny more. I have spent more than enough here these last 10-15 years to buy a new motor, and if $800 is not enough for you, I will find a garage who is happy to do the same work for that amount of money. I stood firm because I was tired of problems with their work---a long story in and of itself.
They argued at first and then sent the message up the line until someone approved it, and finally, they said okay. They did not want $800 worth of work to walk away from that location. I was both glad I made them accept the price I was willing to pay, but I was also very angry because I believe they had been overcharging me by a staggering amount over the years.
It is so hit and miss with Firestone. Some locations do good work, but other locations, like the one near me, you end up bringing your vehicle back at least once because they did not get it right. It is not consistent either. One location may do great work for a whole year, and the next year, the quality of their work plummets. It has to do with who they attract to the jobs I am sure. Good people do not stay for very long.
With one problem, I brought it back at least 6 times. They never did get it right, and I decided then to look for another garage. Anyway, I mention this story as another example of how they will take as much from you as they think they can get away with before you leave their business. Most customers, myself included, spent their whole lives just paying whatever companies dictated. I no longer do that.
