What happens after your 1-year commitment to SBC DSL?

Many people have asked me about a letter they have received after their 1-year commitment to SBC (now AT&T) DSL is over. In the letter SBC has offered to continue their DSL on a month-to-month basis for a rate of $34.99/month.

What they don’t mention in the letter is that you can call them and often get a much better monthly rate if you agree to continue DSL service for another year and/or add other SBC/AT&T services to your phone bill. I have had SBC DSL for over 5 years, and my price for DSL has gone down every year. Several customers have reported that after I had told them to call for a better rate – they are now paying anywhere between $19 and $26 per month.

Unfortunately I’ve heard that the rates being offered are not consistent between all the SBC customer service reps. If you aren’t offered a fair deal by one rep, you may need to politely say ‘no thank you’ and call back to speak to a different rep. Some report that they received a good deal from the Customer Retentions Dept.

If you are a Charter High-Speed Internet customer, I’ve been told that their customer retentions dept. will offer you a rate of $19.99/month for 6 months if you mention that you want to switch away from Cable to DSL.