The Delicate Art Of Contract Haggling

Barry Collins reveals three steps to squeezing a good deal out of your ISP.

Having just renegotiated my broadband contract for the umpteenth time in my life, this issue I proudly present to you the Barry Collins Guide to Contract Haggling. It’s basically MoneySavingExpert without the annoying chap who fronts it – and also without the expertise.

My first piece of advice is to go mano-a-mano. By all means see what offers companies are prepared to give you via their websites but if you want the best deals, you’re going to have to face down someone in a Dublin call centre. Websites don’t negotiate, no matter how many times you press F5.

Once you’ve picked up the phone, spent 20 minutes battering your way through the automated menus and confirmed your full name, postcode and mother’s blood group “for security purposes”, you reach your first call-centre dolt – let’s call him Malcolm.