How I Saved $50 Today...It Doesn't Hurt to Ask

I feel like a powerful customer today. One of the bills for my recent surgery was a hefty $500 (choke, choke). Because I'm trying to avoid getting robbed by the medical system, I've been slow to pay my bills so I can make sure deductibles and co-pays have been applied correctly. This slowness caused me to incur a $7 late fee. When I called to pay my bill, I thought, why not ask the nice billing lady to waive the late fee? I did and she did. Is $7 really worth it?, you say. I say, it's still seven bucks.

Next bill that I had to call on was for Cingular wireless. I switched carriers back in February. Come to find out I had just barely started a new billing cycle when the switched took place and all cell phone companies will bill you for the entire cycle, even if you don't have service. (At least that's what the representative said.) Again, I thought, why not ask? I asked if he could waive the charges, then gave a long pause to let him answer. He said he couldn't waive everything, but he could pro-rate the charges. Instead of $49.14, I paid $5.33. A savings of $43.81.

Cha-ching. There's the fifty bucks.

When converted into time, $50 becomes pretty darn meaningful. Especially because that $50 represents take-home dollars. So my investment of literally three minutes, plus the courage to ask, paid huge dividends.

Now, it's important to note that I wasn't a jerk on the phone to the representatives I spoke with. I just asked in my normal voice and waited to see if anything could be done. Being a punk to the person whose help you are seeking doesn't pay off.

Anyway, try this next time you want to get rid of a late fee* or want a discount or whatever. There is nothing to lose and a lot to gain!

* I do recognize that it is also better to avoid late fees all together.