RELO Roundtable…a gathering place

There are plenty of hassles involved with relocating your family to a new home, but one of the positives is the rare chance you get to compare new service providers and potentially save money.

You’ve probably been tempted by the offers you get in the mail to “switch and save.” It always sounds appealing, but few of us have the patience to go through the whole transfer process.

With relocation however, you are basically forced into canceling your current service providers, so it only makes sense to shop for best deals in your new locale.

Step 1: Analyze Your Usage Patterns

It is hard to be an effective shopper if you don’t understand exactly what you need. Cable television and mobile phone rates are typically calculated by usage. That is, the more services you use, the more you pay. But how much of what you paid for in the past were you actually using? Premium channels and unlimited calling plans sound great when you first signup, but very few customers get the most out of these options. Look over your bills from the last few months and figure out what services you actually need in your new surroundings.

Step 2: Find All of Your Options

No matter where you are moving to, every city is going to have a cable company and phone service. It is easy to stop your search there when you have some many other things to worry about. What most people don’t realize though is that there are several national providers who also offer service in most metropolitan areas. Some examples include Verizon, AT&T and CenturyLink. You won’t see them advertise much at the local level, but you definitely want to compare their prices.

Step 3: The Backwards Cost Comparison

It should only take you a half-hour to compile a simple spreadsheet that outlines what monthly services you currently have and how much you pay for each. This document will make cost comparisons much easier to analyze. Keep it in front of you when you are talking to customer service reps and follow along as they discuss their prices. Be sure to ask how much you can save by bundling related services like cable, internet and phone. Once you have price quotes you’ll be able to see if bundling will really save you money in the long run.

Step 4: Quality Control

When you are moving to a new city it can be hard to gauge how good a company is in terms of customer service and satisfaction. Thankfully, the internet can help you steer clear of the worst businesses by reading through customer reviews. Search Google for keywords like “ABC reviews Kentucky” or “ABC scam St. Louis” to find prevalent issues you may not otherwise know about. Now the law of averages tells us that every major corporation is going to have a few irate customers. What you are looking for are patterns of poor service and technical issues.

It won’t necessarily be fun to shop for home services, but moving provides the best opportunity to save money on things like internet, phone and cable. As with all shopping endeavors, you first need to know what you have and how much you are paying. This is essential for deciding which provider offers the best deal in your new neighborhood. The good news is your efforts will be rewarded in the form of more money in your bank account.

Geoff Beers is an experienced event planner who has been involved with SEO and Internet Marketing since 2006. His company, GEB Media, LLC is an independent internet marketing agency that specializes in SEO, web marketing, email marketing, and sales copywriting.

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