Ten Ways to Ask for a Lower Price or a Better Deal
March 12, 2007
Have you ever been quoted a base price then blindsided with additional fees? Just the other day, I was shipping some recent eBay sales at the UPS store and they charged me a $4.50 “Rural Surcharge Fee” on a package whose base shipping price was $9.
I’ve seen this fee pop up before on shipments costing $15 or $20 but this was too much. The fees raised the cost of shipping by 50% so I brought it up with the guy and he ended up waiving the fee for me. This experience reminded me that sometimes all you have to do to get a better price is ask. Here are ten different ways to go about it.
Be Diplomatic
“I know your policy says you have to charge everyone this fee but I do all my business here because I like the service you provide and even refer my friends to you. Wouldn’t it make sense to waive the fee for a valuable customer like me?”
Loose Your Cool
Throw your receipt and pen in the air, kick a box or smack the counter, and yell, “I can’t take all these extra fees anymore! Give the base price or I’m walking away! Well, what do you say?!”
Mention the Competition
“Wow, that’s a lot more than FedEx. I guess I’ll be going there next time unless you guys can give me a better deal.”
Make it Personal
Scowl at the salesperson. “Every time I come in here, you charge me this extra fee. I don’t see you making anyone else pay it!”
Question Blitzkrieg
Overwhelm them with questions. “What’s the fee for? How far do you have to live from city limits for it to kick in? How much do you charge per mile? Is it charged in all cities? How come it wasn’t on the shipping calculator? How often will I have to pay this? Does FedEx charge this fee? Is this a new policy?” Fire away until they’re flustered then demand a better deal.
Broke as a Joke
“Uh oh. I didn’t know anything about this fee. I didn’t bring enough to pay this extra amount and I have to get this shipped out today. Can’t you waive the fee for me?”
Be Flirtatious
Obviously this won’t work for everyone but if you’ve got charm, now’s the time to turn it on. Work your magic to drop the price or waive the fee.
Promise Future Business
“My company mails 30 packages a week and I’m looking for a new shipping company. Low shipping costs are vital to my business. I’d like to start bringing all of my packages here if we could work something out about these prices.”
Best Buds
Treat the salesperson like your best friend. Make them like you and they’ll feel bad not getting you the lowest price. This one is pre-emptive, be nice from the second you walk into the store or they’ll smell a phony.
Simply Ask for a Better Deal
They’re in business to make money and won’t give you a lower price unless you ask. Ask them straight up, “What can I do to get a lower price?” I saved this one for last because some variation of this question should be used as a closer no matter which tactic you choose. You can’t get a better deal if you don’t ask.
[...] Ben the Barter King of Money Smart Life gives Ten Ways to Ask for a Lower Price or a Better Deal. [...]
[...] If you really want an extra $400 dollars per year, consider investing a little more and spending a little less. Learn the rules about retirement accounts to save money on taxes. You can certainly be $400 dollars richer by cutting out random purchases for six months. Shop online for things you buy at a store and learn how to bargain on pricing! The gain is not substantial enough for me to throw on a couple hundred pounds of stress on my back. If you really want to be cheap, learn how to conserve on things you’ve never even thought of. [...]
$4.50 for a residential surcharge? Wow! My company just started passing residential surcharges onto our customers, but UPS only charges us $1.85. Despite the vast majority of our shipments going to business addresses (due to the products we sell) we still have historically taken about a $36,000/year hit on the residential surcharges. Passing it on to the customers that it applies to keeps the majority of our customers from having to supplement the costs.
That being said, any time that a customer asks us to we will waive the fee, especially for the next few months as we only changed our shipping policies this year. For the most part, people don’t mind the extra fee as long as they understand that we don’t make any money on it. Maybe they are used to paying almost $5 for residential surcharges so they think they are getting a deal or something!
Make it Personal
Scowl at the salesperson. “Every time I come in here, you charge me this extra fee. I don’t see you making anyone else pay it!”
You can’t be serious.
Blaine, I agree $4.50 is pretty hefty and you’re right, the way I got him to waive the fee was by classifying the package as “business” mail, that made a difference for some reason.
JP, I probably could have written this one up a little differently. Maybe it wouldn’t work, who knows, I’ll have to try it and see.
It is not the business classification that garners the fee, it is whether the destination is a business or a residence. It costs UPS more to deliver to a person’s home because they are less likely to be there to sign for a package during business hours and they need to return up to 3 times and/or process the package at their building an extra time or 4. A business is likely to be open and have somebody to sign for a package and will need only one delivery attempt. That is where the charge comes from.
Ben,
I use #10 for all of my major purchases. Just asking works over 90% of the time nowadays.
[...] 10 Ways To Ask For A Lower Price Or A Better Deal - Ben gives some practical tips you can use to get fees reduced or waived. Related Posts: [...]
[...] The Festival of Frugality was hosted by FOF Homepage. Money $mart Life - Ten Ways to Ask for a Lower Price or a Better Deal Grad Money Matters - Frugal Ways to Spend Time with Friends (and Still Have a Blast) March 16, 2007 - Category: Miscellaneous Digg! Furl Del.icio.us Reddit [...]
[...] Choose the Right Technique I opted for the “Best Buds” approach (how to ask for a lower price) with the customer service rep and it worked nicely. When I called Comcast for a better deal six months ago I relied almost exclusively on the “Mention the Competition” approach and found it effective as well. Every time I contact them I try and read the person I’m working with and feel out the most appropriate tactic. [...]
[...] A recent tip from an anonymous hotel manager is a good addendum to my post Ten Ways to Ask for a Lower Price or a Better Deal. The hotel discount post recommends another way to save. Always ask for a business discount. You may not have a business, but you work for one–and even if you don’t, how would I know? The worst that will happen is someone will say no. [...]
I think the best way is to be diplomatic and keeping your cool along with being persistent to get what you want. If you start spouting off and insult the clerk, they will digg their heels in and be less cooperative.
[...] on taxes. You can certainly be $400 dollars richer by cutting out random purchases for six months. Shop online for things you buy at a store and learn how to bargain on pricing! The gain is not substantial enough for me [...]
As a retail clerk myself, I can tell you that yelling at a clerk, making things personal, and pitching fits are a sure-fire way to ensure that you DO NOT get any discounts or breaks. We’re more willing to do whatever we can for nice, friendly people (within reason - if it can get us fired, it doesn’t matter how nice you are), whereas those who treat us poorly get nothing, or worse, get additional fees tacked on.