Free tools Everyday Negotiation Scripts

Everyday Negotiation Scripts

Free, no signup51 situationsUK, US and EU rules

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Bills and subscriptions

“That’s the best price I can offer you.”

What it usually means

It’s the best price that person will offer without a reason to move. Keeping a paying customer costs the company far less than finding a new one, so a customer who is ready to leave usually gets offered more.

What to say softer to firmer

1
I understand. I’ve been with you for [how long] and I’d like to stay, but [a competitor] is offering the same thing for [their price]. What can you do for me today?
2
What loyalty discounts or current promotions can you apply to my account?
3
Thanks for checking. If that really is the lowest, I’ll need to go ahead and switch. Before I do, is there anyone else I can speak to about keeping me?

Replace the [bracketed] parts with your real details.

How it sounds an example, written by us from the scripts

ThemI’m afraid that’s the best price I can offer you.

YouI understand. I’ve been with you for [how long] and I’d rather stay, but [a competitor] is offering the same thing for [their price].

ThemLet me have a look… I can’t match that, I’m afraid.

YouWhat loyalty discounts or current promotions can you apply to my account?

ThemThere is a loyalty rate I can put you on for the next twelve months.

YouWhat would that bring the monthly price to?

If they push back

“Honestly, there’s nothing more I can do.”

Thanks for trying. In that case I’d like to cancel. Can you put me through to whoever handles cancellations?

What the experts say 3 views

Ramit Sethi
Don’t grovel and don’t get angry. Say how long you’ve been a customer, ask what they can do, then stop talking and let them make the offer.
▶ 2:11 · One Phone Call Could Save You Thousands
Martin Lewisadds
Before the call, find the cheapest price for the same package from anyone. That number turns “can you do better?” into a real comparison.
▶ 1:25 · Martin Lewis Does The Mobile Haggle
Ramit Sethiadds
Sethi’s written script says the quiet part out loud: winning a new customer costs them far more than keeping you, so it makes sense for them to keep you.
How To Lower Your Monthly Bills, I Will Teach You To Be Rich, 2024

Where you live the rules differ, so check yours

Energy is different: on a standard variable tariff, Ofgem’s price cap sets the most your supplier can charge per unit and per day, so check a fixed deal against the cap before you call.

Don’t

Threatening to leave when you wouldn’t. If they call your bluff you either lose face or stay on the same price. Only say you’ll switch if you’ve found a switch you’d take.

Next time, head it off

Put the date your deal ends in your calendar, and check prices a month before it does. The call is easiest when you already know where you’d go.

All sources 4, each checked against the original

2:11Ramit Sethi One Phone Call Could Save You ThousandsUse your loyalty as leverage, calmly.you’re gonna use your loyalty as leverage
16:18Ramit Sethi One Phone Call Could Save You ThousandsAsk for loyalty discounts and current promotions by name.what kind of loyalty discounts or current promotions can you apply to my account
1:25Martin Lewis Martin Lewis Does The Mobile HaggleBenchmark the cheapest price elsewhere before you call.start by benchmarking the cheapest price available from any network
ArticleRamit Sethi How To Lower Your Monthly Bills, I Will Teach You To Be Rich, 2024A full script for the retention call.Listen, you know times are tough and I need to get a better deal to stick with you guys.

RaySay it calmly and stop talking. The pause after the ask does half the work.

Nothing pinned yet · the cheat sheet prints what you’re looking at (7).

Practice mode

Say it once here, before you say it for real.

Practise

IdeasRepay · Everyday Negotiation Scripts

What to say back: cheat sheet

Bills and subscriptions situations
Rules noted for: UK

“That’s the best price I can offer you.” Bills and subscriptions

I understand. I’ve been with you for [how long] and I’d like to stay, but [a competitor] is offering the same thing for [their price]. What can you do for me today?
What loyalty discounts or current promotions can you apply to my account?

Don’t: Threatening to leave when you wouldn’t. If they call your bluff you either lose face or stay on the same price. Only say you’ll switch if you’ve found a switch you’d take.

Ramit Sethi 2:11 · Ramit Sethi 16:18 · Martin Lewis 1:25

“That deal is for new customers only.” Bills and subscriptions

The company competes hardest for people who haven’t joined yet. The same deal, or something close to it, is often available to you, but only if you ask for it and show you might leave.

I understand the advert is for new customers. As an existing customer, what’s the closest deal you can put me on?
I’ve been with you for [how long]. If I left and came back as a new customer I’d get that price, so it would make sense to offer me something similar to keep me.

Don’t: Arguing that it’s unfair. It may be, but “that’s our policy” wins that argument. Ask what they can do for you instead.

Ramit Sethi 15:59 · Ramit Sethi 1:29 · Ramit Sethi, How To Lower Your Monthly Bills

“Prices are going up for everyone.” Bills and subscriptions

Some rises are real and apply to everyone. Many are aimed at customers on auto-renew who won’t check. Either way, the rise is where a conversation starts, not where it ends.

I understand prices are rising. Can you tell me exactly what I’ll be paying and why it’s gone up?
Before this goes through, is there a cheaper plan or a fixed deal I can move to?

Don’t: Paying the new price without looking. A rise on auto-renew is exactly the moment the company expects you not to.

Ramit Sethi 17:08 · Ofgem, Energy price cap and standing charges explained · Citizens Advice, Cancelling a phone, TV, internet or mobile contract

“Are you sure you want to cancel? Let me transfer you.” Bills and subscriptions

You’re being passed to the team whose job is to keep you. That team can usually offer more than the first person could, which can work in your favour.

Yes, I’d like to cancel. Before I do, is there anything you can offer that would change my mind?
I’m happy to hear an offer, but please go ahead with the cancellation if there isn’t one that beats [their price].

Don’t: Agreeing to a deal just to get off the phone. Ask them to send it in writing and decide afterwards.

Ramit Sethi 22:45 · Citizens Advice, Cancelling a service you’ve arranged · Ramit Sethi, How To Lower Your Monthly Bills

“You’ll have to pay an early exit fee.” Bills and subscriptions

The fee may be real. But there are situations where it doesn’t apply, and even where it does, many companies will waive it rather than argue.

Could you tell me exactly how the fee is worked out, and send it to me in writing?
I’d like to cancel. Are there any early cancellation fees? If there are, I’d like you to waive them.

Don’t: Just stopping payment. The fee usually still gets chased, and it can end up with a debt collector.

Ramit Sethi 21:51 · Citizens Advice, Cancelling a phone, TV, internet or mobile contract · Citizens Advice, Cancelling a phone, TV, internet or mobile contract

“We don’t do discounts.” Bills and subscriptions

Often it means they don’t use the word “discount”. There are usually other ways to pay less: paying up front, a different plan, a promotion new customers get, or asking someone with more authority.

That’s fine. Is there a cheaper way to pay, such as paying for the year up front or a different plan?
I’ve seen you run offers for new members. Can you give me the same rate as an existing one?

Don’t: Taking “we don’t do discounts” as the company’s final word. It is often one person’s answer.

Ramit Sethi 21:12 · Martin Lewis 0:21 · Ramit Sethi, How To Lower Your Monthly Bills

“That charge is correct, it’s in your terms.” Bills and subscriptions

The person may be reading from a script, or the charge may be genuine. Either way, “it’s in the terms” is a claim you can check, and there are formal routes if you still disagree.

Could you show me exactly which part of the terms allows this charge?
I don’t agree the charge is correct. I’d like to make a formal complaint. Can you give me a reference number?

Don’t: Refusing to pay the whole bill while you argue about one charge. Pay what isn’t in dispute so late fees don’t pile up.

Martin Lewis 0:28 · Citizens Advice, Dispute a phone, internet or TV bill · Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, How do I dispute a charge on my credit card bill?

Full answers, reasons and source links: ideasrepay.com/tools/negotiation-scripts

51 things people say when the answer is no, from “that’s the best price I can do” to “the booking is non-refundable”. What each one usually means, what to say back, who says it works, and, where the law decides it, the rule in the UK, the US and the EU, linked to the official source.

Questions

How do I negotiate a lower bill?

Call the company, say how long you’ve been a customer, and name a cheaper price you’ve found for the same thing elsewhere. Then ask what they can do for you, and stop talking. Martin Lewis’s advice is to find the cheapest price elsewhere first; Ramit Sethi’s is to use your loyalty as leverage, calmly. If the first person can’t help, ask for the team that handles cancellations.

Can a shop refuse a refund because of its policy?

For something you’ve changed your mind about, often yes. For a faulty item, the law sits above the shop’s policy. In the UK you can reject a faulty item for a full refund within 30 days under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and within six months the fault is presumed to have been there from the start. In the EU, faulty goods carry at least a two-year legal guarantee from the seller.

Is this legal advice?

No. Where a card quotes a law or a regulator, it links the official page, and it says which country it applies to. Rules can differ inside countries too. For anything serious, Citizens Advice in the UK, or your state’s consumer protection office in the US, can advise you for free.

Where do the answers come from?

From named experts and official sources: Martin Lewis, Ramit Sethi, Chris Voss and The Black Swan Group, Josh Doody, Harvard’s Program on Negotiation, Citizens Advice, Which?, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the FTC, the FCA, Ofgem, Your Europe and legislation.gov.uk. Every quote was checked against the page or the video’s captions, and every video link opens at the exact second.

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