Anyone rarely likes complaining all the time, but one woman is sharing how sometimes being that person who complains is a great way to save money in the long run— and it ended up saving her about $30 on her monthly internet bill.
In a TikTok video posted on May 30, creator Kyyah Abdul (@kyyahabdul) shares the various instances in her life where complaining allowed her to save money. As of Saturday, the video has more than 337,000 views.
@kyyahabdul If you have Spectrum…go ahead and make that call
♬ original sound – Kyyah Abdul
In one instance, she says she complained about her apartment being located below a noisy space. After complaining for about three to four months, Abdul claims the owner decreased her rent by $300 per month.
“And it’s still at that rate,” she says.
A second instance she highlights involved her Wi-Fi bill from the service provider Spectrum. She says gradually her bill had gone up from $54.99 per month to about $85 per month. After the steep price hike, she says she decided to call and threaten to cancel her service. However, the provider offered to lower her bill back to the original rate and allegedly told her that “every year [she] should call them back to get that price.”
“I’m always going to be the person that will complain if something’s wrong because you get what you pay for,” Abdul says in her video. “Therefore, if I’m paying a certain price for rent or I’m paying a certain price for Wi-Fi or whatever service it is, it has to make sense, and that $84 wasn’t making sense.”
“This is your monthly reminder to call whoever and make a complaint to get that lower rate,” she concludes.
The Daily Dot reached out to Abdul via Instagram direct message and Spectrum via email. According to Spectrum’s website, it has a range of Wi-Fi plans from $49.99 per month to $89.99 per month. The Washington Post has reported one of the most effective ways to save cost on one’s internet bill.
Columnist Geoffrey A. Fowler wrote how one study showed the various tricks internet service providers like to pull to get customers to pay more.
“The study’s spotlight on ISP tricks, including bogus fees, data caps, and wildly inconsistent pricing, also is fresh evidence that in many parts of the United States, there just isn’t a competitive market for internet service,” Geoffrey wrote. “Who would put up with it if there were? About 200 million people live in parts of the country with only one or two choices for reliable, fast internet, according to a 2021 report from the White House.”
Commenters on Abdul’s video shared their own experiences and opinions about complaining to save money.
“My mom does this and I would be so embarrassed. But now? I’m quick to call and complain,” one commenter said. “These companies make billions so they spare me a few dollars.”
“Making the Spectrum call NEOWWWW,” another person commented.
“I love complaining to save money,” one viewer shared. “It is HARD out here.”
Abdul clarified in the comments section that people shouldn’t confuse her advice to complain with being rude to customer service representatives.
“By annoying I def don’t mean yelling at ppl & acting crazy lol,” she said. “[I mean] annoying in more [of a] call and ask and if you need to call more than once.”
