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Both have pros and cons. Being the tight-ass that I am, I'm all about low cost. As such, I change back and forth with regular frequency (12-18 months at a time). Doing so you can basically end up paying close to half of what the regular world pays for service. Here's the effort involved:
1. Keep eye out for good deals (free 3-room hookup, 6-months half price OR free roadrunner for 6-months OR free DVR... stuff like that).
2. When you find a really good deal that is on the stuff you order anyway, then you call your existing carrier and select the "disconnect my service" option, and tell them about the deal you found and that because of that deal, you've decided to switch.
3. At this point, one of two things happen:
3A. They say, "can you wait one minute, Mr. Doe?" (long pause) "Mr Doe, I just spoke with my supervisor and she said I can give you your current package for $49/mo instead of $79/mo for the next 6 months - if we can do that will you stick with [cable/DTV]?" Of course the answer is yes, as this is the easy option.
3B. They say, "ok - what day you want service to end" at which point you follow through.
4. After 6 months, your current deal expires. Go to step 1.
3B happens more often than some people will have you believe, especially if you're a fickle customer like me - it's not like they don't have records and know what you're up to. So 3B is their way of calling your bluff - is why you do have to actually have a new plan to switch to.
I miss the days when the phone companies would send me $30 checks to switch LD providers - holy cow what a bunch of suckers.
Pharmacies still do it - take full advantage of that.
I should write a tight-wad guide for dummies.
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