A kitchen table at evening covered with a fanned stack of blank statements, a highlighter, a calculator and a phone, with a hand mid-note.

The Tier That Is Never Offered

Most large recurring vendors publish a cheaper tier that existing customers are never moved onto. Finding it is research, not negotiation.

Module 3 of 84 lessonsWritten in full1 worksheet

Start this module The whole course

The lessons

All 4, in the order they are read.

1. Why the cheaper tier exists and who it is for
Acquisition pricing and retention pricing are different products sold at different prices, and you are on neither by default.
2. Finding it in writing
The tariff, the rate card, the plan comparison page and the regulatory filing are all public, and one of them names your cheaper tier.
3. Lifeline, hardship and income-qualified tiers
Utilities, telecoms and insurers run legally-mandated or voluntary low-income programmes that are almost never mentioned on an inbound call.
4. The annual price walk
A charge that rises quietly every twelve months is a policy, not an accident, and the record of it is your strongest single argument.

The worksheet

Published-tier finder

One row per vendor from your register. The point is column four: a URL or a document name. A tier you cannot cite is a tier you cannot ask for by name, and a request without a name gets 'there is nothing available'.

Published-tier finder
Vendor	What you pay now	Cheapest published tier for the same thing	Where it is published (URL or filing)	Difference per year	Eligibility conditions
EXAMPLE — replace	$79.99/mo	$49.99/mo, same speed, 12-month promotional tier	Vendor's own plans page, dated	$360.00	New and re-contracting customers
—	—	—	—	—	—

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