Money-saving expert Martin Lewis has urged people to take a day off work to haggle on their household bills – because it could be the ‘best payday of the year’.
The Money Saving Expert founder returned on his ITV1 and ITVX series The Martin Lewis Money Show Live this week with a bumper slate of tips aimed at cutting your household outgoings on everything from energy bills to water, broadband and mobile phone contracts.
Martin was fielding questions from his ITV studio audience when he was asked by a woman how she should go about securing a good deal from a company.
She asked Martin: “How can I be more confident in finding the best deals for me?
“I just lose the will to live when I have to pick up that phone. What I’ve done is I’ve organised all of my billing cycles for January so I have to take a whole day off just to make calls.”
Martin was impressed with her strategy as he then told her: “I love that. Take a day off work – best payday of the year. Many people can save thousands of pounds.
“Unless you earn over £1,000 a day, it will often be the best thing you can do.”
He then urged her to take up two options in order to get good deals – either switching via a switching service or learning how to haggle.
“Look, first of all you’re confident enough to talk to me on live television, that’s a good start, I think you’re gonna be able to talk to a call centre. I think we’re gonna channel that.
“There are two routes to doing [this], one find the best deals with research and just switch, then you don’t have to talk to anybody.
“Two, haggle.”
Martin then added later in the show that you should be honest with your provider about why you want to switch, and tell them you’re either over budget or you’ve found a better deal elsewhere and don’t want to overpay.
Via MSE, he added: “In a nutshell, call up and ask for a better deal. Say you’re paying too much or rivals’ deals are cheaper. If that doesn’t work, tell them you’re leaving. You’ll usually get put through to companies’ super-powerful hidden deals departments.”
The latest Martin Lewis Money Show Live episode is still available to watch via ITVX.
