It’s kinda funny how social media works sometimes. Not only is it a great way to network and connect with people, but the ability to use it as a money-saving tool seems to be growing daily.

The reason for this post all started about a week ago when I was asked by Cameron Huddleston from Kiplinger.com if I knew of any solid ways to use Twitter as a tool to save money. Thanks to a killer post by my buddy J.Money at Budgets Are Sexy.com talking about saving serious cash on his cell phone bill, and an ensuing interaction with Verizon via Twitter, the timing couldn’t have been better to help Cameron with her article. Here is how the whole dealio went down and 10 companies whose Twitter feeds will spark some money saving mojo.

Use Twitter to Negotiate a Lower Bill

More and more companies are hiring what they term “social media mangers” to deal with issues that customers are voicing on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. They try to tactfully handle customer complaints and shout the praises they receive from the tallest mountain top they can find.

The bottom-line is that they try to become the face and voice behind the company. Smart move for sure.

So when a Verizon social media employee saw my tweet saying that I was fed up with them and ready to drop them like a sack of potatoes, they immediately reached out to me on Twitter and offered to help me get my bill lowered.

As a dude who loves to negotiate my bills and refuses to pay full-price for anything, it was indeed a light bulb moment.

Use Twitter to Save Money (and Time) With These 10 BIG Companies:

1. Verizon (@VZWSupport) Based on my interaction with Verizon this one is pretty obvious. The Verizon rep was able to lower my bill significantly but not enough to make me stay with them. Voice frustration with a high bill on Twitter and I think you’ll save some cash.
2. Dish Network (@DISH_Answers) First try to get your Dish Network bill lowered using my conventional tips…if that doesn’t work then take to Twitter and have at ’em. You stand a great chance of getting their attention and getting your bill lowered. They have been known to contact folks via Twitter within seconds and help them out.
3. AT&T (@ATTCustomerCare) AT&T is another company who doesn’t want unanswered tweets out there from an unsatisfied customer. So if you have an issue with your service or think you’re paying to much, just tweet it to them. Not only will they answer you quickly, but you stand a great chance to get some money knocked off your bill. I was actually able to do this recently and got my DSL bill lowered from $49.99 a month to $24.99 for 12 months. Quickest $300 I’ve ever saved. Also, according to this article, be sure to mention T-Mobile offerings in your tweet for even better results.
4. DIRECTV (@DIRECTVService) Similar to DishNetwork, you can use the DIRECTV Twitter feed to get stuff done. Namely, get your dang bill lowered substantially. Just tweet at them your dissatisfaction in their expensive service and let the negotiating begin. Come armed with competitor offerings as they make for great ammo in your cause to get your bill lowered.
5. Starbucks (@Starbucks) Did you get bad service? Perhaps you voiced your complaint in the store but were pretty much ignored? Both good reasons to take to Twitter and get the attention of Starbucks. You stand a good chance of getting a free cup of coffee or Starbucks gift card out of it. Be sure to check these 8 additional ways to save money at Starbucks that I wrote a while back.
6. American Airlines (@AmericanAir) American Airlines does a fantastic job managing their Twitter feed and quickly responds to problems and complaints of travelers. Not only do they do it with some humor but they are known to hand out free travel vouchers and upgrades to unsatisfied customers.
7. Citibank (@Citibank) The Wall Street Journal wrote an article about a lady who was sick & tired of being placed on hold for long periods of time by Citibank and took to Twitter to voice her disapproval. Guess what happened? Within seconds of her tweet a Citibank agent tweeted right back, “Send us your phone number and we’ll call you right now.” Good to know, right? You might not save any money but it will help you keep your sanity.
8. Comcast (@comcast) The cool thing about Comcast is that they actually have employees answering technical questions on Twitter. They don’t just hire a bunch of monkeys to send you to a webpage for your answer. They also have folks answering questions on their Twitter feed that can get your monthly bill lowered. I have a friend that complained via Twitter and within 30 minutes he had his Comcast bill lowered by $20 a month without any changes to his programming.
9. Chipotle Grill (@ChipotleTweets) Ever since their failed marketing stunt on Twitter last Summer, Chipotle has cleaned the guac off their shirt and is doing it right. They will often hand out free burritos and gift cards via Twitter to those who’ve had a bad customer service experience. They are very proactive on social media and have built a very loyal following because of it.
10. Sprint (@sprint) “My Sprint bill is too dang high! Please help!” Those 2 tiny sentences can literally save you hundreds of dollars per year. Tweet to them @Sprint and I think you’ll be happy you did. Again, make sure you are armed with competitor rates, namely Republic Wireless and Straight Talk Wireless as they are the cheapest thing going right now.

TIP: Make sure to follow the company on Twitter before you start a dialogue with them. You need to be following them in order to have a DM or “Direct Message” conversation which is typically how they’ll want to communicate with you on Twitter.

Ask the Reader: Have you ever used social media to interact with a company? If so, was it to voice a complaint or dole out some much needed praise? Did anything come of it? As always, I look forward to reading your comments below.

By Kyle James