I was a subscriber from 2004 thru the end of 2017, when I sold my house and me & the gf started building down here in Cochise County. During those years, I got my cost reduced once or twice, but it was SUCH a hassle, that it was far from a yearly ritual.
After 6 months in a rental, our house was done and we moved in. While in the rental we were on Cox, after we had both cancelled our DirecTV subs for 6 months. That was long enough for them to send us both offers to come back, basically as "new" customers - meaning the full list of crazy offers. Free equipment & install (of course), ultra-reduced rate on all packages for 12 months - wound up going with "Ultimate" for $39/month, a massive reduction. A bunch of free movie channels for 3 months. And of course, free Sunday Ticket for the first year, plus a $300 cash rebate in the form of debit cards - only $200 of which I actually received. Getting the deal I was offered required a phone call that lasted over an hour, after 2 lower-level people couldn't provide the offer that I had in my hand. Finally wound up with a supervisor who was able to figure it out. They are SUCH a mess nowadays since the AT&T buyout, it's frustrating as hell to have to call these idiots for anything.
It's ridiculous that they do all this for "new" subs, but once you're in the fold, they rob you BLIND, year after year. Interesting that we were able to score like this after only a 6-month absence - makes me want to switch to Cox for a year (or less) when the deal is up, get THEIR deal for a while, then come back. If it weren't such a hassle I'd do it for sure.
