[Personal Experience] Is it really worth switching internet and carrier providers at an electronics store to buy appliances at a discount?
I switched my internet and carrier providers at an electronics store to buy appliances at a discount.
I wrote this article as a personal record.
I live with my wife. We bought a detached house, so we had to move out of our apartment.
When I tried to buy three air conditioners and six ceiling lights at an electronics store, the total estimate including installation fees was 600,000 yen.
600,000 yen is way too expensive...!
When I negotiated with the sales representative on the spot, they said the limit was a 10,000 yen discount, bringing it to 590,000 yen.
Only a 10,000 yen discount...
Just as I was despairing, another representative said, 'If you switch your internet and carrier, we can try to get it down to 500,000 yen.' Since I was already debating whether or not to sign up for NURO Hikari, I thought it would be easier to handle everything at once, so I decided to go for it.
As a result, by signing up for the BIGLOBE Hikari 10Gbps detached house plan and switching both my wife's and my own carrier from LINEMO to UQ, I was able to purchase them for 432,884 yen.
That's a discount of 167,116 yen (using all campaign point grants, etc.), but was it really a good deal?
I hope this will be helpful for those who are planning to buy appliances in bulk at an electronics store.
Conclusion,“Looking only at the money, it was a good deal, but it came with mental costs and other invisible costs.”
*Depending on the timing, there are differences in campaign cashback, so whether it is a good deal may change depending on the timing and purchase amount.
*I didn't really understand which specific campaign resulted in how much of a price reduction.
Comparing internet and carriers
[Plans after moving]
LINEMO 2,970 yen (Best Plan V) *Mine
LINEMO 2,970 yen (Best Plan V) *Wife's
NURO Hikari Monthly base fee 6,050 yen (Detached house 10Gbps)
[This contract]
UQ 2,948 yen (Tokutoku Plan 2) *Including home set discount
UQ 2,948 yen (Tokutoku Plan 2) *Including home set discount
BIGLOBE Hikari 6,820 yen (*Includes 550 yen for optical phone option due to home set discount application)
Which is a better deal, UQ or LINEMO?
[UQ Tokutoku Plan 2]
Base fee 4,048 yen
Data amount 30GB
Call charges 22 yen/30 seconds
[LINEMO Best Plan V]
Base fee 2,970 yen
Data amount 30GB
Call charges 22 yen/30 seconds
Free domestic calls within 5 minutes/call
LINE Giga Free
Unlimited use of eligible LINE stickers
[Contract administrative fees]
3,500 yen
*Total of 7,000 yen when including my wife's
The base fee for UQ is 4,048 yen for 30GB, so it is quite expensive without a set discount including internet. UQ also does not have the 5-minute domestic call flat rate that LINEMO has.
LINEMO has LINE Giga Free, so even if you use up your data capacity, the speed of LINE will not drop.
Also, since LINEMO allows you to add domestic call flat rate for 1,100 yen, it comes to 4,070 yen combined with the 2,970 yen base fee for 30GB of data, LINE Giga Free, and free domestic calls.
In other words, LINEMO is overwhelmingly better than UQ.
Which is a better deal, NURO Hikari or BIGLOBE Hikari?
[NURO Hikari Detached house 10Gbps]
Base fee 6,050 yen
[BIGLOBE Hikari Detached House 10Gbps]
Base monthly fee: 6,270 yen
NURO Hikari is a better deal because BIGLOBE Hikari is 220 yen more expensive.
Since I think the actual speed of the internet connection varies by region, if both are available in your area, I personally think you should try NURO Hikari first, and if you are satisfied with the speed for daily use, then that is fine.
Also, whether you can get it installed quickly depending on the construction schedule is another factor to consider.
This time, joining the optional 550 yen optical phone service was mandatory to apply the UQ Tokutoku Plan 2 bundle discount, so it ended up being 770 yen more expensive in total.
Are there any benefits to this carrier and internet change?
In conclusion, if you ignore things like cashback, this contract is a significant downgrade.
I lost LINEMO's Giga-Free and free domestic calls within 5 minutes per call, and I ended up signing up for an optical phone option I don't even use, making my monthly bill 748 yen higher for the internet and carrier combined.
Although it was a downgrade, I was able to purchase appliances for 167,116 yen less, so if I can recover this amount, it means it was a good deal overall, so let's take a look.
What happens if this situation continues for 3 years?
BIGLOBE Hikari has a 3-year plan, and there is a 3,000 yen cancellation fee if you cancel midway, so let's compare over 3 years.
・Higher cost of 748 yen x 36 months = 26,928 yen
・Contract administrative fees when changing carriers: 7,000 yen (for 2 people)
Comparing only the costs, it is a loss of 33,928 yen over 3 years.
Additionally, for 3 years, I will have no LINE Giga-Free and no free domestic calls within 5 minutes per call.
In other words, if you subtract the 33,928 yen loss from the 167,116 yen saved on appliances, you get 133,188 yen.
Considering non-monetary costs
Looking only at the money, I made about 130,000 yen just by changing carriers and signing up for internet.
However, in exchange for the money, there was also a mental cost.
I think it took over 4 hours from choosing the appliances to finishing the contract and leaving the store. If you think of it as a part-time job with an hourly wage of 32,500 yen, it might be easy work, but I was exhausted.
Anyway, there are many staff members who keep changing.
Appliance sales staff, internet contract sales staff, point staff, carrier change procedure staff, and internet contract procedure staff. Five people kept swapping in and out to proceed with the paperwork.
Moreover, the staff are all busy, so their explanations are super fast; it would be impossible for someone who is not good with internet or carriers to understand on the spot.
Also, they don't even show you the contract details on the tablet and just have you sign, saying, "This is the content, so please sign here," just to get it over with quickly.
Furthermore, the sales staff are very pushy because they really want you to change carriers and sign up for the internet.
They look at you as a "customer who wants to change internet and carriers to save money easily," so you don't really feel much politeness in how they speak.
Since they think I'm that kind of customer, they probably figured I wouldn't read the contract details and just had me sign.
They use sloppy conversation just to get a "YES," saying things like "It will be super cheap," "NURO's connection is slow," or "Isn't this great?" without providing any evidence and only briefly explaining the disadvantages.
For my part, I just wanted it to be cheaper, so I can't help that I was treated that way, but I felt quite looked down upon.
Things to be careful about
When you switch carriers, unnecessary options are attached.
You will end up paying extra money if you don't cancel them yourself before they auto-renew, so make sure you understand what needs to be canceled.
Since the staff changes frequently, you may not be able to ask your previous representative questions right away. It is better to ask everything you can while that person is there so you don't have to feel uneasy.
Also, since each representative may not have shared the background of why you decided to switch carriers, I ended up having to explain the same thing over and over.
I was asked what kind of appliances I bought so many times that I got quite exhausted.
The sales staff never mentioned that the usability would worsen due to the loss of LINEMO's Giga-Free or the free domestic calls within 5 minutes per call.
They just pushed their agenda with superficial talk about basic charges, data capacity, and subjective opinions on whether the signal is easy to connect to, claiming that 'there are almost no downsides to switching.'
You need to calmly judge whether it is truly profitable overall, including point returns for each carrier and synergies with other related services.
People for whom signing up for carriers and internet at electronics stores to buy appliances cheaply is a good fit
・Those who want to buy appliances cheaply today no matter what
・Those who can handle high-pressure sales
・Those who can temporarily tolerate a substantial downgrade in service
・Those who can set aside the significant amount of time required for the contract
・Those who can cancel unnecessary options by themselves
・Those who can research and understand plan details on their own after signing the contract
People for whom signing up for carriers and internet at electronics stores to buy appliances cheaply is not a good fit
・Those who value their time that day more than saving money
・Those who can get understanding from their family
・Those who feel uncomfortable with carriers and internet services
・Those who are not good at dealing with high-pressure sales
・Those who cannot tolerate a substantial downgrade in service, even temporarily
・Those who cannot manage other carrier or internet contracts on their own after signing
Was it worth it to change my internet and carrier at an electronics store?
As a result, I was able to purchase them for effectively about 130,000 yen less, so it was profitable in terms of money.
However, the usability of the carrier worsened, and the monthly internet fee became more expensive, so my monthly fixed costs increased. The hassle also increased, such as having to cancel options.
Therefore, once the move settles down, I plan to return to LINEMO immediately and switch the internet to NURO Hikari.
Although it will cost a little for administrative fees and cancellation charges when I switch, the monthly fixed costs will go down and the usability will improve, so I should be able to spend my days more comfortably.
In the end, what is the most profitable way to do it?
I think the sense of value depends on the price of the appliances you buy at that time and the amount of the discount, but“For now, sign up for a carrier and internet at an electronics store, and then switch back to something cheap and good on your own immediately”I personally think this is the most profitable method.
It was my first time changing my internet and carrier at an electronics store, and it was a very good learning experience.
“People who are poorly informed and only look at the money right in front of them are easily taken advantage of.”
When I listened to the way other sales staff spoke to customers around me and the content of their conversations, it was all basic stuff that you could figure out if you just looked it up.
It was quite a bizarre space, so I vowed never to sign up for a carrier or internet at an electronics store again.
“Research it yourself and do everything yourself.” I felt that this is what suits me best overall.
I hope this is helpful for those who want to buy appliances cheaply at an electronics store today.