That's weird. They'll usually bend over backwards to keep people from switching. All of their costs are already sunk, so they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by giving discounts, etc.
I know - been with them 17 years. Over a period of 2 months I tried everything to no avail....
Are you still under a commitment before you can cancel without paying a penalty to cancel? If so, that may be your problem (I, too, have been with them for 17 years). If you have a penalty for early cancellation, it will depend on how may months you're still obligated. If it's only a few months, you should still have them over the barrel. I've been quoted various amounts (ranging from $10 to $30 per month penalty) for cancelling early. The deal that just ended for me had a $10/mo penalty and the package I just got today has a $30/mo penalty. I don't plan on cancelling within a year anyways, so that was no big deal to me. That said, the less the penalty, the easier it is to threaten to cancel early if you choose to go that route.
That's strange. I've never had an issue when calling to get a better deal. Like I said earlier, I've gotten ST free for the last several years, and gotten a good discount off of my regular deal, to boot. It may simply be a matter of the individual you happen to get connected with. I've been courteous, but firm, in my conversations with them and have never encountered a rude or uncooperative attitude from any of them.
