Exactly as you say. It takes time, effort and determination to fight back and haggle as you did, and possibly a minority are able and willing to do it.
I admit that at least once a year I just pay a grossly inflated increase on a contract renewal because, at that time, there's something more...
Well done, and you are right, it's a game. These companies, in the main, don't value customer loyalty any more and will screw them for as much as they can get. So much inflation being driven opportunistically by companies' price increases.