text:
Write Review
Compare Phone/Mobile Services
out of
, based on
ratings and
reviews & complaints.
Product/Service Pages:
Bundle Packages
Most Popular
More Options >
More filter options:
Customer Service
Company Policy
Product/Service Quality
Customer service FAIL
Posted by
TUCSON, ARIZONA -- Thank you for using CenturyLink.com. A CenturyLink Sales and Service Consultant will be with you in just a moment. Your account information is confidential and protected by law. Advise our agent if you prefer that we don't use it to market products or repair your services. This has no effect on the service or offers we provide you. CenturyLink offers a bill block at no charge which prevents some 3rd party charges from appearing on your bill. This chat may be monitored and recorded for quality assurance.
Thank you for contacting CenturyLink. My name is Mike T. (20652). How may I help you today?
Michael G: My phone service died last night.
Michael G: ----, South Tucson, AZ 86713. it died around 9:00 P.M.
Michael G: I tried to file a repair ticket online, would not go through.
Mike T. (20652): Hello Michael. Thank you for being a loyal CenturyLink customer. If your service is not working then you will want to put in a repair ticket.
Mike T. (20652): I am sorry we cannot bridge a conference call with our repair department, but let me provide the number for you to contact them. To request repair, please dial 1-877-348-9007 from any working phone. Phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Or, please click here to log in to your MyAccount. Under the "My Services" section, click on the Phone tab to select the Phone Repair link. I apologize for any inconvenience.
Michael G: My phone is not working. That means I cannot call a number to report an outage.
Mike T. (20652): You can use a different phone if possible or report it online.
Michael G: I tried reporting it online numerous times last night.
Michael G: Can you tell me if it is a service problem in my area, or just a problem in this building?
Mike T. (20652): Unfortunately I do not have access to that information. What happens when you try to put in a ticket online?
Michael G: I get an error message, saying a ticket cannot be created.
Mike T. (20652): Did you log in with your username and password first?
Michael G: I work from home, answering phone calls, and lost an entire shift due to this problem.
Michael G: No, I didn't.
Mike T. (20652): That is probably why it did not work. You must first log in with your username and password to submit a repair ticket.
Michael G: so I have to register before I can tell your company that my phone isn't working?
Mike T. (20652): You must log in to put in repair tickets.
Michael G: it would have been helpful, if the error message had stated that.
Michael G: this is the first time I have tried to use the site.
Mike T. (20652): I apologize for the confusion.
Michael G: I am moving later this week; can I arrange a transfer through this medium?
Mike T. (20652): I can put in an order to move your service if you like.
Michael G: that is something, at least.
Michael G: the new address is:----- --- --, Tucson, AZ 85711.
Mike T. (20652): I will start an order.
Michael G: thank you.
Michael G: now, I'm trying to create an account. it is asking for a security code.
Michael G: when I was able to call customer service, this was the last four of my social. I am getting an error message.
Mike T. (20652): Yes, the security code is only used for your online profile so the call centers would not ask for it. We just started adding security codes to the bills so it might not be on yours yet. It would be on the right side of the first page in a green bubble. Otherwise we did send one in your welcome packet. We can send you the code in the mail, we can have an automated system call the billing number with it, or we can send it via e-mail to the e-mail address on the account.
Mike T. (20652): You should know there is a $27.50 fee to move your service.
Michael G: I have a bill here, no green bubb;e.
Mike T. (20652): We can send you the code in the mail, we can have an automated system call the billing number with it, or we can send it via e-mail to the e-mail address on the account.
Michael G: fine. getting service will be good. can this be done Thursday evening?
Mike T. (20652): Are you referring to the move?
Michael G: yes.
Mike T. (20652): I am not able to see the schedule for your area yet. I will know that soon.
Michael G: waiting for the code to arrive in the mail seems like a poor way to get the phone fixed. I am losing work, and income, as we speak.
Mike T. (20652): Mailing the code is one of three options available. We are now offering an @Ease warranty service for the Internet. There are 4 tiers available and I will send you a link with them so you can select one.
Mike T. (20652): For more information on what our @Ease plans offer, please click here.
Mike T. (20652): If you subscribe to one of our paid @Ease tiers, you will receive $5.00 off per month for the first two months. After two months, the price reverts to the normal pricing. No contract is required.
Mike T. (20652): Typically I recommend an upgraded version of @Ease at your new place at least for the first month to make sure your inside wiring supports the full speed. If not, then we would rewire without a fee (normally $99).
Michael G: well, I am concerned with getting the phone working. that is my immediate priority.
Mike T. (20652): I understand that. Would you like me to cancel this order?
Michael G: no, as I am moving Thursday regardless.
Mike T. (20652): Then I will continue with the order for you. Did you make an @Ease selection yet?
Michael G: I wish that this were easy.
Mike T. (20652): Please let me know once you have made a selection.
Michael G: Put me down for the Great plan.
Michael G: why can't you inform whomever that my phone does not have a dial tone? I am disabled and this is causing me hardship.
Mike T. (20652): I apologize, but I am not able to submit repair tickets. I can e-mail you the security code if you like.
Michael G: sure. hopefully I can get into the account.
Michael G: this is frustrating, to say the least.
Mike T. (20652): It has been sent.
Michael G: you are a live person, aren't you?
Mike T. (20652): Yes I am.
Mike T. (20652): Are you going to receive mail at your new location?
Michael G: yes. do I need to repeat the address?
Michael G: -------, Tucson AZ 85711.
Mike T. (20652): That is not needed.
Mike T. (20652): We can move your service as soon as 4/1 and your presence is not required. Would you like us to move your service on the first?
Michael G: this just gets better and better.
Michael G: if that is the first day that I can resume working, then by all means.
Mike T. (20652): What is your contact number on the first if needed?
Michael G: this job requires that I answer calls from a landline.
Michael G: this is my only phone.
Mike T. (20652): Currently we have 520------- as an alternate contact number for you. Is that number not good anymore?
Michael G: you can try it, I do not have that phone with me.
Michael G: if you can, perhaps that person would be so kind as to call you guys back and submit a repair ticket?
Mike T. (20652): Currently you have Bobbi as authorized on your account so she could contact us to submit a ticket. I can add another person if you like.
Michael G: that phone does not have internet, so contacting it by I'm is pointless.
Mike T. (20652): We will not send text messages.
Michael G: I did send an I'm last night to text the phone, no clue if it was received.
Michael G: I wasn't asking you to.
Mike T. (20652): The contact number is for our technician to use if they need to reach you on the first.
Michael G: so leave that alone. They will come by to help me move.
Michael G: If I am still stranded here without a working phone, that will be the first time someone is coming by.
Mike T. (20652): The order to move service is T 42366533 and we will move it on the first by 5 pm. Your presence should not be required. Do you have any more questions?
Michael G: how can I be in contact with a live person, and not be able to report that my phone is not working?
Michael G: This is a crazy setup.
Mike T. (20652): You can call us at 1-800-573-1311 to submit a repair ticket over the phone to talk to a representative
Michael G: If my phone was working, I would not need to call.
Michael G: We've been over this.
Mike T. (20652): Yes, I understand that. However I cannot submit a repair ticket for you. I e-mailed you the security code and you can use that to crate an online profile to submit a ticket online. You can do that or you can call. Those are the two ways you can put in a repair ticket.
Michael G: How about a supervisor, can they do what I need done?
Mike T. (20652): Our supervisors are not able to submit repair tickets either. Basically only one place can and that is our repair department. They are not available in chat.
Michael G: I'm sorry that my situation does not meet the usual criteria for help, but this is a serious problem.
Michael G: Sending emails has not worked to get me in touch with anyone thus far.
Michael G: I have 2 cell phone numbers I could call for help, if I had access to a phone.
Mike T. (20652): I recommend getting at least a pre-paid cell phone in the future in case of situations like these and other emergencies.
Michael G: Yes, I will be sure to do that, now that I have seen how inefficient this service is.
Mike T. (20652): Another suggestion is to create an online profile before it is needed. That makes situations like these a lot easier as well.
Michael G: can you send the code to another email, that I can access today?
Mike T. (20652): We can only send it to the e-mail address on the account.
Michael G: the person that has that cell phone is the one who changed the password after it was hacked.
Michael G: to get into that email address, I have to call them.
Michael G: which is currently not possible.
Michael G: I'm grateful that the internet is still working, but this is ridiculous.
Mike T. (20652): We can change the e-mail address on the account, but we will not be able to send the security code to that address for 30 days.
Mike T. (20652): I have not heard from you for a couple of minutes. Do you still need me to keep this chat conversation open for you?
Michael G: what kind of way is this to run a business?
Michael G: please help me!
Mike T. (20652): The security code process was set up to comply with a FCC mandate on line security and it does help us protect our customers accounts online.
Michael G: I am trying to find a way to get my phone working, so I am not cut off from contact with anyone, and can continue to earn money.
Mike T. (20652): You can put in a repair ticket through an online profile or by calling the 1-800-573-1311 number. I cannot put in a repair ticket for you.
Michael G: please escalate my call.
Mike T. (20652): I can try to locate a supervisor for you. Before I do that, do you have any questions regarding the order to move your service?
Michael G: I am disabled. With my phone down, I am not able to contact anyone.
Michael G: What if I have a personal emergency, aside from losing a weekn of pay?
Mike T. (20652): That is the reason why I recommend getting at least a pre-paid cell phone for emergencies. Having a back-up plan is never a bad idea.
Mike T. (20652): That is also why I recommend getting your online profile set up and making sure you provide us with good contact information before there is an emergency.
Michael G: Yes, I should plan for having my service fail, and not being able to get your company to care in the slightest.
Michael G: I will be posting this chat online, so others can see what kind of service they can expect.
Mike T. (20652): Having back-up plans are always a good idea. Unfortunately our management are not available in chat at this time. We are a small group so this can happen. I can put you down for a call back if you like.
Mike T. (20652): Actually it looks like we do have someone available.
Michael G: Yes, do put me down for a call back, to the phone that ISN"T WORKING.
Michael G: that will be helpful.
Mike T. (20652): I will transfer you. One moment.
Michael G: great.
Please wait while I transfer you to an operator at NOHD.
You are now chatting with 'Jackie C' in CenturyLink Escalation.
Michael G: hello?
Jackie C: HI Michael
Michael G: why can't someone, anyone, inform your repair department that my phone stopped working? I am disabled, and no one is coming by here until Thursday.
Jackie C: Hi Michael My name is Jackie and I am in the escalation dept. How can I help you?
Michael G: Did you read the chat, or did the representative inform you of the situation?
Jackie C: I am reading through the chat now. Can You please provide your phone number? Thanks
Michael G: 520--------.
Michael G: it stopped working, shortly after I started my shift last night.
Jackie C: Are you at the new address or old address?
Michael G: The old address.
Michael G: I move on Thursday.
Jackie C: Please hold on I am going to contract repair thanks
Michael G: thank you!
Jackie C: Thank you for waiting. I'll be with you in just a moment.
Jackie C: I am holding for repair thanks
Michael G: I'm glad that someone cares enough to take care of this.
Jackie C: Not a problem. Repair is looking into the phone thanks for waiting.
Jackie C: When a tech goes out will he have access to the phone box?
Jackie C: Where is located on the property
Michael G: I guess so, they set it up without incident.
Michael G: It's an apartment building.
Jackie C: If a tech goes out and the line tests OK to our outside wiring (phone box) there could be a $85 charge.
Jackie C: We have to disclose this. If not there is not charge.
Michael G: I have no idea why the phone stopped working, it is a new phone.
Michael G: Is there an outage in my area?
Jackie C: At this time there is no outage in the area.
Michael G: I know there was a shooting here last night, don't know if that affects anything.
Jackie C: One thing tech support suggest is to unplug your phone
Michael G: unplugged and replugged. checked all the connections.
Jackie C: Great thanks
Jackie C: The tech can be out tomorrow before 7:30 pm. That is the earliest we can get someone out to the property.
Jackie C: Michael are you still there?
Michael Gr: it's a start.
Michael G: yes, still here.
Jackie C: Thanks
Michael G: could it be an issue with the modem/
Jackie C: No
Michael G: I just want to be sure that I have done everything possible to correct the issue, losing income as I cannot work without the phone.
Jackie C: You may want to try unplugging the modem and plugging it back in when we are done here.
Michael G: Okay, I will do that, and if it works, then I can call you and let you know.
Michael G: or whomever answers the phone, anyway.
Jackie C: Sounds great.
Jackie C: Is there anything else I can help you with today?
Michael G: Yes. I am most displeased with the demeanor and attitude of the representative who was 'servicing' my call, and I hope that he is reprimanded for it.
Michael G: I do not like having to inform people that I am disabled, and usually I can find a way to take care of issues myself.
Michael G: Couldn't he have asked for help, before I had to request escalation?
Jackie C: Michael thank you for the feedback on the Rep. I will provide feedback to him to let him know.
Michael G: thank you. normally, I will give compliments for good service, as I believe in positive feedback.
Jackie C: That is a good question. I am not sure.
Jackie C: I will have to find out.
Michael G: it is thankfully rare that I have to go up the chain of command in this manner.
Michael G: Is there an address that I can write to, regarding this incident?
Jackie C: I understand. We really value you business.
Jackie C: Yes let me provide the address.
Michael G: thank you.
Jackie C: CenturyLink, 930 15th St, 11th floor, Denver, CO 80202.
Michael G: is a record of the chats kept, on your end?
Jackie C: NO there is not sorry.
Michael G: I am copying and pasting as we speak.
Jackie C: Sounds great thanks
Michael G: I can email a copy, as this was a 'fail' before you addressed the issue.
Michael G: all right, not trying to run it into the ground, just want to make sure no one else has to go through this, trying to get help.
Jackie C: Sorry Michael I do not have email address for you to send the letter to.
Michael G: thank you again for your help.
Jackie C: Thanks you so much and have a great day.
Michael G: you too!
Jackie C: Thank you for using Click to Chat. To close this chat, please click "Close" button at the right of your chat window.
Was this review helpful?
Add reply
Review Link:
Fraudulent and Unlawful Fee by Qwest
Posted on
We had been a customer of Qwest for the last 8 (eight) years and we've always paid our bill on time and we have never missed a payment.
Problem: We are being charged for a $200 fee as part of a "2-year Internet plan" that we NEVER signed up for or agreed upon. We called in to disconnect service and it was WAIVED by an employee named EMMA, but it seemed like that fact was totally ignored and then they're still charging us $200 the early termination fee.
Details: On Monday, February 15, 2010; at 11:50a PST, my husband, Ryan, spoke on the phone with one of Qwest' Customer Service employees, Emma, to let her know we were moving out and needed to disconnect our phone and Internet service. She mentioned the $200 fee as a penalty of early disconnection, my husband told her he never agreed to such a contract. She spoke with her manager, who AGREED to WAIVE the erroneous fee. Emma then told my husband an updated bill would be sent to us reflecting the correct final charge. We never received it. (If they are a reputable and such a reliable company they can access the recording of this call, it will prove that she WAIVED the fee for us.)
After emailing them again a couple weeks later, we received a reply from "Nancy" on 03/04/10 apologizing and informing me that the revised final bill would be sent immediately. We finally received the bill for $248, still incorrect! We chatted online with Customer Service again with "Juan" at the "Idaho office". After explaining everything to him, he informed us that no one there could help me, and that we would have to wait until the next morning to speak with the billing department.
On March 16, 2010 @ 9:38a, my husband contacted the billing office and asked for the manager. Darren at the Boise office answered. Once again, my husband explained everything to him, including his conversation with Emma. The manager argued with him about this $200 fee for about ten minutes, insisting that it was valid and justified, even though we have NEVER signed up for any yearly plan! The manager then continued to say that we were sent information about this multiple times, which we were NOT!! My husband told him this a number of times, but the manager wouldn't listen and continued to insist that my husband just doesn't remember, and treated him like he was either making it all up or didn't know what he was talking about. The fact is, Emma had already waived the fee!!
We are completely furious and frustrated with this company! The $200 charge is unfair and UNWARRANTED! He has been a customer of Qwest for years, but if this is how we are going to be treated by them, we will have no hesitation to look elsewhere for professionalism, competence and decent customer service.
Reply #1 from Qwest:
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:59:38 -0500
From: Qwest. firstname.lastname@example.com
Subject: Re: Qwest.com Customer Support (KMM16888259I15977L0KM)
Dear Ryan,
Thank you for your recent e-mail inquiry to Qwest in regards to the 200.00 early disconnection fee. There is not a paper agreement you would have signed to set this up. It's done as a verbal agreement. At the time the service is ordered we send you a thank you letter confirming the changes that have been made to your account. In this letter it explains that you've entered into a 2 year agreement and it provides you the terms of the agreement. We also remind you every month when the bill prints that you are receiving a reduced monthly rate because of your 24 month term agreement and the date the agreement expires.
The discount you have received every month based on this agreement is 10.00. In some cases when an agreement is being disputed we will remove the 200.00 fee but go back and bill you for the months you received the 10.00 discount in error. In your case you had the service for 20 months and received a 10.00 discount per month. Unfortunately the amount of discount you received totals the amount you are being billed for with the early disconnection.
I can go ahead and remove the 200.00 early disconnection fee but we will need to go back and bill you for the 10.00 discount you were receiving monthly because of the agreement you did not sign up for.
eService Supervisor
Qwest Customer Care
Consumer Markets
Our reply:
As I've stated many times before, I never agreed to any such contract - verbal or physical - nor have I ever received any letter about being in such a contract. As for the $10/month discount on my bill, that was from packaging two services - phone and internet - NOT because of a 2-year contract I had supposedly signed up for. So yes, you can go ahead and get rid of the $200 fee since I was never in that agreement in the first place (as you stated). I was told it was already waived anyway.
Reply #2 from Qwest:
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:16:55 -0500
From: Qwest. email@example.com
Subject: RE: Qwest.com Customer Support
Dear Ryan,
I understand your frustration with this issue, howerver both You and Qwest are responsible for making sure you are getting the services you requested at the price you agreed to. We provide you a detailed bill each month in case there was an error made on our part. Until you disconnected your account there were no calls questioning the discounts you were getting or why your bill stated you were in an agreement that expires in 2010.
I can meet you half way on this as you have been an excellent customer with Qwest and adjust 100.00 of the 200.00 fee. You may not have received the thank you letter that was sent but the information has been provided on your bill every month since the service was connected.
You were receiving 2 different discounts on your phone bill for the Internet service. You were getting a 5.00 bundle savings discount and a 10.00 Promotional Discount.
It appeared on your bill each month as follows:
Your savings this month
Thank you for being a valued Qwest customer with Savings for Bundling.-Internet Service. Bundle Savings based on the 1 product(s) you currently have is $5 per month. This bill includes a Bundle Savings of $5.00.
You are receiving a reduced monthly rate for your Qwest Connect service because of your 24 month term commitment. Your agreement expires on 06-19-2010.
Bundle Savings Discount
Qwest Connect SLVR w MSFT (01/17 - 02/16) $5.00
Total Bundle Savings $5.00
Promotional Discounts Discount
Qwest Connect (01/17 - 02/16) $10.00
Total Promotional Discounts $10.00
Total savings this month $15.00
eService Supervisor
Qwest Customer Care
Consumer Markets
Physical & emotional damage (Updated 06/22/2011):
We are still receiving letters from the collection company saying that he still owed Qwest $175 and his credit is completely ruined because of this fraudulent and unlawful fee. Years and years of good credit down the drain because of this.
Resolution Update 07/13/2011:
We submitted this complaint to BBB 6/22/2011 and got a response today 07/12/2011 by Qwest. They issued paperwork to adjust the final bill, would notify the collection agency to stop sending us letters, and would have it pulled from the credit bureau.
Was this review helpful?
Read 4 Replies
Add reply
Review Link:
User Replies:
Sophia Marie on 06/22/2011:
You can argue this until you're blue in the face but the fact remains that Quest/CenturyTel is correct. You were in a verbal contract for phone and Internet service and as such are required to pay the early termination fees. Said fees are not fraudulent or unlawful - - somewhere along the line your husband agreed to the terms of service and signing a written contract is not required - - end of story.
jktshff1 on 06/22/2011:
Sophia, a verbal contract is only worth the paper it's written on. That being said, I would think at some point, Quest sent written correspondence that included their terms and conditions.
Pay the bill, it's already cost you that much in time, effort and worry.
Good luck
Fufu487 on 06/23/2011:
I feel you DO owe this money. And Quest justified the fees and explained where the additional amount owing came from. They are willing to waive the fee but you still owe just short of $200 for the discount you received. Had you not received the discount, you would have paid that amount.
oldisgood on 06/23/2011:
You got the service at a reduced price and, I believe, you knew that. Qwest is correct in charging you, I think. It pays to read everything you get in the mail.
Close comments
Add reply
Beware ! They keep charging you even when you quit service!
Posted by
YELM, WASHINGTON -- I had Qwest now called Century Link for 5 years and was never late on payments. In August 2011 I decided to transfer long distance service with my current telephone carrier, Fair Point communications. They offered a decent bundle package for the price so I went with them. I inquired to Ken, the gentleman at Fair Point did I need to call Qwest/Century Link to discontinue service? He replied, NO, you can stay on the line and we can have a 3 way conference. After being on hold, he came back on the line with a lady representative for Qwest/Century Link on the 2nd line. We discussed why I was changing and she asked all the questions they normally do. "Did I want to discontinue service with them? Yes- Did I want it to happen immediately? Yes. Oh and we can't forget before her speaking, the usual recording of This call will be recorded for quality and training purposes. She speaks to the Fair Point communications gentleman Ken, again who was my witness that we indeed cancelled service on that day. The next day, I had to make long distance phone call. Upon dialing, a recording stated I had no long distance to make that call. Obviously Qwest/Century Link disconnected it right away and Fair Point was to start later in the day. However, about 3 weeks later, I received a bill from Qwest/Century link charging me for service AFTER THE DATE I CANCELLED WITH THEM. I had NO LONG DISTANCE, yet now, they were telling me there was no record of me cancelling and my account was still active! How can you have no long distant service from a company -zippo- yet your account is still be active? I was not getting anywhere with Alexis or Anna from that cheating company because they said there was no record of any representative talking to me or the Fair Point Rep Ken.
I called Fair Point up now to see if they would call Century Link, he read the notes and said, yes we spoke with them, wait on the line and we can have another 3 way conference call. They proceeded to tell him the same thing. That "I didn't call" and my account was still active. He spoke with a supervisor--no service there either. Basically Tough luck, I was still paying. Where is my recording I ask? Why don't you use it now? Finally Danielle from Fair Point took over and she called a supervisor, she got the same treatment. So now, Danielle tells me "I'm sorry, I find it hard to believe we didn't get anywhere with them however, we will give you credit for the bill they are charging you when in fact you had no service from them. Fair Point made good on that and I provided a copy of the thieving bill from Century Link. So what is obvious is this, Don't think if another carrier has you on 3 way and you cancel Century Link's service on a conference call, that your account is really inactive. They will keep charging you because YOU DID NOT CALL direct from your phone line. It's a great set up to "Forget or have no record" that the customer cancelled and made that account inactive. It gives Century Link how many more hundreds of thousands of dollars from how many millions of customers? THEY ARE THIEVES AND NOT IMPECCABLE. BEWARE.
Was this review helpful?
Read 4 Replies
Add reply
Review Link:
User Replies:
lexophiliac on 10/17/2011:
Kudos to Danielle from Fair Point! Consider singing her praises to her supervisor and Fair Point's corporate office. Your review is a good reminder to request a confirmation number from company CSR's when making any changes in a service, to use as a reference should a tragic comedy of errors such as this occur.
CenturyLinkHelp on 10/19/2011:
I am sorry to hear that you had such and experience, sadly, this is fairly common throughout the industry, but not for the reasons you might think.
Let me begin by explaining that the phone service that CenturyLink (formerly Qwest) provides is regulated as has been the case for many years all the way back to the original Ma-Bell times. As such, there is a very strict protocol when one carrier offers to help you take your services or number to another provider.
This is where the confusion often occurs. Your reference to a conference with Qwset I have to assume was actually not with Qwest, regardless of what was inferred by the new carriesr statements, it was with a âThird Party Verificationâ group or what we in the business refer to as a TPV group.
I know this due to the questions you stated were asked by the conferenced parties, it is almost verbatim the scripting used by all TPVâs.
Comanies cannot involve the original service provider when changing services that require the TPV process as in your case, itâs against the rules. So, regardless of which way services is moving, from your current provider to another or from that carrier back to us, there is never any involvement with the current provider with the new provider at the retail level as this would be illegal and would be awkward for consumers. It also prevents the original provider from trying to dissuade you from leaving when you have already made your choice to switch.
TPVâs are required whenever you change LD from one carrier or another, or change voice services and take the number to another carrier. This is regulatory law that mandates it be handled this way for all carriers, no exceptions.
This is to protect you (the consumer) from people calling up and slamming or cramming you with services you really never agreed to and prevents the awkward situations mentioned above. Since third party verifiers have no incentive other thatn to verify your switch is indeed requested and wanted by the individual making the switch, they have no reason to do anything other than verify the information is accurate.
In this case Qwest would actually never even be involved except to be contacted by the wholesale group of the company offering the new services with a service order (the new provider is completely responsible for writing the new order and sending the change request to the old provider at the whosale level) to take the number or provide the long distance going forward.
Upon receiving these requests, which are called PONâs (purchase order numbers) we are required by law to verify compliance with the third party and if validated by the third party group, and this is a very important part of what may have happened, only then do we make the change.
If for any reason the TPV had reservations about your responses to the questions about changing LD or porting (moving you number and services) to the new carrier, they can tag it as not valid/falied without any notification to you (they do notify the new service provider so they can contact you and re-do the TPV process or verify that you still agree and have not changed your mind) When you were conferenced, the new provider must, by law, not be on the phone listening or coaching you in any way, this assures it is a genuine request by the consumer to change as agreed to and this prevents coercion, slamming or cramming.
In your case, you stated we actually continued to bill you for long distance services. Thereâs one of two things that must have happened for this to ocure.
Either the TPV failed the request, in which case the new carriers request to us would be denied as is required or there was something wrong with the request from the other company when the sent the PON to Qwest. It is that cut and dry, there is no grey area here.
The reason for this could be there was a problem with the initial request to us from the new provider, in which case we would send them a request for clarification and proceed according to the process stipulated in the regulatory guidelines (for instance, your last name is spellled Smith and the request came in as Smiith, yes even a typo like that can fail the PON or it is your husbands name and social and you gave your name, etc. Just examples of what may have been).
In very rare instances, a carrier has what is called âbill fall outâ in which case everything should have gone smoothly in the transition, but the billing continued due to a programming error that causes the service to remain active in the billing system even though the carrier has done everything correctly and the changes have actually gone through.
All carrriers have remedy for this too, that takes the services off the bill and credits any charges back to the date the order came in from the new provider.
If you would like us to look into this, to see what truly happened and whether you are due a credit or not, we can.
Please email your information to: firstname.lastname@example.com, include you address that the service was at, the phone number associated with the account, expectations, any names dates or references you have and we will review it and let you know the outcome.
John from Robins, Iowa on 08/21/2013:
Hey Steve at Century Link
I dropped land-line, phone service with Century Link 18 months ago. Out of the blue, they started sending me billing notices for an account I no longer have. Since the end of June, Century Link has been billing me about $48 per month for a phone number that's obviously not in my name if it's in service at all.
You claim that CenturyLink doesn't bill old customers for no reason but that's not true. If your billing department turns me over to a collection agency or damages my credit rating you'll be owing me money to straighten out billing issues caused by CenturyLink.
Heather on 12/09/2013:
I'm having the same issue. I canceled my service 9 months ago! And was still being billed and they claimed to have no record of me cancing then said they would fix it. We had tried Comcast and didn't like it and said if they could resolve the isse we would like to start new service once this was handled and I just got a collection notice because they are continuing to bill us!!! We don't even have the wiring for their service anymore yet they are claiming they are providing it. Sadly it's them or Comcast and both companies are terrible just this one happens to be dirt cheap in comparison...it would help if during the holiday season I could ever get someone on the line to once again battle to cancel the original service and at this point I am thinking I am going to need to lawyer up. I'm wondering if this is similar?
Close comments
Add reply
Recent Trainee for Qwest
Posted by
DES MOINES, IOWA -- I recently worked for Qwest, went through the 5 of the 6 months of training and all these complaints I'm reading are all to common at Qwest.
Hmm, where to start..
Let's start with the actual training. It's 6 weeks in the classroom and while in the classroom we learn of the 20 different computer programs needed to do this job, most of them in Dos like format.. it's a nightmare navigating through them and on most phone calls we access anywhere from at least 3 to 10 of them.. be prepared when calling Qwest, you will be on the phone with the rep for a while. Also while in the training the trainers focus so much on the sales aspect of the job.. it's all about the almighty dollar at Qwest and we'll get into that a little more later on.
Once done with the classroom training we must pass a test to continue on.. again a lot of the test is testing you on your ability to sell, sell, sell. Next we have 6 weeks of training on the phones. This is where we started losing our class members, at least one a week. We talk to customers and to be honest not one of us really knew what we were doing. It is a hands on job and with so many different computer programs and so many different products Qwest offers no one really knew what they were talking about with the customers either. So during these 6 weeks on the phone we have goals that we MUST meet in order to "graduate" from training.. yes we have to "graduate" and meet these numbers if we want to keep our job. The numbers are ridiculous too.. it depended on how many phone calls we took a day in how high our numbers were. When I quit I had to sell over 600.00 a day while in training.. (I guess I can see why they focused so much on the sales part of the classroom training) I'm sure you can imagine how hard it is to sell something to someone who is already upset having to call in about other billing issues.. and most of the time those issues don't get resolved. It's next to impossible to meet those goals, unless you get a lot of calls that dropped in your lap.
The main reason I quit was because of a number we had to meet that did not allow us to give good customer service.. availability. It's an inbound call center and we had to be available to take incoming phone calls. That means no follow up phone calls or no calling the customer back. It is really hard to give good customer service when you have to worry about your availability every day. Heck, running to the bathroom went against our availability!! It is important to me to go home at the end of the day feeling like I've done a good job and I just wasn't getting that at Qwest.
Now while we're in training our trainers will listen in on our calls from time to time and offer feedback on what we could have done different. Each and every feedback I got was all about how I could have made a sale! What I should have offered that customer and so on. On one call I was talking to a sweet little lady who told me she was 99 years old. All this lady wanted was to change her long distance carrier over to Qwest so that she would receive only one bill every month. My trainer was listening. She came over to me and asked me why I didn't offer to sell her anything. What did she expect me to do? Offer this 99 year old lady a cell phone?? My trainer then informed that once on the floor after I graduate that if my coach were to of listened in on that phone call they would make me call back and offer something.. WTF?? We are required to offer on every single phone call!!! Doesn't matter how upset you are about your bill, doesn't matter if you just want to know your balance, doesn't matter if you are disconnecting your services, it just doesn't matter at Qwest unless it involves $$$$.
In my class of 20 people not one person graduated. The few that did remain come time to graduate hadn't met their numbers and were let go. During my 5 months at Qwest they had hired another 120 people in our office. This was just in our city.. there are Qwest locations all over 14 states. So keep in mind when you call Qwest that it's most likely you are talking to someone in training.. When you call in for quotes on pricing.. call back and get them again. I guarantee you it will be different each time.
Another important thing I want to make people aware of is what is referred to at Qwest as "slamming and cramming" accounts. This is where a customer were to call in about something and the rep "slams" their account with products without the customers knowledge. I can't tell you how many times I dealt with this issue, it was just sickening. In a job that we're required to meet numbers and the reps work on commission you can only imagine how many filthy, dirty reps slammed accounts to meet those numbers or make a dollar themselves. Every time you call into Qwest you are opening your account to them.. you are giving them the access to slam your account with products you don't authorize.. you won't even know it's been done until you get your bill. Then when these people call in about it and state they never authorized this.. nothing can be done. Hope and pray when you call Qwest that you get an honest rep. What a nightmare that is getting a phone call on someone who states their account was slammed and there isn't one damn thing I could do about it.
No one to report it too. Even if there was some place to go and report it too I doubt it would get reported.. remember the reps must worry about their availability and get right to the next phone call.
Oh and when you request to talk to a supervisor the rep isn't lying when they tell you one isn't available. Sure we have our trainers and once out on the floor we get a coach who we can go to but they don't have the authority to do anything the reps can't do. There is no one to take a complaint to right there on the spot. We filled out a ticket and sent it out and let the customer know that a supervisor would contact them in the next 24-48 hours. However, I've seen all these tickets and I can tell you that there is no way Qwest has that many supervisors doing call backs.. don't expect to get called back.
I'm not a bitter disgruntled employee who worked at Qwest..There was just so much about that job I didn't agree with that I had to walk away. I wanted to help so many of the people who called me but there was nothing I could do to help them..It's a customer service job but I'm here to tell you there is nothing customer service about it.
Was this review helpful?
Read 2 Replies
Add reply
Review Link:
User Replies:
Diabolical on 09/23/2009:
Wow, incredible. Thank you so much for sharing. I worked for an answering service and I understand your pain.
DigitalCommando on 09/23/2009:
Diabolical, you should check out this video if you want to see the queen of the answering service world in action.
Close comments
Add reply
Horrible rural dial up
Posted by
COLORADO -- My wife and I are senior citizens, South of Calhan, Colorado. We've been on this ROTTEN rural dial up (runs at 28K) for years. We can't afford to pay the typical $40/$50 a month thing for high speed. I'd think I'd gone to heaven if I could get 115K as a dial up thing. I'd be willing to pay $25 a month for that, so I'm not trying to get something for nothing. They don't care .... their Qwest is for money. Right Mueller ? <<<<< CEO
Was this review helpful?
Read 14 Replies
Add reply
Review Link:
User Replies:
jktshff1 on 05/05/2011:
Sorry but yes, it's all about the $$$ if there are not enough people in the area to support faster connections it makes sense from a business end. Why do business where you would loose money? Satellite might be your best bet. With @ 300 people per square mile in El Paso county and the population of Calhan, Co at @ 800 it would not pay to invest the $$$ needed for fiber optics etc.
SlowBoat on 05/05/2011:
They've got billions. It's time to share the wealth.
Satellite ? Okay fine .... send me the check. I'm below poverty level. BTW, there are lots of others just like me. Did you forget that people buy things on line ? Poor connectivity isn't good for those those who sell on line. I get disgusted waiting for bloated pages to load and turn the blasted thing off. No sale.
jktshff1 on 05/05/2011:
OK, why "share the wealth" that they earned? In spite of the efforts of our current prez, we ain't a socialist society yet. You being below the poverty level has nothing to do with the issue. Internet and connections are not a right.
SlowBoat on 05/05/2011:
They haven't "EARNED" all of it. Some of it is THEFT. You should be in my situation for a while. Then you'd change your tune. Could you get by on $1045 a month? I doubt it. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a third world country.
Why don't they provide a low speed wireless service for $25. Who needs fiber optics. No money in that either ? Don't forget to mail that check to me for the satellite service ($1200 should do). Jeez, I can't even afford good dental care. I'd probably have to spend the money on that. Don't give me anymore bull saying they've earned it.
Anonymous on 05/05/2011:
Slowboat, I feel for your situation, but there are still parts of the world that don't have internet at all, running water, electricity, phones, etc. Be thankful for what you do have. It's not Qwest's fault you live in a rural area and can't afford another service or provider. Good reminder of why it is important to plan for retirement the day you get your first job.
SlowBoat on 05/05/2011:
Thanks for your feedback ..... My parents were poor and depressed. I wasn't taught discipline or direction and so I turned out like them. It's hard to steer your boat without a rudder and they're supposed to give you that psychological rudder. After quite a number of dead end jobs, I decided to put my hobby to work. Starting in the late 80s I made some of the most beautiful telescope mirrors that ever came down the pike (on home made optical machines). Unfortunately the economy is so bad now that no one is buying. If that situation turns around, maybe I'll be able to pay for high speed wireless (not with Qwest). What I really should have done years ago is applied for a job with THE PHONE COMPANY ! RIGHT ? Oh BTW, I couldn't afford to drill a well and didn't have running water. Had to haul it here. Now I have a 3000 gallon cistern.
Anonymous on 05/05/2011:
Lol slow, right!
If there is no one to take the wheel, you have to take it yourself. Ultimately, we are all the masters of our own destiny. I have lived on nothing and next to nothing more than once in this life. I don't blame my parents or anyone else for my life circumstances, I alone am responsible for me.
Good luck with those telescope mirrors, telescopes are one of my passions.
trmn8r on 05/05/2011:
The only way I know of getting 115K is if you use two phone lines and two modems, and use a multilink setup.
My high speed DSL (lowest speed) is $14.99 a month. What service do you have available for $40-50?
It is a simple matter of economics when it comes to expanding internet access in a certain region. If adding the infrastructure doesn't result in a return of capital, it isn't going to happen.
SlowBoat on 05/05/2011:
Can this be done in a rural area ? I'd have to get
better step by step instructions if it can. Not too familiar with this. I have what I call my junk email at email@example.com if you want to share more info.
Thanks :-)
ok4now on 05/06/2011:
You're really between a rock and a hard place on this one. Living in a rural area your options are limited and unaffordable if there was an option. Vonage (a voip service) might be an option if you can find & afford a high speed internet connection. For $25.99 a month you get unlimited local & long distance. They now offer connections to wireless phones across Europe & Asia. Obviously you couldn't care less about this. You just want decent phone service at an affordable price. Unless a provider offers this in your area you're pretty much stuck with what you have. What about dropping the land line and getting a cell phone with unlimited service for $50.00 a month? You also get free internet and texting. Not sure if it's offered in our area but both Metro and Boost offer this deal. Check it out.
PepperElf on 05/07/2011:
The thing is, laying the cable out is actually pretty expensive.
One of my computer instructors last year said it would cost at least TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND dollars to extend the cable out to his area. Now if the residents pooled together to pay that cost they could get the service but... no one wants to so they have to do without.
Cable companies aren't charities - they're businesses. They're not going to just drop say $25K on just a handful of customers. There's no way they could reasonably recoup the cost... and businesses that throw money away on inefficient plans like that usually go under.
PepperElf on 05/07/2011:
you know... OK - the only problem with that is... if it's a rural area the cell coverage might be crap too.
I live in a small town now - it's not rural but it's darn close to rural areas... our cell coverage sucks for some brands. seriously, we have to go outside sometimes
ok4now on 05/07/2011:
PepperElf: Good point. If the area is that rural there are probably very few cell towers (if any) and the coverage would be horrible. Satellite may be the only option but that is expensive and the service is only fair. It ain't cheap but I love my FIOS. True HD picture quality, blazing fast internet and unlimited phone service over copper lines. No VOIP over the internet where you can loose service. Had that problem with Comcast frequently. No easy answer for this OP.
PepperElf on 05/14/2011:
Yeah satellite is pretty much the only option for some areas, and it doesn't come cheap.
And even in non-rural areas there can be sucky cell coverage. Maybe it's the towers - or lack of them - or the way this apartment was constructed (brick) but both my bf's cells and mine have crappy coverage. We have to go outside to get a good signal. And upgrading might not solve the issue... cos we're both on different carriers.
Close comments
Add reply
Letter that I'll be sending to Qwest
Posted by
October 25, 2010
1005 17th
Floor 4
Denver, CO 80202
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing you this letter to inform you how I have been mistreated my Qwest over the years. Since the summer of 2001 I was a Qwest customer; and the key word it was. Within one month of ordering service, I had the need to add calling features/services. I called Qwest Customer Service on the phone, and the agent who took my call was extremely nice to me and was more than willing to help me. All I needed was caller ID, Voice Mail, Line Backer and non-published. He explained to me that I could go into a home phone package to save money; so I agreed. Then he explained to me the monthly charges as well as the prorated charges that would appear on my first bill. In 2002 is when the issues started. My services would disappear.
I would call in to have them placed back on, they would disappear. I was fed up and asked customer service and ask them why my services that I'm paying for would disappear after I would call to have them placed back on. I asked them if it was my bill, and they said no. I asked them if it was my bill, and they said no. I also asked them if anyone called in to remove my services, they again said no. I also asked them if there is any record of me calling in to have my calling features/services turned back on, they again said no. Qwest doesn't keep accurate and up to date records even though I was told that it would be noted in my account each time that I would call in to have my calling features/services turned back on. I should keep on calling to have them placed back on after they have been removed. I should keep on calling to have them placed back on after they have been removed. I then called customer service again and asked them to investigate then they transferred me to another customer service agent who then placed me on a written correspondence only restriction where I could only request changes in writing to the "Channel Support Team" I wasn't allowed to call in about my services. When I attempted to make my service right customer service would inform me that either 1) they couldn't find my account, 2) the systems are down or 3) they were unable to access my account. Even repair was unable to access my account. I couldn't get cell phone service because of my credit score/history and prepaid cell phones are too expensive. I needed phone service with no long distance, voice mail, Line Backer wire maintenance caller ID and non-published and that's all. Some genie in the sky was changing my services without my authorization and Qwest wouldn't investigate the issue and find out who or what was causing my issues. I spent many, many hours on the phone with Qwest. I've almost had to go to the hospital due to chest pains because of Qwest's issues.
Iâve posted this same text online, and you find this at http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=88888. Iâve also put the address to Qwestâs âChannel Support Team,â so everyone will be able to see how Iâve been mistreated by Qwest. Qwestâs agents are liars because when I was told one thing by one agent and called in at a later date I was told something else about the same issue.
When I went to read one of the reviews from a recent and former trainee of Qwest, I was appalled that Qwest is only concerned about making money, which didnât and still doesnât surprise me. Here it was he said: âI recently worked for Qwest, went through the 5 of the 6 months of training and all these complaints I'm reading are all to common at Qwest.
Hmm, where to start..
Let's start with the actual training. It's 6 weeks in the classroom and while in the classroom we learn of the 20 different computer programs needed to do this job, most of them in Dos like format.. it's a nightmare navigating through them and on most phone calls we access anywhere from at least 3 to 10 of them.. be prepared when calling Qwest, you will be on the phone with the representative for a while. Also while in the training the trainers focus so much on the sales aspect of the job.. it's all about the almighty dollar at Qwest and we'll get into that a little more later on.
Once done with the classroom training we must pass a test to continue on.. again a lot of the test is testing you on your ability to sell, sell, sell. Next we have 6 weeks of training on the phones. This is where we started losing our class members, at least one a week. We talk to customers and to be honest not one of us really knew what we were doing. It is a hands on job and with so many different computer programs and so many different products Qwest offers no one really knew what they were talking about with the customers either. So during these 6 weeks on the phone we have goals that we MUST meet in order to "graduate" from training.. yes we have to "graduate" and meet these numbers if we want to keep our job. The numbers are ridiculous too.. it depended on how many phone calls we took a day in how high our numbers were. When I quit I had to sell over 600.00 a day while in training.. (I guess I can see why they focused so much on the sales part of the classroom training) I'm sure you can imagine how hard it is to sell something to someone who is already upset having to call in about other billing issues.. and most of the time those issues don't get resolved. It's next to impossible to meet those goals, unless you get a lot of calls that dropped in your lap.
The main reason I quit was because of a number we had to meet that did not allow us to give good customer service.. availability. It's an inbound call center and we had to be available to take incoming phone calls. That means no follow up phone calls or no calling the customer back. It is really hard to give good customer service when you have to worry about your availability every day. Heck, running to the bathroom went against our availability!! It is important to me to go home at the end of the day feeling like I've done a good job and I just wasn't getting that at Qwest.
Now while we're in training our trainers will listen in on our calls from time to time and offer feedback on what we could have done different. Each and every feedback I got was all about how I could have made a sale! What I should have offered that customer and so on. On one call I was talking to a sweet little lady who told me she was 99 years old. All this lady wanted was to change her long distance carrier over to Qwest so that she would receive only one bill every month. My trainer was listening. She came over to me and asked me why I didn't offer to sell her anything. What did she expect me to do? Offer this 99 year old lady a cell phone?? My trainer then informed that once on the floor after I graduate that if my coach were to of listened in on that phone call they would make me call back and offer something.. wtf?? We are required to offer on every single phone call!!! Doesn't matter how upset you are about your bill, doesn't matter if you just want to know your balance, doesn't matter if you are disconnecting your services, it just doesn't matter at Qwest unless it involves $$$$.
In my class of 20 people not one person graduated. The few that did remain come time to graduate hadn't met their numbers and were let go. During my 5 months at Qwest they had hired another 120 people in our office. This was just in our city.. there are Qwest locations all over 14 states. So keep in mind when you call Qwest that it's most likely you are talking to someone in training.. When you call in for quotes on pricing.. call back and get them again. I guarantee you it will be different each time.
Another important thing I want to make people aware of is what is referred to at Qwest as "slamming and cramming" accounts. This is where a customer were to call in about something and the representative "slams" their account with products without the customers knowledge. I can't tell you how many times I dealt with this issue, it was just sickening. In a job that we're required to meet numbers and the reps work on commission you can only imagine how many filthy, dirty reps slammed accounts to meet those numbers or make a dollar themselves. Every time you call into Qwest you are opening your account to them.. you are giving them the access to slam your account with products you don't authorize.. you won't even know it's been done until you get your bill. Then when these people call in about it and state they never authorized this.. nothing can be done. Hope and pray when you call Qwest that you get an honest representative What a nightmare that is getting a phone call on someone who states their account was slammed and there isn't one damn thing I could do about it.
No one to report it too. Even if there was some place to go and report it too I doubt it would get reported.. remember the reps must worry about their availability and get right to the next phone call.
Oh and when you request to talk to a supervisor the representative isn't lying when they tell you one isn't available. Sure we have our trainers and once out on the floor we get a coach who we can go to but they don't have the authority to do anything the reps can't do. There is no one to take a complaint to right there on the spot. We filled out a ticket and sent it out and let the customer know that a supervisor would contact them in the next 24-48 hours. However, I've seen all these tickets and I can tell you that there is no way Qwest has that many supervisors doing call backs.. don't expect to get called back.
I'm not a bitter disgruntled employee who worked at Qwest..There was just so much about that job I didn't agree with that I had to walk away. I wanted to help so many of the people who called me but there was nothing I could do to help them..It's a customer service job but I'm here to tell you there is nothing customer service about it.â
Now, this post really confirms to me that Qwest doesnât care about customer satisfaction or whether or not a customer has a billing issue and what goes on behind the scenes at Qwest. You should be ashamed of how you do business. This type of business is unethical, and has to be against the law!
In closing I will be posting this entire letter to that same website so everyone will have the opportunity to read it. If you are curious and want to read it you can read it at:
Recently, someone was able to use my debit card information and charge $35.00 from Qwest to my debit card
Was this review helpful?
Read 4 Replies
Add reply
Review Link:
User Replies:
Alain on 10/24/2010:
I did read the whole letter. You certainly didn't leave out any details. Thanks for taking the time to write and post this. Please let us know how Qwest responds.
raven2010 on 10/24/2010:
Why is more than half of the review a repost of what a former employee wrote??
Keep it short, simple, and factual to ensure your converns are clearly understood.
david_co on 10/24/2010:
I did that so they know that a former customer knows what goes on behind the scenes on Qwest.
Skye on 10/24/2010:
We have Qwest, and had one issue, which was a billing issue, that was resolved immediately. Our DSL has never ever gone out.
Sorry you are having so much trouble with Qwest. Either ya like them, or ya hate them I guess.
Close comments
Add reply
Qwest - Help!
Posted by
TWIN CITIES, MINNESOTA -- In August, I went Kayaking and although I had my cell phone in 2 plastic bags, it got soaked. I called Qwest to order a new cell phone and was told that Qwest was going to be merging with Verizon in a few months and that then all customers will need to get a Verizon phone. I was told that inventory for Qwest phones was low for this reason. I was told they had a cheap pink Sanyo for $50. Although pink is not my color I did not want to buy an expensive phone only to have to purchase another one soon and bought the pink Sanyo.
I noticed right away that if I called a number, then pushed end, and called another number that although the second number appeared on the screen it would connect with the previous number. I learned that to avoid this I had to hit end at least 2 times. This happened to me several times a day if I forgot to push end 2 times. It was also annoying to the people I that got called back not without my intention. If I called my mother at 9 pm when she goes to bed and pushed end and then put it in my purse and then at 10:30 called my son when he gets off of work it would connect and call to my motherâs phone waking her up. This also costs me minutes as I am on a 1000 minutes (no free evening or weekend minutes) plan. Since I rarely even get close to using all of my minutes this was not a big issue at the time.
In the meantime, I subscribed to the Qwest broadband and had several problems but that is another story.
On Sept. 25, I received a call from a hospital in another area code- 130 miles away that my mother was in the hospital. Since my turnover day was the 27th (I thought 12am the beginning of the 27th each month) I knew that I would probably be going over in minutes so I bought two phone cards at a large discount store to avoid overages. The cashier failed to activate the cards. I had no real choice but to use my phone at the hospital to notify my relatives. Thinking I had a new 1000 minutes on the 27th, I made an 111 minute to my brother in Texas. I would never have talked that long with him had I known the new minutes do not begin until 12 midnight at the end of the 27th.
When I received my bill, which is typically around $35 and it was over $200 I was shocked.
I looked over the bill and there were at least 50 times that the issue explained above, - where a previous number is connected when I dial another one, occurred. I tried to explain this to customer service as I feel I should not have to pay for the approx 50 some minutes. I was put on hold and shuffled around and when I asked to talk to a supervisor, it was impossible to do so without first telling the story and then being put on hold while they told the story and then I had to correct the errors in the retelling of the employee to the supervisor.
I made several calls about this trying to get to the right person as they kept passing me around. During my third or fourth call I remember a customer service person telling me that it was my fault because I bought a cheap Sanyo instead of a SAMSUNG- He said: the phone calls doesnât it and you can get calls can't you. He went on to tell me that if I were to by a KIA car instead of an expensive make then I shouldn't expect the air conditioner to work. WHAT!!! If I buy a new product car or phone, cheap or expensive, I do expect it to work.
Then I was told it is normal that people call back the same number,( 50times?) - which I had mentioned as supporting my issue with the faulty phone and could be seen on the bill. The customer service representative was insinuating that I was lying and repeatedly told me that I had to go to a Qwest booth at a nearby Mall to verify that the phone was the problem and then they would reduce my bill.
My mother was in the hospital for 3 weeks and I was visiting her daily and once out taking her to doctors appointments. The service representative told me the booth was only 10.5 miles away. I did get to the booth about a week ago and the person there said they would put the info into the computer. I had been told that once this occurred the bill would be corrected and I would be notified. The trip to the mall to have it verified that I am not lying was a great inconvenience and meant that my son had to wait an hour for me to pick him up. I asked that the manager in the booth call and draw attention to the fact that I had come in so they don't say they weren't aware.
Two days ago, my phone was cut off and I am FURIOUS because I have been very proactive in trying to take care of this. This is 2 days before my turn over day and I repeatedly asked not to be put on hold, as I do not wish to go over on the minutes in trying to resolve this. I was told I wouldn't be on hold but a couple of minutes. I shortly talked to the 3 people, - that I was shuffled around to, and on hold for over 40 minutes before I hung up. At the 25-minute point, my phone said low battery and since I accidentally left the charger cord at the hospital out of town, I now charge my phone in the car. I ran out to the car to plug it in before the battery ran out and I would have to start all over YET AGAIN. As I didn't have the car key along and didn't want to run into the house as I might miss someone getting back to me off of hold I sat and froze outside in the car ( winter in Minnesota) and listened to the recording about how Qwest values it's customers and values my time- NOT.
Let me digress. Many years ago, when my children were small and had ear infections my phone had radio noise interference on the line to degree that I could not hear the other person and visa versa. So when it was much below zero and I had to call the doctor I took my sick children in the car to call the doctor and then had to tell them that "no" the nurse can not call me back. I spent much money in quarters at the pay phone up the road. I called Qwest repeatedly to do something and nothing happened. When I first called, I said that if the problem were underground the ground would freeze soon. I was reassured that they have machines that can dig through frozen ground. A few weeks - yes weeks later I was told that the ground was frozen and they couldn't take care of it. Finally, a few more weeks of frustration I decided to call the FCC as a last resort. Within 2 hours someone was at my door to help me and they took care of it.
What is it going to take to resolve my current problem? I want to be able to use my phone again.
Was this review helpful?
Read 2 Replies
Add reply
Review Link:
User Replies:
TATA4now on 01/11/2009:
it seems like you just have bad luck. you should have tooken it to the store in the first place in the very beginning
DebtorBasher on 01/11/2009:
Hooka tooka my soda cracker?
Close comments
Add reply
Posted by
PORTLAND, OREGON -- This is a letter I wrote Qwest about their horrible customer service......
To Whom It May Concern;
My name is NH and I was a reliable Qwest customer for two years in Portland, OR. I had a bundle package of phone, Internet and Direct TV services I was happy with my service while a customer. My frustrations with your company have come since I tried to cancel my service after moving to CA (where you do not provide service). I moved to CA in September 2007, and now in January 2008 I am still dealing with Qwest trying to resolve an issue that I have spent countless hours on the phone dealing with.
The story begins on September 17th, 2007 when I called to cancel my Qwest services. I had already moved to CA and no longer needed phone or Internet at my old address. I had already transferred my DirectTV service to CA through DirectTV and no longer needed Qwest to act as the billing "middleman". I thought canceling my services would be sufficient. A month later, I received a final bill that included prorated phone/internet charges and another month of DirectTV. I paid it. The next month, I received another bill with only DirectTV charges. I was confused. I called and was told that DirectTV would continue to be billed though Qwest unless I told Qwest to stop billing me. I was surprised that my previous request to "cancel all services with Qwest" did not include DirectTV, but advised the CSR that I wanted to cancel my relationship with Qwest and just be billed by DirectTV. I was told this would be taken care of.
The next month I received another bill from Qwest for DirectTV with a new customer account number. I called and asked why I was still being billed through Qwest. They said there was no record of my asking for it to be canceled. I explained that I didn't want to cancel DirectTV, just my account with Qwest (since I no longer had any Qwest services). I wanted to pay my bill directly to DirectTV. I was told that I had to call DirectTV and tell them that I wanted to cancel my relationship with Qwest. Together, the Qwest CSR and I called DirectTV on a three-way line. DirectTV explained that Qwest had to "let me go" as a customer, and then DirectTV could bill me directly. They had already issued me my own DirectTV account number. Qwest said that they would make this happen.
The next month, I received ANOTHER bill from Qwest for DirectTV. I called again and explained the situation to yet another CSR. His name was Dillan (ID 64444). It was now December 19th, 2007. I had been dealing with this problem for 3 months! Dillan again called DirectTV with me on the line, got the same answer, spoke with a supervisor, and then advised me that he had put through an "opt out" for me and my relationship with Qwest would be ended. I had to pay off the existing balance, which I did immediately with a credit card, about 7 days before the bill was even due…..just to get Qwest to go away.
It is now January 24, 2008 and I have received yet ANOTHER bill from Qwest. I am more than furious, frustrated and annoyed. I am ready to call the BBB and begin defaming Qwest to anyone who will listen.
Today I called customer service and again got Dillan (ID 64444) on the line. He looked at his notes, saw that he "opted me out" last month, and promptly put me on hold. I waited about 10 minutes as he ran up to the next floor (so he says) to talk to a supervisor. I was then told that I am "opted out" but it takes 3 billing cycles to end the relationship and I am to expect an additional 2 bills from Qwest. That means I have to deal with your company for 3 months after I have tried to end the relationship. I explained that this sounded absurd. What company makes you pay three bills with them after you end your service/relationship? Dillan explained that the three month wait period is a company-wide protocol. I asked Dillan for some kind of proof of this…..a letter or something in writing that states I am "opted out" and have to wait three months to be released from my bill enslavement. He replied that he has no way of doing this. I told him that I have no faith that what he says is accurate. At this point, can you blame me? I have been told since October that this problem has been solved, and yet here I am on the phone for the 5th time and about the 4th hour of my time. While on hold, Qwest's recording stated repeatedly "thank you for holding…..we know your time is valuable". At my current wages, Qwest owes me about $200!
At this point, I would like some kind of monetary compensation. I feel totally violated by Qwest, like I have been held hostage for months. I have wasted many hours on the phone with CSRs with no resolution. No one seemed to know how to handle the situation, and the one time I tried to involve a supervisor, I waited a while, then acquiesced to offers of resolution from the regular CSR. Failure reigns supreme!
So to date, I really have no solution to this problem. I have been promised that one will arrive in two months, but again, I am not hopeful. I have no faith in Qwest's customer service at this point, but still wanted to tell my story as feedback so that no one else will have to endure the frustrating journey of unbundling services. I do not think I will ever voluntarily engage Qwest again in a business relationship. I believe that Qwest should change its policies about unbundling. It must also educate its CSRs about how customers can cancel Qwest services, but keep DirectTV (as I am sure it happens often with people moving all over the country). No one seemed to understand (until Dillan…..who was, by the way, polite, professional, calm and as helpful as he could be…. used the words "opt out").
I hope this experience never happens to anyone else. I am frustrated enough to write a letter, which means a lot in this age of instant communication. I hope my feedback is taken seriously and leads to change. And $200 wouldn't hurt either…….
Was this review helpful?
Read 1 Replies
Add reply
Review Link:
User Replies:
KyleStevens on 03/25/2008:
I used to work for Qwest until I was fired for not meeting sales goals. I can say you were slightly splitting hairs. Qwest didn't charge you any more or less for DTV than they would have directly; Qwest adopted the practice of continuing to be a middleman because it somehow increases revenue, even though your price doesn't change. The rep you spoke with couldn't do more to confirm than give you an order number or his voicemail/email to contact him directly.
Close comments
Add reply
Billing Nightmare
Posted by
BROOKLYN CENTER, MINNESOTA -- I am writing this letter because my family has been with Qwest for years and to get treated in a manner that is unbecoming of any company. I have never in my life been talked to and not trying to understand what the problem is and how to go about fixing it. First I should tell you what all I have with Qwest:
2 separate LAN lines
Hi-speed internet
2 cell phones
All of this is on one account.
Well my problems started when my bill got high due to a family member was in jail for a period of time and all his calls racked up a high phone bill (not complaining about the bill), the due date to pay the bill was two (2) weeks away and the bill (e-bill) stated that I had to pay $346 on or before that date. Now here is where things start going haywire. I went to make a call on my cell phone (remember this is two (2) weeks before the pay the bill due date) and my call would not go through and there was a message telling me to call Qwest. I called Qwest and got agent that told me that my cell phones were temporarily off (but not completely cutoff) until the bill was paid (now remember this is done two (2) weeks before the bill is due).
Okay so I paid the $346 and made arrangements with the agent to pay the balance $320 in two (2) weeks they stated that that will be just fine, when it was time to pay I went online to see how much exactly I had to pay and much to my surprise the balance showed zero $0.00 With a credit amount of $68.09. At first I was confused and I called my sister and she told me that I need to verify this with Qwest because this happened to her and then her account ended up in collections.
So I called Qwest to find out what happened to my balance and the agent told me that what had happened that a bill that I had paid before was placed on a "ghost bill", I asked what that was and she said it was like a mirror image of the real bill but it has no activity on it. The Qwest agent told that somebody that worked there caught it and applied it to my account which wiped out the remaining balance leaving me with a credit of $68.09. (Woohoo lucky day for me). I asked what do I have to do to get the cell phones turned back on? She said oh she can get them turned back on and she did. Now all this took place in September and in October when I checked my balance it was $42 everything was almost back to normal until November, I went to the Qwest site to check my balance and it was $188 (still not a problem since I was getting ready to pay it) but then I got a bill through the mail which I never had gotten before since I did everything online with Qwest.
I figured it was a statement telling me about the cell phone upgrade that I had just done 1 week ago (11/05/2007). I had called Qwest 11/05/2007 to upgrade my cell phone since I had it for over two (2) years and they also stated that I had to sign a new two (2) year agreement (which I thought was absurd, but I signed it regardless). I opened the Qwest letter and it nearly knocked me out of my seat, it stated that I owed Qwest $663.09 At first I figured that it was that "ghost bill" but I decided to call Qwest to confirm my suspicions and that is when everything hit the fan. I was on the phone all day trying to figure out what was going on, the first agent I talked to (over an hour while I was at work) checked everything and then proceeded to tell me that the bill is correct, I advised her that when I went online last week it said my balance was $188 and then she told me that the bill that I got through the mail was just for the cell phones and that I had not paid the balance of $320 back in September, I let her know that back in sept. I had made arrangements to pay that balance and was told that it was cleared up because of a computer error and she said she does not see that in the notes anywhere, then she told me that someone at Qwest had separated the house phones / internet from the cell phones (something that I had no knowledge of whatsoever).
Then she transferred me this man that stated that he was in the finance dept. And he was very rude, we got into this yelling match and I hung up on him because I was at work. I left work early so that I could go home and bring everything up on my computer but much to my surprise when I went to the Qwest site it said that there was technical difficulties to show my bill. So now I called Qwest back and got another agent who checked everything and he also said that the bill was correct, now I am very frustrated because nobody would listen to what I had to say, they just kept reading what is in front of them.
I am in the telecomm field and I know that it is very necessary to be able to take good notes and to document everything but I also know that it doesn't always happen. After talking to several people throughout the day finally I get a guy that does some serious checking and says that he sees a problem with the bill and then he transfers me to another person just so that he can tell me once again the bill is correct and hangs up. I call Qwest again now it is around 7pm and I am mad that no one has still listened to me, so this time I make this person listen to my questions:
q:how is it possible for a person at Qwest to rearrange how my bill is bundled without consulting me first?
A:I don't know
q:how is that I do not receive any notice of this change?
A:I don't know
q:how is it that you say that my past due bill amount started in sept. Yet I have not been sent a bill until November to the tune of $663.09?
A:I have to transfer you to someone that can help you
so now once again I have to explain to another person the situation, but then he comes on talking like there was some light at the end of this tunnel and he finds a couple of things that will save me money like $8.00 A month because I was being doubled billed for caller id etc...Then he checks deeper and says that this bill has been sent to a collection agency a while ago, I asked how could that be, I just upgraded my phone through Qwest a week ago, the agent said he didn't know how that could be since the cell phones are turned off, then I advised him that I was talking to him on my cell phone and that the cell phones are not turned off, he then said he will call over to credit and collections and see if we can set up a payment plan which I reluctantly agreed to. The agent came back and said the only thing he could do for me is if I pay the $517.37 Right now they can wait on the $145.72.
I advised him that there is no way that I am going to pay that since this mess was not made by me and he agreed that Qwest had made a mistake but in order to clean it up I need to pay $517.37 Right now, that is when I informed him that instead of going all the way around the block he should have just said "pay the bill", I asked him if he thought I was an idiot and that was when he first put me on mute and I asked was he still there and then came back on and said that he can hear me and then there was a lot of laughing in the background and another person said something smart and I asked what did he say and he said "nothing". After he muted me several times and he knew that was irritating me he said there was nothing he could do for me since this is with a collection agency.
Now I also found that I will probably have to pay early disconnect fees for both phones on top of this bill. My phone was completely out of the early disconnect fee before I upgraded 11/05/2007 and my daughters phone would have been out of the early disconnect fee 12/25/2007, because of a Qwest error now I am going to have to deal with a collection agency. Now the final straw hit when I was on my way home last night and proceeded to call my 13 year old daughter to see what time I had to pick her up from church, the cell phones were turned off. I am sending this letter to any and everybody that I feel needs to hear about this and I have already found other people that this has happened too, but they elected to just leave Qwest and go with another provider, as I said earlier that I have been with Qwest for years and never had a problem (sure little ones) but nothing major until this and I think this stemmed from in-house lack of communication and some illegal rearranging of a my bundle without my knowledge and not properly informing me for almost three months of a separate accumulating bill that I had no knowledge of (was still under the assumption that everything was on one bill.
I highly advise Qwest to do the right thing and clean this up. I am in the process of taking legal actions.
Was this review helpful?
Read 1 Replies
Add reply
Review Link:
User Replies:
CrystalSword on 11/15/2007:
Now you know why we refuse to deal with Qwest and we have phone service through our computers.
Close comments
Add reply
Star 78, I love this feature!
Posted by
COLORADO -- I just added on a new feature to my phone service. It's called Star 78, and it blocks unwanted calls. Lately, we have been getting calls early in the morning and late at night, from those annoying 1-800,888 and 866 numbers. I called Qwest, and asked if there was a way to block unwanted calls, and they told me about this feature. I liked how it sounded, so I agreed to it. Now with my DSL service, phone service and long distance, my monthly bill will be even less!
Now I just star 78, get a menu, and it gives me the option to enter phone numbers I want to block. It even allows for cell phone numbers to be blocked. One number that has become quite a nuisance is, 603-214-3593, which is something called Focus Group. I looked it up, and its some marketing firm. They are now blocked. I can also now see all the calls that are coming in, similar to caller ID, and back track to what numbers have called. You can also edit to remove blocked numbers, if you choose. Pretty cool features.
Great job Qwest, for having this block feature!
Was this review helpful?
Read 5 Replies
Add reply
Review Link:
User Replies:
trp2hevn on 05/28/2010:
It's nice when a company can make our lives easier.
old fart on 05/28/2010:
Does this work with other phone services like Charter?
Skye on 05/28/2010:
I don't know OF. You could call them and ask them if they have any type of phone block service available.
old fart on 05/28/2010:
I just got a message that I don't have it and to call the main charter office...knowing those pirates, there is probably a charge...
Skye on 05/29/2010:
OF, I'm paying a charge for it, it's not free. But I think it's worth it.
Close comments
Add reply
Next Page >
Top of Page
Next Page >
Consumer Resources
Company Responses
Site Rules
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
About Us


text:
Making blankets, cooking dinner, enjoying seeing the kids in their school plays.. those are all things that my Mother in Law loved to do, and wouldn't miss for the world. She can't do any of that now. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease two years ago, and now she can't heat a cup of coffee, much less know what the microwave is.
My mother was ravaged by Alzheimer's. Early symptoms of short-term memory loss and confusion were evident when she was almost 73 years old. Later, hallucinations and paranoia--trying to get Dad out of the house (late afternoons) because "My parents are coming home, you can't be here so get your car out of their driveway!" At times, she would suddenly turn vitriolic and spew out accusations to Dad, angry because he'd invited his family to visit them for a week--right after she'd lost a son in childbirth. "How could you do such a thing?"
My wife died about three years after diagnosis with frontal lobe dementia, a neurological disease similar to Alzheimer's. I cared for her at home for the first year, until that put me into the hospital for 11 days (my third hospitalization-first was my birth, second my tonsils). The day I went into the hospital, La Verna went into a nursing home, where she spent her last two years. For the next two years I visited her all but two days, although I'm not sure she was very aware of me the last year. She's been gone over four years now, but I still tear-up just about every day.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
PrevNext 2 of 20 Return to Article
Next Gallery
Posted Sat, March 29, 2014 12:13pm EST
Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries — PICS
PrevNext 2 of 20 Return to Article
Next Gallery
Posted Sat, March 29, 2014 12:13pm EST
Posted at 8:20 AM on July 30, 2013
Posted at 1:53 PM on February 21, 2013
Posted at 8:47 AM on December 29, 2012
People shld allow d cookies to crumble,calling kim a whore,kris a looser is irrelevant.there re out to let known of themselves what of u all hidden atrosity?kris if u think kim hurts u deep down live it 4 God & give her a go,kim sit,think & direct ur path 4 2moro.B d good girl l see in u.tell kris ure sorry orally ok.alwayz pray
Posted at 3:31 PM on August 24, 2012
Posted at 11:17 PM on June 21, 2012
Posted at 8:05 AM on July 10, 2012
where you been cute? looks get what with no manners, and for your info, Kris Humphries has all he needs, a …..how you spell it…..replica????
That dum nigga don't deserve the REAL THING, a "look alike will do him fine"….Kim has what she need the real beauty for a real God Fearing Man, Kayne West.!!
Posted at 6:18 PM on May 1, 2013
Ed Paul
Posted at 1:14 PM on June 1, 2012
Copyright © 2014 PMC. All rights reserved.
Powered by WordPress.com VIP


text:
Scroll to Previous Item
Scroll to Next Item
Hampstead Teak Rectangular Coffee Table - Honey
No longer available
Crafted from top-quality premium teak, our Hampstead Coffee Table is designed to weather the elements in style. The dense, fine-grained hardwood is rich in natural oils, making it both durable and moisture resistant. The overhanging top and gently splayed legs are finished by hand with a light natural finish that protects and seals the wood. Click to read an article on
recommended care
48" wide x 24" deep x 18.5" high
Built from teak, a dense hardwood that's ideal for outdoor use.
Simple assembly.
View our
Furniture Brochure


text:
Organic 100% Whole Grain
Organic 60% Whole Grain
Organic Golden Amber Durum
Imported Traditional
Use keywords to find the product you are looking for.Advanced Search
Rich nourishing soba noodles artisan crafted of hard winter and hard spring wheat, whole buckwheat flour, wild yam flour, and a bit of sea salt. Wild yam (jinenjo) Dioscorea japonica is an energizing root vegetable from rugged mountains valued for promoting strength and well-being. Tanaka family made as they've been doing it since 1906, now with four generations actively involved. Ideal for making noodle sushi and in dashi - a shoyu soy sauce kombu broth, or drizzled with ponzu. A good source of protein and complex carbs.
Detailed Description