Century Tel Threats, Discrimination, fraudulent billing, opt out class action type nonsense, discrimination/ laughing re. endanger life, refusal to provide legal dept contact info., Thanksgiving eve disconnection threats, extortion Monroe Louisiana

I worked for CenturyTel for 7 years and I can tell you it is nothing short of dishonest, but let's be rational human beings for a moment and use fact instead of...whatever this is. As a former supervisor, I will attempt to address your concerns here.

CenturyTel, believe it or not, is NOT a monopoly. They are crooks, but they are not a monopoly. What happens in rural communities is this: larger phone companies don't want to invest time, money, or patience with small town folk. CenturyTel has nothing to do with it. Think about it this way- how much bigger do you think ATT is than CenturyTel?? They could buy their landlines out in a heartbeat, but they don't. Why? Because maintaining the lines in BFE is too d**n expensive. Don't like it? Contact the public service commission.

I will actually apologize that no one took the time to explain to you to read the portion of your bills that had the OPT OUT charges on them. If they had you would have seen that there was a number to call. If they had been properly doing their job they would have advised you that OPT OUT is NOT a CenturyTel charge- this was a charge by a THIRD PARTY and it has NOTHING to do with your local phone provider.
These billings ALWAYS follow some sort of internet activity; I spoke with many customers who had these charges after clicking on a website banner ad, such as "SPANK THE MONKEY AND WIN A PRIZE" or "COUPONS TO APPLEBEES--COMPLETE SURVEY" or crapp like that. They did not read the "fine print" to see if there was some sort of charge...and the easiest thing to charge it to is one's phone bill. I do wish that the public service commission would do something about that.
***Protect yourself and instruct anyone in your home NOT to click on banner ads, complete surveys for free stuff, etc. These are the ways that people get scammed and get charges added to their phone bills.***

Let's talk about your "disclaimer." Companies don't pay any attention to any extra BS on your checks, and banks don't, either. I have worked for both in the past 25 years and I can tell you that a) these "disclaimers" you are referring to are not legally binding--banks do not take time to verify that joe blow with xyz company understands that you CLAIM to be paying your full bill. b)no one cares whether you take the time to write one or not c)no one has the time to check for that kind of thing. Come on, now- really?? A 5 million customer based phone provider has the time to read the back of YOUR check?? Really?? Good grief.
The only things that are legally binding are a) what is on your bill and what you receive in writing and b)what things are DOCUMENTED when you are on the phone with customer service. Period. Saying that CenturyTel never gave you any grief with your "disclaimer" before is like saying "I sure hope my billing issue goes away..."

One of the last things that you mention is the "violation of rights" by verifying social security numbers. The only time you ever have to verify your full ss# is when you start service, add a password, or if your phone service is disconnected (sounds like it had been). Typically, representatives only ask for verification of the LAST FOUR DIGITS, and you DO have the option of selecting a password or using your birth date. Even if you start or restart service, you can choose not to give your social security number, but you will pay a deposit. It's simple--do or don't, CenturyTel doesn't force you, but you must give us something. The days where a company can trust someone or seal a deal on a handshake are long gone.
It does sound like CenturyTel has gotten smart, though. There were numerous complaints by the time I left, and a lot of customers asked us to provide a password so that they would not have to verify personal info. What's so hard about verifying your identity? Would you want some random person to call and disconnect your service? Sounds like that would turn out very badly for you since your life is in danger.

This is a good place to interject that, if notations on the account advise that you are "uncontrollable" you are probably coming across as being an insane termagant who cannot be pleased.

After reading and rereading your complaint, I'm unsure as to WHY exactly you had no phone during the holidays. Was it because of the OPT OUT issue?

****This advice I can give you*****:

Check the bills for the OPT OUT charges and find the toll free number. Call it. Advise them that you did not accept the charges for this service and call (or email) CenturyTel and tell them you've called the company and you'd like to place these charges in "dispute." The toll investigation area will hold these for 90 days until the company credits your account.

If, for some reason, there is no contact information for the company, repeat the steps above but OMIT calling the company. Make sure you attempt to call them first, but if you can't, advise CenturyTel that you need to place charges in dispute.

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO GET SOMEONE TO HELP YOU DO NOT ASK FOR THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT. YOU WILL GET NO ASSISTANCE.

Calmly advise the representative on the other end of the phone that you will contact your state's PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION. They are the ones who handle any disputes regarding utilities, and this is who you should have been contacting regarding the phone issues from day one.

good luck-

former super

I worked for CenturyTel for 7 years and I can tell you it is nothing short of dishonest, but let's be rational human beings for a moment and use fact instead of...whatever this is. As a former supervisor, I will attempt to address your concerns here.

CenturyTel, believe it or not, is NOT a monopoly. They are crooks, but they are not a monopoly. What happens in rural communities is this: larger phone companies don't want to invest time, money, or patience with small town folk. CenturyTel has nothing to do with it. Think about it this way- how much bigger do you think ATT is than CenturyTel?? They could buy their landlines out in a heartbeat, but they don't. Why? Because maintaining the lines in BFE is too d**n expensive. Don't like it? Contact the public service commission.

I will actually apologize that no one took the time to explain to you to read the portion of your bills that had the OPT OUT charges on them. If they had you would have seen that there was a number to call. If they had been properly doing their job they would have advised you that OPT OUT is NOT a CenturyTel charge- this was a charge by a THIRD PARTY and it has NOTHING to do with your local phone provider.
These billings ALWAYS follow some sort of internet activity; I spoke with many customers who had these charges after clicking on a website banner ad, such as "SPANK THE MONKEY AND WIN A PRIZE" or "COUPONS TO APPLEBEES--COMPLETE SURVEY" or crapp like that. They did not read the "fine print" to see if there was some sort of charge...and the easiest thing to charge it to is one's phone bill. I do wish that the public service commission would do something about that.
***Protect yourself and instruct anyone in your home NOT to click on banner ads, complete surveys for free stuff, etc. These are the ways that people get scammed and get charges added to their phone bills.***

Let's talk about your "disclaimer." Companies don't pay any attention to any extra BS on your checks, and banks don't, either. I have worked for both in the past 25 years and I can tell you that a) these "disclaimers" you are referring to are not legally binding--banks do not take time to verify that joe blow with xyz company understands that you CLAIM to be paying your full bill. b)no one cares whether you take the time to write one or not c)no one has the time to check for that kind of thing. Come on, now- really?? A 5 million customer based phone provider has the time to read the back of YOUR check?? Really?? Good grief.
The only things that are legally binding are a) what is on your bill and what you receive in writing and b)what things are DOCUMENTED when you are on the phone with customer service. Period. Saying that CenturyTel never gave you any grief with your "disclaimer" before is like saying "I sure hope my billing issue goes away..."

One of the last things that you mention is the "violation of rights" by verifying social security numbers. The only time you ever have to verify your full ss# is when you start service, add a password, or if your phone service is disconnected (sounds like it had been). Typically, representatives only ask for verification of the LAST FOUR DIGITS, and you DO have the option of selecting a password or using your birth date. Even if you start or restart service, you can choose not to give your social security number, but you will pay a deposit. It's simple--do or don't, CenturyTel doesn't force you, but you must give us something. The days where a company can trust someone or seal a deal on a handshake are long gone.
It does sound like CenturyTel has gotten smart, though. There were numerous complaints by the time I left, and a lot of customers asked us to provide a password so that they would not have to verify personal info. What's so hard about verifying your identity? Would you want some random person to call and disconnect your service? Sounds like that would turn out very badly for you since your life is in danger.

This is a good place to interject that, if notations on the account advise that you are "uncontrollable" you are probably coming across as being an insane termagant who cannot be pleased.

After reading and rereading your complaint, I'm unsure as to WHY exactly you had no phone during the holidays. Was it because of the OPT OUT issue?

****This advice I can give you*****:

Check the bills for the OPT OUT charges and find the toll free number. Call it. Advise them that you did not accept the charges for this service and call (or email) CenturyTel and tell them you've called the company and you'd like to place these charges in "dispute." The toll investigation area will hold these for 90 days until the company credits your account.

If, for some reason, there is no contact information for the company, repeat the steps above but OMIT calling the company. Make sure you attempt to call them first, but if you can't, advise CenturyTel that you need to place charges in dispute.

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO GET SOMEONE TO HELP YOU DO NOT ASK FOR THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT. YOU WILL GET NO ASSISTANCE.

Calmly advise the representative on the other end of the phone that you will contact your state's PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION. They are the ones who handle any disputes regarding utilities, and this is who you should have been contacting regarding the phone issues from day one.

good luck-

former super

I worked for CenturyTel for 7 years and I can tell you it is nothing short of dishonest, but let's be rational human beings for a moment and use fact instead of...whatever this is. As a former supervisor, I will attempt to address your concerns here.

CenturyTel, believe it or not, is NOT a monopoly. They are crooks, but they are not a monopoly. What happens in rural communities is this: larger phone companies don't want to invest time, money, or patience with small town folk. CenturyTel has nothing to do with it. Think about it this way- how much bigger do you think ATT is than CenturyTel?? They could buy their landlines out in a heartbeat, but they don't. Why? Because maintaining the lines in BFE is too d**n expensive. Don't like it? Contact the public service commission.

I will actually apologize that no one took the time to explain to you to read the portion of your bills that had the OPT OUT charges on them. If they had you would have seen that there was a number to call. If they had been properly doing their job they would have advised you that OPT OUT is NOT a CenturyTel charge- this was a charge by a THIRD PARTY and it has NOTHING to do with your local phone provider.
These billings ALWAYS follow some sort of internet activity; I spoke with many customers who had these charges after clicking on a website banner ad, such as "SPANK THE MONKEY AND WIN A PRIZE" or "COUPONS TO APPLEBEES--COMPLETE SURVEY" or crapp like that. They did not read the "fine print" to see if there was some sort of charge...and the easiest thing to charge it to is one's phone bill. I do wish that the public service commission would do something about that.
***Protect yourself and instruct anyone in your home NOT to click on banner ads, complete surveys for free stuff, etc. These are the ways that people get scammed and get charges added to their phone bills.***

Let's talk about your "disclaimer." Companies don't pay any attention to any extra BS on your checks, and banks don't, either. I have worked for both in the past 25 years and I can tell you that a) these "disclaimers" you are referring to are not legally binding--banks do not take time to verify that joe blow with xyz company understands that you CLAIM to be paying your full bill. b)no one cares whether you take the time to write one or not c)no one has the time to check for that kind of thing. Come on, now- really?? A 5 million customer based phone provider has the time to read the back of YOUR check?? Really?? Good grief.
The only things that are legally binding are a) what is on your bill and what you receive in writing and b)what things are DOCUMENTED when you are on the phone with customer service. Period. Saying that CenturyTel never gave you any grief with your "disclaimer" before is like saying "I sure hope my billing issue goes away..."

One of the last things that you mention is the "violation of rights" by verifying social security numbers. The only time you ever have to verify your full ss# is when you start service, add a password, or if your phone service is disconnected (sounds like it had been). Typically, representatives only ask for verification of the LAST FOUR DIGITS, and you DO have the option of selecting a password or using your birth date. Even if you start or restart service, you can choose not to give your social security number, but you will pay a deposit. It's simple--do or don't, CenturyTel doesn't force you, but you must give us something. The days where a company can trust someone or seal a deal on a handshake are long gone.
It does sound like CenturyTel has gotten smart, though. There were numerous complaints by the time I left, and a lot of customers asked us to provide a password so that they would not have to verify personal info. What's so hard about verifying your identity? Would you want some random person to call and disconnect your service? Sounds like that would turn out very badly for you since your life is in danger.

This is a good place to interject that, if notations on the account advise that you are "uncontrollable" you are probably coming across as being an insane termagant who cannot be pleased.

After reading and rereading your complaint, I'm unsure as to WHY exactly you had no phone during the holidays. Was it because of the OPT OUT issue?

****This advice I can give you*****:

Check the bills for the OPT OUT charges and find the toll free number. Call it. Advise them that you did not accept the charges for this service and call (or email) CenturyTel and tell them you've called the company and you'd like to place these charges in "dispute." The toll investigation area will hold these for 90 days until the company credits your account.

If, for some reason, there is no contact information for the company, repeat the steps above but OMIT calling the company. Make sure you attempt to call them first, but if you can't, advise CenturyTel that you need to place charges in dispute.

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO GET SOMEONE TO HELP YOU DO NOT ASK FOR THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT. YOU WILL GET NO ASSISTANCE.

Calmly advise the representative on the other end of the phone that you will contact your state's PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION. They are the ones who handle any disputes regarding utilities, and this is who you should have been contacting regarding the phone issues from day one.

good luck-

former super

I worked for CenturyTel for 7 years and I can tell you it is nothing short of dishonest, but let's be rational human beings for a moment and use fact instead of...whatever this is. As a former supervisor, I will attempt to address your concerns here.

CenturyTel, believe it or not, is NOT a monopoly. They are crooks, but they are not a monopoly. What happens in rural communities is this: larger phone companies don't want to invest time, money, or patience with small town folk. CenturyTel has nothing to do with it. Think about it this way- how much bigger do you think ATT is than CenturyTel?? They could buy their landlines out in a heartbeat, but they don't. Why? Because maintaining the lines in BFE is too d**n expensive. Don't like it? Contact the public service commission.

I will actually apologize that no one took the time to explain to you to read the portion of your bills that had the OPT OUT charges on them. If they had you would have seen that there was a number to call. If they had been properly doing their job they would have advised you that OPT OUT is NOT a CenturyTel charge- this was a charge by a THIRD PARTY and it has NOTHING to do with your local phone provider.
These billings ALWAYS follow some sort of internet activity; I spoke with many customers who had these charges after clicking on a website banner ad, such as "SPANK THE MONKEY AND WIN A PRIZE" or "COUPONS TO APPLEBEES--COMPLETE SURVEY" or crapp like that. They did not read the "fine print" to see if there was some sort of charge...and the easiest thing to charge it to is one's phone bill. I do wish that the public service commission would do something about that.
***Protect yourself and instruct anyone in your home NOT to click on banner ads, complete surveys for free stuff, etc. These are the ways that people get scammed and get charges added to their phone bills.***

Let's talk about your "disclaimer." Companies don't pay any attention to any extra BS on your checks, and banks don't, either. I have worked for both in the past 25 years and I can tell you that a) these "disclaimers" you are referring to are not legally binding--banks do not take time to verify that joe blow with xyz company understands that you CLAIM to be paying your full bill. b)no one cares whether you take the time to write one or not c)no one has the time to check for that kind of thing. Come on, now- really?? A 5 million customer based phone provider has the time to read the back of YOUR check?? Really?? Good grief.
The only things that are legally binding are a) what is on your bill and what you receive in writing and b)what things are DOCUMENTED when you are on the phone with customer service. Period. Saying that CenturyTel never gave you any grief with your "disclaimer" before is like saying "I sure hope my billing issue goes away..."

One of the last things that you mention is the "violation of rights" by verifying social security numbers. The only time you ever have to verify your full ss# is when you start service, add a password, or if your phone service is disconnected (sounds like it had been). Typically, representatives only ask for verification of the LAST FOUR DIGITS, and you DO have the option of selecting a password or using your birth date. Even if you start or restart service, you can choose not to give your social security number, but you will pay a deposit. It's simple--do or don't, CenturyTel doesn't force you, but you must give us something. The days where a company can trust someone or seal a deal on a handshake are long gone.
It does sound like CenturyTel has gotten smart, though. There were numerous complaints by the time I left, and a lot of customers asked us to provide a password so that they would not have to verify personal info. What's so hard about verifying your identity? Would you want some random person to call and disconnect your service? Sounds like that would turn out very badly for you since your life is in danger.

This is a good place to interject that, if notations on the account advise that you are "uncontrollable" you are probably coming across as being an insane termagant who cannot be pleased.

After reading and rereading your complaint, I'm unsure as to WHY exactly you had no phone during the holidays. Was it because of the OPT OUT issue?

****This advice I can give you*****:

Check the bills for the OPT OUT charges and find the toll free number. Call it. Advise them that you did not accept the charges for this service and call (or email) CenturyTel and tell them you've called the company and you'd like to place these charges in "dispute." The toll investigation area will hold these for 90 days until the company credits your account.

If, for some reason, there is no contact information for the company, repeat the steps above but OMIT calling the company. Make sure you attempt to call them first, but if you can't, advise CenturyTel that you need to place charges in dispute.

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO GET SOMEONE TO HELP YOU DO NOT ASK FOR THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT. YOU WILL GET NO ASSISTANCE.

Calmly advise the representative on the other end of the phone that you will contact your state's PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION. They are the ones who handle any disputes regarding utilities, and this is who you should have been contacting regarding the phone issues from day one.

good luck-

former super