CenturyLink (formerly Qwest) Deceptive Practices, Rude and Deceiving Representatives, BAD Business Monroe Louisiana

CenturyLink was nothing but a nightmare from the first time I signed up for their services. Their representatives are not afraid to lie to get more money out of you, and the company rather than servicing the consumer does whatever it takes to cover their own tails. Rather than trying to break down each complaint, I'll just give a chronology of my issues with CenturyLink:

August 2012: I placed my order for CenturyLink internet services online. During the order, the representative, "Hope D." informed me she would be sending me a $50 gift card to cover part of the first month of service that included installation fees.

September 2012: I received my internet router and first bill. I did not receive the $50 gift card. I was also unable to access my account because it would not accept the log in information I had previously set up. I did an online chat with CenturyLink representative "Jason" who first indicated the problem with my online account was the result of the problem that many users had email addresses as their user names but the system would not accept that. He indicated they had sent "several emails" to customers about this issue; I had received none. After a lengthy process of having to get a new pin sent to me via phone, provide him with the pin online, then wait for emails to access my account with a NEW username and password, I was able to access my account. I also told him I had not received my gift card. He told me that was a different department and gave me their phone number. When I called I spoke with "Brittany" who, after an over 15 minute investigation, told me the gift card offer was dependent on two months of service. I told her "Hope" had never mentioned this; she said a "company memo" would be sent out so representatives knew to say this in the future.

October 2012: I experienced spotty internet service (several times I was told I would have to wait up to two weeks for a technician to come fix it).

November 2012: After two full months of service I did not receive my gift card.

December 2012: Finally tired of waiting I called to complain about the gift card; the representative (whose name I did not get) told me she was issuing it right then.

January 2013-April 2013: I continued to experience poor service, which included having my account go "delinquent" once because (surprise surprise) my internet went down so I was unable to pay my paperless bill, continued issues with poor internet service (at one point a representative named "David" told me I'd receive a discount on March's bill because of the bad service ... I never got tat discount), and perpetually being treated like an idiot when it came to trying to get my service to work (including one phone chat where the woman asked me several times if I had checked to make sure my router was on). In February I was also billed incorrectly, charged the full amount for service instead of the special pricing I should have had under the 6-month offer I signed up with; I received this bill as a paper bill, called, and received an online bill later for the correct amount.

May 2013: I moved, and contacted CenturyLink online to see what the process was to move my service within the same complex. The representative, "Lucas", told me it would take three weeks for a technician to switch my service because of an overflow of *new* customers. When I expressed dissatisfaction with this and a desire to cancel my service, Lucas told me to call CenturyLink and "hung up" on me (he closed the chat, and did not include a customer service survey be completed, which is lucky for him). I called CenturyLink and spoke to "Jamie," who told me yes, it would take upwards of three weeks (she actually indicated it wouldn't happen until June) to switch my service. I told her I wanted to cancel my service, in that case. She told me she could cancel it right then and there, but I might not get a refund on what I had paid, and I had "prepaid through June." I told her, fine, I would keep the service through June. She said she would put in the cancellation request. I later called them back because I had simply plugged my router into the wall and boom, it worked (no technician needed); "James," the representative I spoke to at that time told me that was correct, that was all I needed to do to transfer service in the same complex. When I asked why I'd been told by two people it would take upwards of three weeks, he said "none of [their] team would have said that unless [I] hadn't been clear [I] was moving in the same complex." I asked how much clearer I could have been than saying "I'm moving within the same complex." He said he didn't know.

June 2013: As of June 24th my service stopped working. I received a bill for July's services. I went online and chatted with "Nahji" who said the account had never been cancelled, and I would have to call to do so. I asked how to file a complaint, she said I could file a complaint "online." I called and spoke to a representative who said my account had never been cancelled. I told her how frustrating it was because I had cancelled service the month before, because the agent had told me I'd prepaid through June and figured since she also said I might not get my money back I should keep service through then. The agent I spoke to at that time said she would cancel the account and send me a shipping label to return the router.  She indicated that if I did not send it back before I received my final billing statement I would incur late fees and penalty fees.

July 2013: I waited and waited for the label. I received, via email, upwards of 10 billing statements, and by mail one bill before receiving the label. I called and asked why I kept getting billing statements without the label, especially since I had been told my account had been prepaid through June. I was told to ignore the bills, and once my router was sent back the charges should go away. I finally received the label at the end of July and sent it back the next day.

August 8, 2013: I received a call from an unknown number. When I picked up, I was immediately placed on hold and told all their customer service representatives were busy. I waited, and when a young man finally answered he thanked me for calling CenturyLink and asked how he could help me. I told him they called me, and after a bit of fumbling, he got around to why he was calling: my account was about to be sent to collections for nonpayment of a bill. I just about lost it, telling him what I had been told. He went back and forth between telling me that I had paid for June and had not, before finally settling on that I had NOT paid for June and so needed to make the payment today or be sent to collections. I asked to speak to a manager. When I was connected to her, she repeated that I had not paid for June. I explained what the representative I spoke to back in MAY had told me; the manager said that was wrong, and I still owed. I told her I should not have to pay for their mistake; she insisted the billing was valid and that if I did not pay I would go to collections. I said fine, I will pay the balance because their policy was crap and I wasn't going to incur additional debt because of their idiocy. She tried to get me to pay on the phone, and I told her by no means would I give them my information over the phone; I would pay online and then I wanted nothing to do with them. She then hung up on me.

I paid them their pound of flesh and came straight here. I'll be filing grievances wherever I can, warning anyone I can away from this company, and filing whatever complaints I can with the Better Business Bureau and possibly local state government for fraud on the part of CenturyLink.