CenturyLink / Centurytel Consumer Reviews

LORAIN, OHIO -- I was trying to sign up with Centurytel for business and internet services. They just are a lying bunch of salesmen from a third party company that sells for AT&T and I guess Centurytel and who knows how many other companies. After getting the runaround and transferred around to other salesmen who changed the cost of the service and finally the last person just hung up on me. I guess I should consider myself lucky not getting sucked into service from this ** company. It appears many others have been scammed before me. STAY AWAY FROM CENTURYTEL!

NORTH PRAIRIE, WISCONSIN -- Since May 2018 I have been dealing with DSL poor line quality due to CRC errors in the hundreds and FEC errors in the millions in a weeks time. Our service prior to May 2018 was good for the 3.5 MBPS but starting in May we started seeing thing just buffering and buffering. My daughter was trying to watch 15 min school videos for her college classes and it was taking 45 min or more to get through one video. Prior to May the internet service was good enough that I could work from how and hold meetings on my IP phone and do screen share meeting but not anymore. At some times just checking email is a buffering nightmare.

Attached is a recent DSL status snapshot from the modem. The techs come out and do very little, put there test meter on the line and look. So far the drop from the service post has been changed. The Modem has been changed at least 4 time since May. Modules on the line have been removed according to the techs, the plug the modem connect to was changed and the CAT5 between the service box and the plug has been changed. I am just one of seven CenturyTel customers on our street which is having slow and/or error laden issues. I have been trying to work with CenturyTel since May 2018 calling in every couple of week and working with the techs which come out but no progress has been made. Still the performance is very poor and the errors are overwhelming.

N/A, INDIANA -- Please, please, please DO NOT go with Internet Provider, you will be wasting your money! Horrible service and bad customer service! I signed up under the agreement of $69 a month for Internet and TV. Well after receiving bills over $160 a month. I contacted CenturyLink and was told "oh, that representative must have made a mistake. We will refer them to training."

Upon further review I found out that this is a common issue that happens. They tell you one price, sign you up, and you get charged whatever they decide and say “oops, the representative made a mistake, nothing we can do and might we remind you of your contract with us!” Well, it doesn't end there. If my internet actually worked that would be nice. It just stops and restarts about (no joking) 20 times a day. If you're in the middle of something well you just have to wait for it to reboot and hope it doesn't just stop.

I contacted customer support about that also, "oh, it must be the cord we sent not fitting properly. Sorry that is the only cord we have available for the WiFi." Really!? Well, I moved to a new home and was told that my service would be on the same day, as I had called a month before I was moving to ensure installation.

Nope, no internet. Called and was told "oh, something's wrong with the computer that has to update. Please wait until tomorrow morning. It will be on by 7:00 am." Nope, that didn't happen either. Called back and heard "sorry, it seems the computer hadn't updated. Everything is fine. The tech has been there and said you're good to go. Just waiting on this update."

Okay so three days later, still no internet. Well surprise here comes a tech. He tells me he is here to check my place out to make sure all is good. Huh? Thought the tech had already been here! Well seems he had to run all new lines as the ones I had weren't working. Funny, I was told all was good just waiting on a computer update!

The tech told me straight out the customer service people will lie right to you and gave me his number to call him personally if something happens. Great guy! My internet still sucks. Don't even have Internet half the time but I get the bill regularly. LOL. So...stay away. Don't put yourself through the stress of this company!

FLORIDA -- Customer Service: The reps are so incompetent and they fail to document calls. I closed my account with Century Link in August and removed my payment information from the AutoPay option on the website. I called them in August so that they could send me the shipping materials to send the equipment back. I did not get anything in the mail. I called them in September to request the shipping materials again. I did not get anything in the mail.
Unauthorized Transactions: On November 9th, over two months after closing my Century Link account, I just happen to check my bank account and notice that $322 was taken out by Century Link. I wasn't given a notice by mail or e-mail that indicated that I had a balance due. After the $322 was taken from my account, I wasn't even given a notice indicating that they received a payment or a "thank you" for my payment. Be mindful, I removed my banking information upon closing my Century Link account in August. They literally just took my money without any notice. I called them and they let me know that they charged me for equipment not returned. Be mindful, I attempted to send the equipment back twice and they didn't send me the materials to do so. I personally returned the equipment to a Century Link office on November 11th and was assured a refund. First, I was told that they would send me the refund via electronic since my debit card was linked to the Century Link account and to expect to see something in a few days. Then, I was told that a check was issued on November 14th and to expect it within 7-10 business days. I called on November 25th check the status and they have no record of a refund and the representative wasn't able to give a status.
I called on November 28th, after being transferred three times, I finally get someone in financial services who says the check was issued on November 15th and I should get it any day now. I called on December 1st and they tell me that they have issued a "stop" on the check because I "keep calling" about it, so, they're going to issue it again. It is December 2nd and I have nothing from them. I'm so frusrated with them and their incompetence. They're unprofessional to say they stopped a check because I "keep calling" about it. They received their equipment the day after they took my money and I'm still waiting to get my money back.

FLORIDA -- Worst company you can do business with. My second modem in a period of one and a half months has gone out again. This Is due to the fact that they send you used equipment that is beat up and only lasts a month or so. I was promised a new modem last time and now I am without internet again for another week. I was told yesterday morning that I would receive a new modem tomorrow. They did not bother to process this until last night so now I am not going to get a new modem until Monday which is probably going to be another used piece of junk. I spent over 1 hour yesterday on the telephone over a simple modem which is unacceptable. Then while telling them how unhappy I was with CenturyLink they were trying to sell me another bundled package. They also do not credit you for the days your service is down. It took me almost 6 months to straighten out my bill after getting the price for life. I would switch providers but the only other option I have is Comcast which is just as bad as CenturyLink. I am now going to reach out to the Attorney General's office and the Better Business Bureau to see if anything can be done and to get a NEW modem and a credit for the days without internet, but I don't expect that anything will be done looking at the history and all the bad things I have read. If you possibly can, avoid doing business with these people because their ethics have a lot to be desired and they treat their customers like dirt.

BYHALIA, MISSISSIPPI -- We had selected CenturyLink for our internet based on their ability to provide up to 10 Mbps download and 1 up. After ordering and paying for the first month service at $49 and $99 for a modem we waited. 2 weeks later it arrived, on our install day. No installation. And the next day, no installation. Calling every day and being put on hold for 30 to 55 minutes at a time, we were getting nowhere.

A week after the scheduled install, we were told we were out of the area. No, we were not out of their area. So, the next excuse was that we had cancelled the install. No, we did not cancel. And finally, we are back to the first excuse, we are out of their area.

Numerous checks by several CenturyLink employees confirmed that the installer/contractor just didn't wish to do the job. As the saying goes, the tail wags the dog. I also was told that they could not provide anything near the advertised speed, max would be 2 Mbps down and a half a meg up, on a good day over a clean phone line! Waiting now for a label to ship it all back for a refund. A poor excuse for a business that is run by liars and lazy contractors. Not a reputable business nor a honorable one!

MONROE, LOUISIANA -- Century Link (Century Tel) has caused me stress before but today proved that their customer service is not one of their strong points.

Every year I travel for 7 weeks and put my phone on vacation hold. This gives the message to callers that this number cannot be reached now. It saves me a little to do this.

I was told to call when back in the USA to reconnect the service. I called Monday morning and asked to be back with landline service. I was put on hold for about 5 minutes while she was trying to find someone to do it and then was told it would take 4 days. By the 4th day I called again and was told someone would reconnect me next Monday. When I said this sounds kind of like a long time she put me on hold and said she would call me back. A short time later my landline service was working again.

Because finding out information by telephone is problematic I tried to use their internet Chat method to communicate but each time I tried - during their Chat hours of service - the screen said Chat was not in service.

I can't imagine worse customer service than CenturyLink's service.

DENVER, COLORADO -- I ordered a package from CenturyLink which included voice mail and received a confirmation thereof. However, when I tried to set up my mailbox I was asked for a username which I did not have. I called customer service and was told that I did not have voice mail as part of my package. When I said that it was in my order confirmation, the representative just ignored me and repeated that it was not part of my package. After about an hour on the phone with four separate people I was told voice mail would be set up three days later. I had to escalate in order to make it nine hours later. I guess it's time to shop for another provider.

CASA GRANDE, ARIZONA -- I have direct TV through CenturyLink. My monthly bill has been $93 until this month when it was $158. I talked to CenturyLink for 3 days going through 9 people and using up a lot of cell phone minutes. CenturyLink told me that DirecTV had double billed them. DirecTV told me that is not true. CenturyLink told me I had to pay the full amount anyway.

I asked if my next month bill would be a $0 balance and was told I will receive a full bill next month. How can they bill me for 3 months and supply 2 months of service? I will wait until next month to see if I get a credit and if not, I will go to the BBB and AZ attorney general's office.

UNKNOWN, FLORIDA -- Several months ago I signed up to get Prism TV, internet and phone. I have had internet service with CenturyLink since 2010, so I am very upset over this whole issue. A few days before my service was to be installed, a tech from CenturyLink came to my door and told me the lines were bad on the road behind me and they could not hook me up. I asked him when they could be fixed and he said he didn't know and that the maintenance supervisor was on vacation until January 2nd and would not know until then.

Today, January 10th, I contacted CenturyLink to find out when the lines would be fixed. I just want to note that a neighbor 3 houses down has Prism TV, internet and phone. I was told today that I was disqualified and that the lines could not be fixed. This was bad enough, but then I get a call from CenturyLink to tell me the lines could not be fixed.

I have had NO television service since I disconnected Dish Network when I was getting Prism TV. I think it is pretty tacky that they even bothered to call, and the only reason they called was because I called first. This is the way they treat customers. As I stated to the lady that called me - you can spend tons on advertising but you can't fix your lines.

My business means so little to them that they just blow you off. Now I'm searching for a new TV AND internet provider. This will be the last of my business CenturyLink ever gets. And the best part is last month they raised my internet rates. Way to go CenturyLink. Keep spending those advertising dollars instead of maintaining your lines and equipment.