Qwest Consumer Reviews - Page 4

Since the day I signed up for the DirecTV and Qwest (now CenturyLink) bundle through Qwest it has been nothing short of a nightmare. I got an email confirming my order and that a Qwest representative would arrive on a day two weeks later anytime between 8am and 4pm. Well that day came and went, and I then spent three hours on hold with Qwest as they tried to figure out what went wrong. Another week went by before they would come out and actually install this time, and two days following DirecTV would install as well. So I think that my woes are over and that I have no more issues.

Well once the DirecTV installation representative leaves we discover that he installed a regular receiver and not a DVR one, something that I specified we wanted at least three times while on hold for three hours. One more week goes by. Two months after the initial debacles our TV signal starts going out, we only get certain channels, and there is a "searching for signal" box in the lower right screen. We try and fix the problem per FAQs and the on-screen message but to no avail. We then call DirecTV and spend yet another hour on the line as they simply ask us to perform all the tasks we had already done to fix the signal.

Finally they agree to send out a rep, and that it will be in two days, from 8 to 12. At 11:50 the representative arrives and informs us that he cannot do any work because his "hands are tied" because the complex has Qwest satellites and that we must now call Qwest in order to get it fixed. So now I'll just be paying for no TV for yet another week. This has been hell, both companies are unhelpful and will not hesitate to put you on hold for literally hours.

I understand that call center personnel have to deal with petty complaints but they still act as if our legitimate ones have been no real concern and do little to address the concerns or complaints. I wouldn't wish this nightmare of prolonged frustration and unhelpfulness on my worst enemy. If I wasn't bound to pay a contract cancellation fee I would have severed ties with both companies.

Hang with me a little because by the end of this you'll understand why Qwest could tear a page out of Apple's customer service handbook! I ordered an iPad for my son and the engraving was wrong so I called Apple to see what could be done. "We're sooooooo sorry about the mistake. We realize it's a gift and it should be right." I tried to argue that it was my mistake and was going to offer to pay for the change and he would not let me accept the blame. Here is what he did do:

"We'll set up a return for you. You won't get it, but if you do, we're mailing you a return label now which you can used to return it to us - at our expense. We'll get the new one expedited right away with the engraving you want. We won't charge your credit card a second time in the meantime. If however I need to, I will call you back before we do.

We're going to give you a free cover to protect the face for making this mistake - which color would you like? Some colors are not on the website, let me tell you what they are. My name is Darren, here is my personal number. Please call me directly if something goes wrong. I'm sorry again for the mistake. We should have gotten this correct the first time. Is there anything else you think I can do?" I hung up almost embarrassed and think I owe Darren an iPad. Today I also got two phone calls today from Quest wanting to lower my phone bill and one last week wanting my business back after two years.

Here is how the 2nd call went today. Me: "May I stop you please? I've already spoken to someone earlier today about this and also last week. If you just fax the information to me at the number you just dialed, I'll take a look at your rates." "Are you currently a Qwest customer?" "No, I'm not but if you want to win me back, here is your chance." "Well I'm calling to lower your rates, so the call you got was from another department. Thank you. Have a nice day sir". Click!!! Can you spot the difference?

I had called Qwest this morning because I had gotten a disconnect notice, and wanted to know as to why. I had told the lady that I hadn't been receiving my bill each month and that the last time I got a bill was in September (and I paid it, even though it was through the ROOF, and had calls on there I didn't make!!!) She proceeded to tell me that they send my bill out on the tenth of each month and that it should arrive on the 15. I then tried to explain to this lady (out of St. Paul) that all I receive in the mail is disconnection notices, but never the bill. She told me that it wasn't her fault, and long story short we got into a huge argument.

I told her that the customer Service SUCKS and that she can go ahead and cancel my service. She then told me "Well you do know if you cancel and go with someone else you will have to pay your bills ON TIME." I could not believe the nerve of this woman!!! She basically called me a liar, telling me, that the last time I called Qwest was in September which was a downright lie, and said, I GET my bills every month, and that it's the post office's fault! When I signed up with Qwest the guy had told me that I would be charged on the 15 of every month, but each time, I'd get a bill (when I actually GOT one) it would be for the end of the month, not the 15!

What makes it worse is my bill is never the right amount. It always went up and down, and then when I told them in September the calls on my phone weren't from me, they wouldn't do anything about it, and said either I pay my bill or it's disconnected. (I should have disconnect right then!) I called back again after hanging up on this lady, and got another guy, who "tried to give me a great deal with the Internet". (I really wanted to work it out because I need my house phone.)

I set up a time and place to get the Internet from Qwest but done some digging around and realized it wasn't a great Idea. (I also paid for half this month to keep my phone on.) So, in the end I called Qwest back went and cancelled my Internet order with them, and on the 7th of next month cable one will be setting up my new service! Qwest is DOWN RIGHT HORRIBLE!!! Never again will I get their service ever!

AHHH All I can say is the complaints I have read about I have experience each one of. I chose to get Qwest DSL due to a promotional add I got in the mail. I called and talked to a Juan (nice but lied). I said I would like the 7 gig option for 35.99 a month first 3 months. After spending twenty plus min on the phone with him I was told/asked if I would like the 50.00 Visa for signing up with Qwest. Of course I would. This was the first of June, now October and still no card. Many different answers as to why.

Very long story short when the tech came out to hook me up with the router I purchased, he had many problems trying to get me up and running making many trips back and forth to the box, stating the lines were all messed up and he could not find mine (should have been my first big sign of future problems). Finally he got me running and before he left he said "nice work on choosing the 12 gig option" as it was very fast and I could watch movies etc with no slow downs. It is fast, but not what I asked for. However I chose to keep it.

Then when my first bill arrived. There was a mistake, so I called of course. I got the run around, and spent an hour of my time fixing their problem. Before I hung up they notified me that I could save $5.00 per month by bundling my Verizon bill with them (NEVER NEVER NEVER DO THIS!) Major nightmare. From then on, my bill has done nothing but go up up up, yet each month they say I saved money and each month when I call (I know the notes they have on me must make them cringe to deal with me) I get a major run around and nothing.

WTF. This company is a major scam. I can't believe the people that work there enjoy screwing their fellow Americans as much as they do. It's almost as if customer service gets off on treating you like a child, because your on the phone. Notice there is no Qwest office you can walk into. STAY AWAY if you have a choice, and you do. I am locked in a contract and hell with them and they know it.

UTAH -- Qwest Sucks! It is amazing how every time you call Qwest with a problem, they come to the conclusion the problem is you! Yesterday I called about upgrading my small business voice mail system. I have had the current system since 1994 and they downgraded the features about a year ago and it is driving us crazy. We are willing to pay more, buy equipment, whatever it takes, but GOOD LUCK. Can you believe there is only one guy that can help you? And, wait for it, he is too busy to take your call or call you back!

So, naturally I called to see if someone else could help me. I was told I was that, "I had been emailing another representative all day". To be clear, the gentleman I spoke with yesterday said he and his boss (a voice mail guru) came in early and his boss would call me today. I did not receive a call so I emailed the representative to ask when his boss would have the time to call me. He emailed me back and said his boss was too busy and they can't speed up my system.

I emailed back and simply asked, "and is there a better system Qwest offers", that's it, that is my "emailing ALL DAY adventure! I am so upset that this is their attitude. I realize I am small, but I have given them my business since 1994 and it seems that they'd want to keep every customer they can. Really, in today's world we go out of our way to treat our customers as poorly as we can? Wow. So, I am shopping for new service tomorrow. I need fax, high speed internet, two landlines and ten voice mail boxes. If anyone has great references I'd love them.

I had a very difficult time changing my long distance provider from Qwest to another company. I changed to a new company, and Qwest said they had all the info. entered in correctly on their end - the PIC number, company name, etc., but I still was not able to make long distance calls. They claimed the problem was not on their end and must be with my new long distance carrier. I was getting very impatient and frustrated after 6 total calls made in one morning!

I called my new provider and verified again my account info., and they assured me that they sent Qwest all of my info. 3 weeks earlier, but stated that they were not receiving any long distance charges with Qwest for some reason. They believed that Qwest had a "block" on my account, not allowing me to change my long distance company (they said other customers had reported the same problem with Qwest in the past). After hours of being on hold and with back-and-forth phone calls with Qwest, it took a representative from my new long distance company to call Qwest, and along with myself, we had a three-way conference call, and this issue FINALLY got resolved.

It turns out Qwest DID NOT have the correct PIC number entered in my account, which they had earlier reiterated that they did. I think they finally corrected the problem because I had a representative on the phone with me from my new long distance company. In my opinion, I think Qwest wanted me to be so frustrated and blame my new carrier for not receiving long distance services, that I would just end up going back with them and paying their monthly fee (my new carrier does not charge a monthly fee - only charges for calls made). I was very furious at this "mistake" from Qwest, and wonder if it was actually intentional.

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA -- I am guilty. Like so many others I download copyrighted material, and I was caught. One day my internet turned off and I received a call from Qwest telling me to stop downloading illegal information. They said I had three chances. I immediately stopped downloading info and removed all copyrighted material from my computer, because having internet service is more important to me than the files I had stolen (though if I had had to pay for them I never would have).

I researched Qwest's ability to legally look at the contents of my computer, and apparently so long as I am online they can look at whatever I am doing and whatever is on my computer. This is disturbing enough, but even more so, I found a new folder on my computer that previously had not existed, and now one by one, all the programs I have that rely on an internet connection, ie. Mozilla, explorer, fulltilt, etc. are failing in their ability to connect.

I have no evidence that Qwest has done anything to make this happen, although I find it strange that for years I have been able to operate my system with no flaws and then Qwest starts to investigate my computer usage and suddenly my programs can not connect even though I have a full 56 mbps connection? What The heck?

I understand that Qwest cannot be complicit in copyright infringement, but as a service provider they sure seem to have a lot of power. To me this is an interesting ethical dilemma, and I think users should be aware of how much and how often their ISPs are monitoring their activity, and how much power they have if they find something they don't like. Just a warning to all you torrent freaks out there - this could happen to you.

DENVER, COLORADO -- About six months ago I was phoned by a Qwest representative, out of the blue, about switching back to Qwest business phone service from our then current service provider Impact Telecom. The sales representative was very aggressive and promised me two months free service just for switching back to Qwest because they wanted to keep and “earn” my business.

I had left Qwest just two months earlier because of bad service, but I was willing to give them another chance for the two free months of service offered. Under those terms and those terms only, I switched back to Qwest. Five months had passed and I was looking through my third bill and I noticed it stated I was on a 36 month term agreement (ETF) with a $300 penalty for early cancellation printed on the fourth page. I immediately called Qwest and told them I never agreed or even heard of this agreement. The customer service representative laughed at me and told me that I did agree to it and they had a third party monitor to confirm the contract.

After being transferred to the manager I asked to see and/or listen to the recording of this contract. The Qwest manager (Christy 888.661.0005 x 1302106) called me back 3 to 4 days later after speaking to her superior and told me that they do not have a copy of the agreement, but because five months had passed, paying my bill in itself was agreeing to the contract. Angry, I cancelled my service and paid my last service bill adding a refund for the minuscule $7 a month discount they credited me for “agreeing” to their term agreement, or (ETF). Soon after they sent me a bill for $503.51 for the one business line we cancelled.

We are keeping the two months they promised and refute the validity of the invented $300 early termination fee, or ETF including all taxes associated with these false charges. Qwest's criminal behavior is shameful and ** vigorously refuses to pay this outrageous and invented bill. Qwest's culture of corruption is a disgrace and we are seeking to aid the law firm of Sprenger & Lang PLLC in any way possible, expanding their already existing class action suit against Qwest for their illegal use of ETF or Early Termination Fees.

BONNEY LAKE, WASHINGTON -- I am writing to tell you my experience with telephone fraud and trying to get assistance from Qwest. I was on the receiving end of a phone scam from a company in Nevada Consumer Telecom and from a sales representative named Dave. First, if you get one of these calls - hang up - they are trying to con you into switching long distance provider. Stay away from their 'good to be true' deal.

I received a telephone call from Dave who identified himself as a representative from Consumer Telecom and that he was going to reduce my phone bill. He said he was doing this so that I would not cancel my local service - the pitch he made sounded like he was acting on behalf of Qwest albeit he was very clever and never stated it in so many words. What I did was to Google 'Consumer Telecom' and at the top of the list was an article about telephone fraud and this company. Needless to say when I confronted Dave with this information he terminated the phone call.

I next went to the Qwest home page to see if I could report this action and was disappointed not to be able to find any information about this nefarious practice. My next attempt was to try to contact Qwest customer service and see if I could notify Qwest that this company, by its actions, is casting a dark cloud over the reputation of Qwest.

I was bounced around until directed to someone with a thick accent that made it difficult to communicate which is even more frustrating because you then put that poor person in a position to fail. She was very nice but in the end little was accomplished - so here I was trying to help others from getting sucked into this scam and I foolishly thought Qwest cared - they don't.

It matters not - I did lock my account so that companies like these would not engage in slamming. However, I am most disappointed in Qwest and this experience has just set my resolve to move quickly away from ever having to do business with Qwest. If my experience is unique then Qwest has nothing to worry about but from what I read on the web, Qwest is in trouble and I will not be surprised if I see the company follow the same path as GM and Chrysler.

I will add my voice to the web community in the hopes that may be someone will listen (enough American companies have been mismanaged into failure). If the reader of this review is employed by Qwest, I would recommend seeking another job