Qwest Consumer Reviews - Page 5

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO -- I contacted Qwest in May 2008 inquiring about options for lowering my monthly payments. The Qwest representative offered an enhanced phone package and higher speed internet. The representative neglected to tell me that it was only for six months, and that my payment would go up in six months. When the payment went up in November of 2008, I called Qwest again, November 17th, and asked why the payment went up and that is when I was told that it was a temporary offer. During the November phone call I was offered six months free internet service and I agreed. I was told that it would take one or two billing cycles for this to take effect.

I also cancelled the phone service at that time, after the offer of free internet was offered. I received my December bill which did have the credit on it for the free internet service. The only payment required was for the short period of telephone service before being turned off. I waited until February 3rd, to call again and file an escalation. That would have been sufficient time to include the two billing cycles that I was told it would take for this action to be completed.

When I received the bill for February in mid-March the credit still had not been added to the bill. I again called Qwest on March 12th and spoke with **, from the broadband customer retention group. At that time ** said that she would take care of it. Once again I received a bill for $49.99 on the 30th of March. I called Qwest on the 31st of March and spoke with a very disagreeable representative who again told me that it would take another sixty days for the credit to show up on my bill. I got angry and told her to cancel my service completely.

A few minutes later I called back and spoke with another representative who was glad to get me connected to the correct department. I eventually was put in touch with a supervisor in the broadband customer retention group. I was told that since I cancelled my telephone service in November that I was not eligible for the six months free promotion. That was the first time this had been mentioned. Said that I would get the six months service, I asked for an email pertaining to the verbal agreement that he had just made and was told that it would be impossible to do. No matter what the outcome of this is, I will no longer use Qwest services.

BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON -- I was advised in Dec. 2008 that Qwest will no longer be providing cell phone service and all Qwest customers needed to migrate service to either the Verizon (who Qwest chose to sell their business to) or another cell phone provider. I was informed that I had 90 days to switch to a new carrier. I was assured by the Qwest Rep that I would NOT incur a contract termination fee since Qwest was terminating their cell phone service. (Apparently their service contract with Verizon was not getting renewed or something like that.)

Qwest recommended Verizon but they were too expensive and my Qwest phone would not work with Verizon and I would have to buy their phone. So I went with AT&T. NOW Qwest is telling me since I terminated my contract early they are going to charge me $250 penalty fees. They are the ones who told me that I had to switch carriers within that 90 day period. When I call them I stay on hold for about 35 minutes listening to their endless recorded commercial before I have to hang up.

I visited the Bellevue WA Qwest store and they had the nerve to tell me that not only could they not handle billing problems but that there was no physical address I could contact for customer service. (Honest to God they did say that to me, believe it or not.) I recently found out that their service negotiations with Verizon were reinstated sometime in January so they are telling their customers that the switch over was not necessary after all. I do not want to pay them out of principle because I feel they are cheating me and many other long-time customers. This is a deliberate and calculated business practice that is unfair and unethical.

The other important thing was that if I had an outstanding balance with them I would not have been able to 'port' (migrate) my Qwest phone number to a new carrier. They have no answer to this apparent contradiction. I had cell phone service with Qwest for 15 years for 4 phones and always paid on time. They are not the same company we all knew years ago. If you have been cheated by Qwest within the last 90 days, i.e. Dec 2008-Feb 2009 I would like to hear from you. Together we can make some noise that the Washington State Attorney General's office would hear. Thanks for tuning in.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA -- I have been battling Qwest communications for seven months over a $6000 bill they sent despite my not being their customer. To cut a long story short, Qwest takes the cake for obtuse and greedy customer "service." The problem started when my local phone provider (not Qwest) moved my service to a new address and phone number. Through a comedy of errors that no-one can explain, Qwest became my preferred long-distance carrier despite my specifying a different carrier. Six weeks after the move, Qwest's bill arrived - more than $6000 for calls that my specified carrier would have charged about $220 for.

Despite my thoroughly documenting the mistake - and despite hours on the phone with Qwest - and despite FCC rulings that the consumer is not responsible for costs when switched without authority - and despite my paying Qwest the amount my preferred carrier would have charged - Qwest called me every day for weeks demanding payment, and then referred my account to a collections agency (who - guess what? - Calls every day).

Ironically, Qwest's own collections agency advised me to get Qwest to agree to accept payment for what my preferred carrier would have charged for the calls in question. I made that offer months ago, paid accordingly, and Qwest cashed my check - but continues to demand money that I do not owe.

Based on my experience, Qwest has no ability to resolve problems based on the circumstances of each case. "You owe the money" is the only attitude they appear capable of, whatever the facts and whatever the law says. Only rarely will two reps will give you the same version of what Qwest's own records show about the history of the case.

Obviously this is a warning to avoid Qwest if you have a choice. If you get switched to Qwest through an error you don't even know about (as I was) - heaven help you. California's PUC is investigating this case. I will update when (in 2011? Maybe 2012?) the PUC makes a ruling.

I became a Qwest High Speed Internet subscriber back in August. I was told I qualified for the $14.99 a month internet/ $25.99 telephone bundle package. Well to my surprise when I got my first bill it was much higher. When I called I was told that I was charged a partial month at the $44.99 rate because they can only do the promotion on a full month. I asked why that wasn't disclosed to me. I certainly would have waited. Then I asked about the $9.99 shipping and handling charge for the modem that also was never disclosed to me. They basically said "sorry these are standard procedures and you will have to pay them."

The next month when my bill came they had dropped the $14.99 and was now charging me $24.99 a month plus had gone back into September and charged me for the discount I had been given in September. I called and asked about this nice surprise. I was told that the computer isn't recognizing my promotion. I was then put on hold. The agent came back after a while and said that she had emailed whoever needed to fix that and that it would all be taken care of.

Well I just got my bill and was it taken care of and am I now paying $14.99 a month. NO!! I called again today and got the voice box for someone that works for Qwest and I left a message but of course I haven't been called back. I'm so frustrated that they can charge you big bucks if you get out of your contract early but they are not in the least bit held accountable for not holding up their end of the contract. You can bet this will be the last time I ever do anything with Qwest.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON -- In early January, 2008, I received a whopping $88.61 bill for phone service only. The bill indicated they had not received my December payment. I called the bank and verified that the check went through one day before the bill due date. I called customer service at Qwest and was given a fax number.

The next night, I faxed over the front and back of my December payment check for proof of payment and asked them to call me when they received it. I did this on a Tuesday night, checked phone messages Wednesday night, then called customer service again that night. I then learned there was another fax number, so I was confused. Agent said to wait until Friday, to see if anyone had looked at my fax because he indicated the "Fax Group" might be behind. (Okaaayyy....) By Friday night when I got home from work, there were still no messages from Qwest.

By then it was too late to call customer service, since it was after 6:00 p.m., so I called Saturday morning, but their phone lines are not open then. So, I tried the live chat thing. The first agent asked me for a "security code". Say what? I told her I didn't know what she was talking about. Finally, after having to disconnect from my internet (I have dial-up service), I got an automated call with a code.

The second agent I "chatted" with asked me for the verification number of my December payment. Hello? That's what I was trying to tell her - I didn't have one, because they said they had not received my payment! I was getting REALLY frustrated at this point, and asked for the name of a person and address at the credit department, which she said she did not have! I wrote back that if the matter was not resolved by the end of the next week, I would be contacting a consumer advocate connected with the media.

Finally, the third agent I spoke with said that my fax had been received on January 10th (a day after I actually sent it) and that someone was working on my account. Why couldn't the first agent I spoke with that morning have told me that? GRRR... I want to add, that all of these online agents tried to sell me more products as I was explaining my billing problem. Ummm... no - I really don't think that someone who is having a problem with billing and customer service is going to want to do additional business with a company! Sheesh!! As of today, it is still not resolved, and I am waiting with bated breath...

CONIFER, COLORADO -- We call it Qwest "bungling" not bundling, around here. We thought to bundle DirecTV, phone bill (including long distance), cell phone, internet, and have had nothing but problems since. Getting through is half the "fun." customer service is a joke. In spite of "billing" dept in Canada which I eventually reached after explaining to 3 different folks the first time, and to them all again every time I have to call billing--which I was instructed to do, being given the phone number 1-800-496-0663 by the billing representative to call because he knew I would have to call every month to get my credits.

The person answering that number this morning said it was not the billing number, nor would she put me through. And this morning, simply told me I had to call back at the regular customer service line. They have never responded in writing to my original complaint about being charged more than what was quoted. Said they were pulling the recorded phone call and it would take awhile--"awhile" has been 4 months now.

Last month finally got a helpful rep in billing which is in St. Catherine's Ontario, by the way. He adjusted all my credits and told me that because DirecTV is charged every other month the system does not provide for deducting the $10 bundle credit for that 2nd month. Cell phone credit is never applied. He told me to call every month to get the credits.

It is frustrating and takes at least an hour, more often 2 to get anywhere, if at all, and I feel like I have been lied to and feel we have the right to cancel this bungled program update--billing refused to give me the cell credit this month even though I was given it for 4 months Oct 31st by another billing clerk. Supervisor said they will not ever again and it is too bad I was misquoted but there is nothing she can do about it. I believe companies must stand behind their sales reps' words and offers. Apparently Qwest doesn't believe in honesty, just greed... Just ask former CEO Nacchio!

CASA GRANDE, ARIZONA -- There is no time limit on these reviews, so I'd like to tell you about Qwest. Here in Arizona, our phone company was called US West and service was terrible and the equipment was lousy. US West sold all the Arizona lines to Qwest, and service did not improved very much. True, they modernized a few switching stations, but the lines date back to WWII. Qwest is the phone company in 11 states and Arizona is Qwest's red-headed stepchild. I am positive Qwest uses Arizona as a tax loss in order to run the other 10 states.

I was once contacted and told since I was such a good Qwest customer, I was being given a special deal on a mobile phone. The phone was delivered, I read the manual and plugged the phone in to charge it, as per the instructions. The next day, when it was fully charged, I attempted to activate it. The only thing I ever got was a recording that I was not authorized to use the Alltel network.

I called Qwest's 800 number and requested an RA (Return Authorization) number, explained the problem and stated I wished to cancel the purchase, which by law, I was entitled to do. Qwest fiddled and ** around and never sent me an RA number, but a service rep informed me that the phone was mine, and I was committed to paying $500 for it. Not only that, but if I did not pay for it forthwith, they would shut off my home phone. To this day, we have the world's most expensive paperweight. The Arizona Attorney General took some kind of action against Qwest over mobile phones, but I did not learn of it until it was way too late to join in.

It did my heart so much good the day we made the switch to Transcend Broadband and I called Qwest and told them to get their stinking lines out of my house. Now, I see Qwest advertising that JD Power and Assoc rated them tops in phone providers. I contacted JD Power and informed them that no one ever asked me about Qwest, nor have they talked to anyone I know. I got back a mealy-mouthed response that was a roundabout way of saying that's the breaks. I have no doubt Qwest paid JD Power for that top rating.

PUYALLUP, WASHINGTON -- Before moving to a new residences I had called Qwest and asked if there was service in the area that we were moving and was told that yes there was, but we have had no service since we moved in. I started a communication thread with Qwest in March regarding the lack of coverage and was told the engineers would have to make an assessment of the area, and that it would take some time. I called back every month to get an update and was told by the engineer department in Aug that yes there was a lack of coverage in my area even though I was within 5 miles of 3 towers and that there was a plan in place to put additional towers in the next year.

At that point I told Qwest that because of the lack of coverage that the phone plan was doing me no good because I couldn't make call out or receive calls in within a block of my house and that I would like to be released from the contract. I was told that because they didn't have coverage that I still needed to pay 400 dollars to be released from the family plan. After many calls over 3 week with them and spending over 6 hours on hold within that time I was able to get out of the contract but it still cost me 150 dollars.

I find it appalling that after being a loyal Qwest customer for over 8 years that I was still given such a hard time getting released from a bad contract and being made to feel as if it was somehow my fault that the services was not working. The Qwest practice of charging the customer for their companies mistakes is appalling and I would like to advise other people to avoid the company at all costs.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON -- I have been a Qwest phone and internet customer for almost two years, with only minor complaints. Last week I randomly got a call from a company rep. who said he could check to see if there were any "deals" that would lower my phone bill. He offered me long distance but I said I didn't need that, since I have a cell phone with a different company. He then told me I could add a feature (caller ID) and pay $5 less per month than I was currently paying.

Suspicious, I asked if he meant $5 on the total bill, or just on some area. I phrased the question several different ways, and each time he promised me it meant just a lower phone bill. So I accepted, which was obviously dumb in retrospect. Three days later I got a confirmation by mail of my changes--and it said my bill would go up by almost $20, plus taxes. I called them immediately and they said my bill would have been $5 less on the basic phone service if I had added long distance. Which I never considered doing.

To even get to this admission, I had to keep reiterating my question, since this rep. kept responding to my questions by suddenly saying, "Did you know you could be getting a better deal on internet service?" Which of course I didn't trust at this point. She managed to suggest this to me at least five times. I said that the other rep. had been misleading, which she didn't respond to. She finally took the caller ID off and said it should cost about $7 extra on my next bill, which I'll be eager to see.

I feel that these customer service/sales tactics (apparently the same people for this company) were beyond heavy-handed and misleading, to just plain dishonest. I'm not sure I could prove in a court of law that the first guy had done something illegal, but it was definitely dishonest; he knew exactly what I was asking. Moral of the story: don't trust anything these people say, get it in writing instead of doing business over the phone and, as I should have known before, if it sounds too good to be true, it is.

PORTLAND, OREGON -- I called and ordered a phone line, which went fine, except for the usual sales pressure to buy a more expensive product. The real problem came when the rep scheduled the install for a day that I had an 11:30 appointment. The install time was a vague and inconvenient "between 8 am and noon". I mentioned the conflict and suggested switching to a different day, or making it 8 to 11 instead. The rep said fine, and 8 to 11 it was. I mentioned that they needed to be DONE by 11, and he said no problem.

Then I get the automated call the day before, which tells me that the install can take up to an hour and a half, and that my range is 8 to 12:30. I followed the prompts to get a rep to change the appointment, as this obviously wasn't going to work. The rep tells me he can't change my appointment (despite the choice being offered by the prompts) and that I could call the morning of the install and find out when I was scheduled, and then change it then if there is a problem.

I call the morning of the install and the new rep tells me that there is no way to check the schedule, nor even contact the installer dispatch (this coming from a phone company!). I try to reschedule, and she says too late, there is no way to change at this point. And if I miss the install I have to call them for a reschedule (which is what I was trying to do now).

So to sum up: the first guy screwed up on the scheduling, the second guy lied to me rather than just helping me reschedule, the third lady said that she couldn't help at all, even to check basic info, or to reschedule, and all the effort was expended by ME, the new customer, trying to fix a problem that THEY had created. So far my experience as a Qwest customer is off to a great start - and I don't even have a phone line yet.