CenturyLink review: constant outages and still no fix ( 18 comments)

I am having a similar problem with centurylink here in saint cloud, FL.
i got the service on may 21-2010 and it was fine, about one month later the internet got very slow, the page was opening slow and i would get the timed out message.
this wasn`t only happening on one computer it did the same thing to all three computers.
i have magic jack connected to one of my computers so if the internet goes down i can`t make a phone call.
today is aug 12-2010 and i am still getting kicked off line.
i will be canceling very soon and going back to bright house.

Have had Centurylink for a while now and also have the same problem as others here . Constantly getting kicked off line and slow page loading . Talked with the main office and filed a complaint with the BBB and was told they would try to help me out with the problem within 72 hours and I waited well over that 72 hours and when someone finally called me, they got nasty with me and told me that I configured my router . Tried to blame me for the problem. The guy hung up on my because I kept telling him that I did not configure my router ! I cant believe the attitude they have over there . I am on disability which I had told the guy . He was ok at first, but then he took a real bad attitude with me . Now I have my service to be canceled on Wed. the 18th without any cancellation fee . I am happy to get out of the contract or I would leave them in the BBB . Worst company I have ever delt with . They just dont care !

My internet is as slow as the original dial up service offered by AOL over 10 years ago! My phone service has also been on the blink. My husband would tell me from time to time when he called from his cell that it rang with no answer or he got a short series of beeps and no connection - I had been dismissing this as his cell connection from the road -- It turns out that we have been missing a lot of calls and didn't know it! I was expecting a call yesterday at 4pm -- I was sitting next to my phone from 3:30 until 5pm -- with no incoming calls. I then attempted an outgoing call at around 5pm and noticed there was a missed call from the caller I was expecting at 3:58pm. I finally contacted the caller again today and was informed that several attempts had been made to call in and no answer. We have all of the options -- voice mail, call forwarding, call waiting, etc. No reason we should have missed a call. How many times have we missed calls? We will never know! The customer service is non-existant! They take you through the same tech support -- reset the modem, reset the internet options, do a speed test and basically tell you it must be your computer - because they refuse to admit responsibility for the poor service. Many reps have admitted outages all over Arkansas since the switch to CenturyLink -- noone can say what is causing the problem or how long it will take to fix the problem. Unbelievable! This company is the absolute worst! And Joey H has responded to each email as a Customer Outreach representative -- Who the heck is Joey H? Why aren't all of the customer service reps "reaching out to customers" and working on problem resolution while the customer is on the phone? Why do they have to take their concerns to a complaint forum to be heard? Obviously a lot of people are having the same problem -- so it's not he people -- ITS THE SERVICE PROVIDER! it's not their computers - ITS THE SERVICE PROVIDER! I'm sure you are losing more customers than you can count!

I just cancelled all of my phone and internet services today! This company boosts the worst customer service I have ever encountered. When we ordered services, they were Embarq and they were great...then Centurylink took over. They lie, steal, and have horrible attitudes. I would not even have time to explain all of the horrible things they have done to us over the last 3 months...but they include raising prices to nearly double while cutting half of the services; "accidentally" charging my account 4 times on auto pay and over drafting us by $316 while on our anniversary holiday (and taking nearly 2 weeks to fix it without any compansation); keeping me on hold for over 40 minutes at a time just to hang up on me when I finally hear a voice; having one of their "customer account specialists" tell me that her time is money and I am wasting it...I could go on, but it's not worth it. I'm taking back the equipment now and if they think I am paying the disconnect fees they can suck it!

You are right on the money Tara . That is so true . They do raise the price and also disconnect you from the customer service . File a complaint with online services such as the BBB, Attorney General, ICCC, Consumer Affairs . Also get in touch with their Cooperate Office and write a letter. Go over their heads on this one if you need to. How can they expect to get customers if they are committing fraud against people. Their high speed internet is a joke. Its more like dialup or worse. They always blame the customer for the slow internet. Always get their name when you talk with customer service on the phone. You can include that in your complaints. Ask for a supervisor if necessary.This is in fact, the worst company that exists right now.I went through hell with these people after finally getting to cancel without the fee.

Hey everyone! I switched to cable for my home phone & internet service and have never been happier! Reasonable prices and the customer service and technical support are stellar! There really are other companies out there. You just have to interview them. Remember, this is your hard earned money and you have the right to hire or fire the companies who provide services to your home. Centurylink was more interested in mergers and acquisitions -- than in their customers -- who are dropping off like flies!

SORRY SORRY SORRY the worse company I have every dealt with in my life. LIES LIES and MORE LIES. Customer service is a complete joke, they act like they care but nothing never gets done. We have been waiting for three months for them to send someone anyone out to bury a orange line that was suppose to be here for a few days at the most according to there guy who put it out here. It goes from back of house all the way to the front yard real nice. I have been contacted by liars in the company who all say the same thing so sorry we will have someone there shortly. We even had one of their guys come to the house and say he was sorry and understand our frustration but he had to get someone else to bury the temporary line. That has been weeks ago. To review they lied about when they would come to hook up the service the day they told us no one showed or called we had to drive across town to the sale office. Next the internet speed which was promise is not the one we got, AND WE FOUND OUT LAST NIGHT THAT IT HAS BEEN A RECALL ON WHAT WE GOT. Wow what a company. Century Link gets our money every month and gives us lies in return.

namrepus,

I'm also terribly sorry to read about the trouble you've had with our company. I'll be more than happy to offer my assistance to you also. You can email me anytime at Joey@CenturyLink.com. Just include as many details as possible and we'll be glad to help. Thanks.

Joey H
CenturyLink Customer Outreach
Reachout@CenturyLink.com

As much as I have to agree that Centurylink is lacking in their customer service skills and that most of the representatives tend to placate you enough to get you to hang up the phone -- your situation sound like a 'subcontractor' problem. Anytime technology is installed in your home; more likely than not -- they have sent out a 'subcontractor' from your area to do the work. Sooooo--- Here are some helpful tips: Before they begin working, establish some ground rules. Get their name, the name of the company, the name of their direct supervisor, a local phone number to contact them and try the number -- BEFORE you allow them to begin the installation. If possible, have someone with you at the time of the installation. (I recently had a very uncomfortable situation with some guys who had me cornered in a room. When they said it would cost more than I had agreed to do the install; I had to push past them to get them out of my home.) That is another rule - always get the total price when you schedule the installation. DO NOT allow them to change the terms after they arrive and DO NOT pay them or sign anything until the job is completed to your satisfaction. FINALLY, this is your home and you make the rules. The installers should respect your property and your authority. Walk through with them prior to the install and ask questions. Find out where they will be drilling holes, how will it look when finished, will they be moving any furniture or causing damage to your flooring, walls (interior and exterior), will they tidy up all hanging wires, etc. (I found out too late that the installer had drilled too many holes in my brick exterior - that cannot be undone.) Check on them while they are doing the install. Walk through with them again after the install. ALSO: Make sure everything is working before they leave! I sat on the phone with their tech support for hours after the installation trying to get everything set up & working properly. This should have been done by the installers! Again, these subcontractors will ultimately receive payment from CenturyLink or whomever else you have called for an installation. If you must file a valid complaint regarding your installation - they will no longer be on their payroll. There are too many people looking for jobs - so if they aren't doing a good job - let someone else get the contract.

I also have a problem with Centurylink.. For one soon as we got it hooked up we kept having constant problems with the internet i bet out of the first 2 months we had it we spent a month without internet which isnt good when you are going to school and depend on internet. My second issue was the fact that once we finally get the internet working right I have a bill that is late so I call to make arrangements and they tell me there is nothing they can do and they will they will turn it back on as soon as I pay my bill but until then they have to disconnect it.. All I asked for was a 3 day extension
After all the crap I dealt with you would think they would cut me a little slack afterall i didnt quit my service with them after everything that happened when I first signed up.

angel,

I'm also sorry to read about the trouble you're having with your service. If you email me at Joey@CenturyLink.com with your name, account number and reference your post here on Complaintsboard.com I'll be happy to look into your issue. Thanks.

Joey H
CenturyLink Customer Outreach
Reachout@CenturyLink.com

BEWARE" Century link SELLS customer phone numbers to solicitors! They will LIE and say that they only "share " the number if a customer does not request them NOT to. This is the experience we have had as new customers. We were charged exorbitantly to install phone, ( phone was to enable contact with my disabled elderly father who was just admitted to a long-term care facility) CENTURY LINK then immediately SOLD his phone number to solicitors. He got calls by the dozens. When asked how they got this phone number, it was a brand new listing that we had barely given out to immediate family members, the solicitor (a security company rep) said that CENTURY LINK SOLD THEM THE PHONE NUMBER. Century Link denies are LIARS...and GREEDY ones at that. Who would you believe? CUSTOMER SERVICE is HORRIBLE AND ALSO LIED.

Our internet service, since CenturyLink took over from Qwest, is beyond hideous. With Qwest we had a single outage in almost 2 years of service; in 6 months with CenturyLink our internet has been down for over 24 hours 4 separate times, and we are now experiencing hideous latency, so bad that we can't even web browse, on a daily basis. What does CenturyLink say? If you can even find someone who has a clue where strange places like "Denver" and "Colorado" are, you're lucky -- once we got transferred to someone who was well versed in such backwoods locations, they told us that they were going to try to have it fixed in ... are you ready? Two to three weeks. RIDICULOUS. ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUSLY HIDEOUS customer service and even worse internet service.

Count me in, too! I've been going through the AG's office, after which they refused to address ANY of the issues, and they are STILL lying to the AG's office! They told them about the one or two times I hung up on them, how foul my language became dealing with their incompetence, but never once mentioned the literal DOZENS of times they hung up on ME! Since filing my complaint, my service has been worse, and of course, they're blaming it all on me, when it turns out it very well may be their equipment (modem isn't working properly). They're claiming I agreed to the SLOWEST speed of DSL at a much higher rate than their commercials are claiming for the HIGHEST speed (which, they claim they do not offer high-speed for $19.95, though their commercials say otherwise...maybe they forgot about those things). I was only 'offered/given' high speed when I BUNDLED RECENTLY! Their records are reflecting something vastly different than reality. And this Joey and Patti running around trying to put out fires are just as ineffectual. I think they're just cardboard cut-outs meant to make it look like they want to take care of the problem, though they never do.

Worst customer service I have EVER encountered.I understand people have bad days and I attributed this to be the case after the first call. Two subsequent calls and even speaking to a supervisor have convinced me that Century Link customer service employees must have bad days every day...or they are just terrible at being helpful and polite. I have made three phone calls for the same billing problem and not only are they rude to me, but they haven't resolved the problem!
My account number was changed after I moved, unbeknownst to me since I didn't discontinue service, I didn't expect it, but they didn't notify me! They had my old and new account linked for a few months and then simply stopped the link without letting me know. Direct payments from my bank continued to be sent, and they continued to cash them, but not apply them.
Following my first call for help as to why my account wasn't being credited, the lady told me she had no idea where I got the old account number from, it was never that and she didn't know how I came up with it. Well they'd been accepting payment to the account for months and there wasn't a problem. She told me they could inquiry about it but that's all she could do. I was then transferred to Direct TV to resolve an issue of a subscription I didn't want, and the Direct TV lady was more helpful in solving my Century Link bill than the Century Link Representatives were. She contacted a supervisor there, on my behalf, and he informed her that they would create an inquiry and would get back to my within 5 days. I heard NOTHING. I called to follow up a week and a half later and the second representative was equally rude and unhelpful. She said that there was no inquiry in the computer and I needed to call back during the day and speak to a billing specialist. As I tried to ask a follow up question, she said "thanks for calling" and hung up! After a third call for the same issue, this rep at least explained that my account number was changed when I moved, and the two were linked for some months, but then the link expires. I thanked her for explaining that, but then asked about the missing payments that had been applied to the old account. She simply ran down each month (where I'd overpaid and had a growing credit even) and refused to listen to my questions. After being interrupted constantly and not being given answers, I requested a manager who ended up refusing to acknowledge the rude customer service! The manager ended up putting me on hold and came back to inform me that they had located the missing payments but offered no explanation to the incredibly bad service I'd been given. I've been a customer for years and have my bill paid automatically through my bank, always paying more than my balance. I could MAYBE understand the rude service if I was a difficult, problem customer, but I'm not! Even with these calls I was patient and thankful for any partial answer I got.
Terrible, terrible service. Rude enough to Definitely push me to recommend potential subscribers to go elsewhere!

Centurylink provides a very UNRELIABLE service! there is no single day in which I experience problems either with my phone line, internet service or my cable service. It is so frustrating! To give examples, my DVR box has failed in three occasions deleting all my recorded shows! Everyday my internet signal drops at least once a day for at least one minute! and at times it will last for over hour or half day! Today my phone line is not working! Their service is SO BAD I cannot wait until other companies such as Verizon or ATT start providing service in my area because when they do I will switch immediately.

This is the worst company I have ever dealt with as well. My promotional price had expired with my bundled DirecTC and Centurylink. I contacted the Loyalty Retention Dept and had a girl 3 separate times on that call quote me $46.43 a month for both services for 24mo. Called back 5 days later to confirm, no notes specific to that and no promotion added. That rep told me she would correct it, give me the promotion I was promised, and would call me back in 30min after the order was completed. No call. Called again 5 days after that, spoke to escalations, "I am so sorry about all your trouble, we will get this fixed for you right now". Noted everything they would be giving me for that promotion and read the notes back to me. Also told me he would watch my account and call me if there were any issues, that was 5/25. Today is 7/1. I contacted them again today, promotion not added to my account. Contacted the BBB, CL refuses to pull call records or acknowledge what was quoted to me on 3 different calls. I have spent about 6hours so far in the last 2 months on this.

I have been a customer of Century Link since they took over services in our area (15 years?). My daughter was needing Internet service so I inquired about adding her to my account. The salesperson assured me that even though there was a contract for twelve months, if she moved the contract would be forgiven. She is now moving out of state and they are charging me an early termination fee due to the disconnect request. They also have no record of our conversation when the lovely salesperson assured me that moving would not be a problem. I still have service at my residence and previously had no desire to switch to any other providers; now I am strongly reconsidering.