This is a warning to everyone who is thinking about signing up for services with Century Link to…read moreRUN away and go elsewhere.
While the Internet speed download was sufficient for everyday things like email and watching videos, the upload speed was extremely slow. Which did not become an issue until Sis started online tutoring, along with increased use of Zoom and similar platforms to accommodate COVID restrictions.
Century Link told Sis several times that--although the company "offered" higher internet speeds, this was not available in her area because Sis was located in a "border town." What exactly a "border town" is went undefined, the same as other terms of Century Link corporate-speak that they use to obfuscate and excuse.
Almost two months ago, Sis contacted Century Link and requested to cancel the internet service (she had arranged to get higher speed through another provider), but that she still wanted to keep the phone service AND keep her same phone number. Sis said she had to contact multiple persons at multiple numbers (the "help" line on their web site has been disconnected) to explain what she needed. Finally, someone told her that they would have to disconnect both phone and internet services and then reconnect through their "new platform."
After multiple requests, no one could tell Sis if she would be able to keep her old phone number. Someone finally said the phone service would be disconnected for about a day, there would be a temporary different number (so phone service would not be interrupted), but eventually Sis would be re-connected to her old number (absolutely no information how long this would take). During this first exchange, someone told Sis she would need to return the router, then someone else told her that she owned the router (had bought it through them, probably paying over time).
A couple of weeks later, the phone went dead. (The new provider had connected the Internet and this was up and running within a few days). Sis waited a couple of days and then contacted Century Link. After being on the phone AGAIN with multiple people, each asking Sis to verify account number, social security number, phone number, name of first born, favorite food and a litany of other trivia, someone finally told her that they could not help her because "the team was not there."
A week later, with the phone still dead, Sis contacts Century Link again. Each and every contact with Century Link involves the same Kafkaesque Groundhog Day scenario and wasted hours of your own time. This time, Sis is told "there is a mistake in the order" and she should have her old phone number in "a few days."
Over a week later, the phone is now working, but no communication from Century Link about what is going on. The only way Sis could ascertain her own number was to call another phone and look at the caller ID number.
Meanwhile, Century Link--who is apparently unable to do something as simple as disconnect and reconnect a phone--sends Sis a bill demanding payment for broadband, internet, phone, and a modem--as well as associated connection fees--none of which they have delivered except for the spotty phone service for the (now identified) new number.
Sis can no longer deal with Century Link without losing her sanity, so now I have the privilege of taking a bullet for the team. Over the course of two days, I make multiple attempts to find someone--anyone--at Century Link who can find their behind with both hands. I attempted to use the Internet chat, which just sends you in a loop. Tried every phone number I could find online or off (from the bill, from Sis's emails). Several times, the phone call disconnected (in fairness, one time it was due to a brief power outage on our end). The main thing that I told everyone was that Sis was disputing the bill, but would pay a bill that actually represented what she had requested and received from Century Link. No one is going to pay a fake bill for non-existent services.
During multiple attempts to connect with someone, there was a message that there were "technical problems" due to bad weather. Of course, we have no idea where their main office is because their "services" are the same outsourced, hacked-up chaos that corporate America is so enamored with. A couple of folks attempted to be helpful: one person said they would shut down the internet (why wasn't it shut down over a month ago?), but it would be another week before they could re-activate Sis's old phone number. Another person said we had to speak to an "account specialist" (another number to call through an interminable menu and the same identifying questions) and instruct them that we wanted "regular phone service" and "not e-shop" (customers must be fluent in their geek speak). In the middle of one of these calls, the fellow said he couldn't help us because "the system was down."
Bottom line is "DO NOT SIGN UP WITH CENTURY LINK IF YOU VALUE YOUR SANITY.