nonymousPremium
join:2003-09-08
Glendale, AZ | reply to Concerned101
Re: Is CenturyLink engaging in unfair practices? said by [Concerned101 :]Excellent.
When you suspected what was happening, did you have a similar experience like I did, i.e., when you told them your bandwidth was way too low they sent a repair person out claiming it was the line, and then despite no real evidence of a fix being necessary your bandwidth then went back up? So after a repair tech came out or supposedly came out the line speed increased and all was ok?
If so and if you did not get charged the company ate the cost of a repair tech coming out just to play games with you and prevent you from getting higher speeds for a little while longer? More likely there was a problem with the line and whatever fix the repair tech did allowed the line speed to return to normal. (Yes repeating myself but if you had checked the modem stats when the problem was occurring there is useful information there and would have let us have an idea what was going on.)
What keeps Century's cost in line is not the speeds but any caps on usage they have in place. The modem stats would have let us know if it was a problem or maybe over subscription. If it was over subscription the problem would not have been corrected that quickly so most likely it was a line problem.
Never worked for Centurylink but yes was a field tech at Qwest years ago. |
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| said by nonymous: So after a repair tech came out or supposedly came out the line speed increased and all was ok?
Never worked for Centurylink but yes was a field tech at Qwest years ago. Yes. I think I made it clear by now that my bandwidth was restored to exactly where it had been with my old plan. To be super clear, there were supposed to have been no changes when transferring from my old plan to the new plan. Yet, despite making this explicit, it appears CenturyLink did indeed turn on the new plan at the lowest level of the 3 to 7 MB tier. The problem occurred just a few weeks into the new plan, and I think I made it clear in my "rant" above (LOL) why I suspect foul play (i like the "bait and switch" descriptor someone mentioned). |
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dynodbPremium,VIP
join:2004-04-21
Minneapolis, MN | reply to Concerned101
Let me get this straight-
At some point (you're not exactly sure when), your speeds dropped to 3M. They identified it as a problem on the line (very common), sent a tech to fix it, and now you're back to 7M.
Yet, somehow, this is evidence of a grand conspiracy involving unfair practices? Really? REALLY??? |
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| said by dynodb:Let me get this straight-
At some point (you're not exactly sure when), your speeds dropped to 3M. They identified it as a problem on the line (very common), sent a tech to fix it, and now you're back to 7M. Glad to see somebody's paying attention.
said by dynodb:Yet, somehow, this is evidence of a grand conspiracy involving unfair practices? Really? REALLY??? You're the only on who has said this. It's amazing to me how popular a trend it's become over the past few years to use the terms "rant" and "conspiracy" as devices to invalidate a person's argument.
I posted the original question to see if what CenturyLink did to me is happening to others. NOTE I did not come on here posting "CenturyLink is engaging in unfair practices!!!!" I asked a question. I learned a few things. And now I'm done. I invite other customers of CenturyLink to post if they suspect CenturyLink was not providing them with the bandwidth they were paying for---especially if it happened right at the start of a new plan (as it did with me TWICE). |
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 your moderator at work
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| reply to Concerned101
Re: Is CenturyLink engaging in unfair practices? I can't edit my posts. Just want to clarify that it's true I do not have hard evidence EXACTLY when the low bandwidth started, but it was within the few weeks right after my new plan started. To have gone so long with no issue and then had a problem as soon as the new plan started is part of the reason I am suspicious. |
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 billaustinthey call me Mr. BillPremium,MVM
join:2001-10-13
North Las Vegas, NV
kudos:3 | When you change plans, an order is put in the system to connect you on the new plan. One of two things happened. They either entered the order incorrectly, or the tests on the line from their side showed it would not handle the higher speed and they dropped you to a lower tier. When you called in, they sent a tech out who resolved the issue and put you on the higher speed tier ordered. Your issue could have been caused by weather, or more likely by another tech connecting service for someone else.
'Bait and switch' does not apply here. That is a tactic offering something at a low price and then selling you something more expensive because the offered item is 'sold out' or 'discontinued'. Since the DSL packages in the group you chose from were the same price, it requires some imagination and convoluted logic to think that 'bait and switch' applies here.
I understand your initial suspicions. Based on your reporting, CL did not jack you around and delay the repair, and did not try to get more money out of you. Once you reported the issue, they resolved it in a reasonable amount of time. I don't see any logical reasoning, in your particular case, that would lead to the conclusion CL is engaged in unfair business practices. |
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| Bottom line is that it is up to customers to make sure you get what you are paying for because you do not know what these companies are capable of getting away with. I am now monitoring bandwidth every single day. They managed to do the right thing to not be trusted. |
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Reviews:
 ·CenturyLink
| reply to Concerned101
I've always gotten exactly what was promised from CenturyLink give or take an occasional line problem that was promptly fixed, so no complaints here.
Try dealing with Cox, Time Warner Cable, or AT&T and then we'll talk about what a company tries to get away with. |
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| reply to billaustin
'Bait and switch' seems very appropriate here. They offer 'speeds up to 10 Mbps'. You pay for 'speeds up to 10 Mbps' but what you are given is something considerably less (3 Mbps is, lets see, do the math, carry the....). Before Centurylink took over, the pricing and practices were reasonable (and speeds matched what was offered). Since Centurylink took over, they have neglected existing customers in pursuit of new business (and speeds are, after the math, 30% of the 'baited' amount). My state's AG has been informed of their practices, we'll see where it goes from there. |
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| reply to Concerned101
said by [Concerned101 :]when you told them your bandwidth was way too low they sent a repair person out claiming it was the line, and then despite no real evidence of a fix being necessary your bandwidth then went back up? For 3-4 months we've been trying to have connection and speed issues resolved. Our 10Mb connection that had worked for months, suddenly had connection issues, dropped packets, outages.
The tech that came our suggested dropping to a slower speed. Not what I wanted to hear, but better than no connection.
After a couple of months on 6Mb, we're again having speed problems. I expect the outages will appear again soon and we'll again be advised to drop to an even lower speed. Our area is 'bandwidth congested' (they're selling what their equipment can't provide) but in order to get new customers and higher revenues, existing customers will have to accept slower speeds (without a corresponding reduced cost).
If our State AG can't do something about this company, I'll see if a good lawyer is ready for a class action suit. |
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Reviews:
·CenturyLink
| This obviously is not the case everywhere, as I have two accounts with CenturyLink (one in Ohio, and one in Arizona)
Both connections have generally given what i'm paying for, and CL has been willing to fix the issues, and if you call them you can get a reduction in price pretty easily. I'm paying $30/mo for a 40/5 connection, all i have to do is agree to a 1yr contract each time, and i have no problem doing that.
I get 35-36Mbps on my pair bonded line, and i'm happy with what i get for what i pay.
This is what i consistently get on my WiFi connection, and this is at 2pm
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| said by brad152:...CL has been willing to fix the issues, and if you call them you can get a reduction in price pretty easily. Are you talking about the same CenturyLink that would not even credit my account for low bandwidth and disruptions right at the start of my plan? Even the person at their "customer loyalty" department was arguing over and over again that they are already giving me such a great discount, but the truth is I would NEVER have agreed to pay about $27 (including taxes and fees) for a 3 Mbps connection speed! |
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| I have worked in customer service in the past before getting the job i have now, and i can assure you the tone that you take with the person on the other end upfront will generally make or break the service you will receive. |
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billaustinthey call me Mr. BillPremium,MVM
join:2001-10-13
North Las Vegas, NV
kudos:3 | reply to jeffjohnson9
said by jeffjohnson9:'Bait and switch' seems very appropriate here. They offer 'speeds up to 10 Mbps'. You pay for 'speeds up to 10 Mbps' but what you are given is something considerably less (3 Mbps is, lets see, do the math, carry the....). Before Centurylink took over, the pricing and practices were reasonable (and speeds matched what was offered). Since Centurylink took over, they have neglected existing customers in pursuit of new business (and speeds are, after the math, 30% of the 'baited' amount). My state's AG has been informed of their practices, we'll see where it goes from there.
'Bait and switch' would only apply if they were advertising plans at a low price and then telling you when you called in that you had to pay a higher price to even get service. CenturyLink covers themselves legally by offering speeds up to a certain level, and charging the same price for whatever speed they can provide to you. DSL speeds are limited by distance, and they do not guarantee specific speed levels to DSL customers. |
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| reply to Concerned101
said by Concerned101 :said by jeffjohnson9:I'd agree that they are...So, from my perspective, their goal is to sell as many connections as they can and offer us only a '10Mb' connection that will never come close to that 'bait and switch' speed.
I recently filed a complaint with NC State government concerning their practices.
Excellent. When you suspected what was happening, did you have a similar experience like I did, i.e., when you told them your bandwidth was way too low they sent a repair person out claiming it was the line, and then despite no real evidence of a fix being necessary your bandwidth then went back up? There is no such official policy at CLNK. The people you talked to are misinformed. The fact is that if you can't achieve 82% of the speed you're sold then you can opt out of your contract. Pricing bands are totally out of the picture.
Outside techs call them and say the line won't support 7M or whatever & they had to downgrade the line. The customer service rep has no say in the matter. Sadly, the fact usually is that the tech is either unwilling or unqualified to dig into copper loop problems and do whatever it takes to fix something to support the advertised speed. |
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