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CenturyLink Now Under Fire on All Sides For Fraudulent Billing

Last month, a CenturyLink whistleblower revealed what they claimed was a systemic practice of fraudulently over-billing customers at the telco. The insider stated it was standard practice to routinely charge customers for services they neither ordered nor wanted in order to help employees meet unrealistic sales targets. Heidi Heiser, who worked from home for CenturyLink as a customer service and sales agent from August 2015 until October 2016 sued the company, stating she was fired shortly after pointing it out this fraudulent billing company CEO Glen Post.

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Since Heiser's initial lawsuit, numerous states have since come forth to join a growing class action against the company, each state adding numerous stories supporting the claim CenturyLink has been routinely over-billing consumers. Arizona, for example, just added its name to the growing class action.

Other states, like Minnesota, are apparently launching their own, independent lawsuits. Minnesota’s attorney general Lori Swanson has filed a lawsuit against CenturyLink (pdf), stating her office has also found evidence of repeated and systemic billing fraud at the company. Among the practices being cited is the now-standard telecom industry practice of advertising one rate, then using bogus fees to charge customers more.

“I want [CenturyLink] to knock it off," Swanson said. "It is not OK for a company to quote one price and then charge another for something as basic as cable television and internet service. We want an injunction so the company stops doing this to other people, and hopefully fixes the problem for these people as well."

The lawsuit cites thirty-seven examples where customers were overbilled by the company -- errors CenturyLink refused to fix despite being provided with written proof of the original offer. Companies like CenturyLink have not only charged for services customers didn't want, but they've routinely used completely bogus fees (like its internet recovery fee) to jack up service costs even higher.

"Shopping for internet and cable TV service isn’t easy if companies don’t give straight answers about the prices they will charge,” stated the AG.

In recent months CenturyLink has given some indication that it's simplifying its pricing and eliminating some of these bogus fees. Originally we thought it was because of the company's heavy subscriber losses to cable companies, but now it seems likely that the ISP was simply responding to the growing legal evidence of its billing shenanigans.

Most recommended from 23 comments



GlennLouEarl
3 brothers, 1 gone
Premium Member
join:2002-11-17
Richmond, VA

3 recommendations

GlennLouEarl

Premium Member

"...quote one price and then charge another..."

cableco/telco/ISP SOP
fuzzyfuk
join:2001-09-23
Tempe, AZ

3 recommendations

fuzzyfuk

Member

What do we do?

CenturyLink accidentally overcharge us, Cox now charges us extra for over using their service to much. What is a customer to do