OPINION: CenturyLink is a Bad Option in Idaho

Polls say Americans aren’t very trusting.  Decades of institutional lying and failure have taken a toll.  And in everyday life, it seems someone is always looking to take advantage of us.

I canceled CenturyLink's service in August.  I adopted a new cellphone provider and bundled the deal with the Internet, allowing me to save a combined 40 dollars a month.  CenturyLink asked me to return the modem and then sent me an email offering a discount if I came back.  If the outfit can make a profit at that price, then it could’ve been offered all along.

I didn’t get a bill for September.  Then one cropped up for October.  For three days I struggled to get a live human being on the telephone.  Finally, a chatbot explained my modem hadn’t been returned.  Ah, but I had all the tracking information.  It was accepted less than 48 hours after I shipped it by UPS.

Suddenly, a live person was chatting with me.  I was told I hadn’t officially canceled, even though my modem had been received.  See how the story shifted?  When I threatened legal action, I was given a number for a person.  I called.  She gave me the same explanation and asked for the UPS tracking number.  Then claimed once more I hadn’t officially canceled.  I mentioned the email confirming it and the offer for a discount if I returned.

Pause!

Then she explained someone had received my cancelation but forgot to enter it in the system.  Which doesn’t explain why I didn’t get billed for September.  I started to feel like I was being played.  Then she agreed to wipe out the October payment.  I have the confirmation saved, just as I saved previous messages and shipping receipts.

I have a feeling most people don’t save the records.  I think the good folks at CenturyLink are banking you don’t save correspondence.  We won’t ever do business again.

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