Andrew sent a message to Glen F. Post, III President and CEO, CenturyLink, Inc. – email address that said:
Please know that I am frustrated in a way I havent been in nearly 20 years. I have spend 10 - 15 hours dealing with your company by phone and have now wasted 8 hours of work time plus being here to meet service staff.
Over the last 6 - 7 months We have been building a home in the same neighborhood we have been living in for 20 years. Months ago we called and told century link we planned to wire our home so that all lines would come into one central location and be wired from there to a distribution box in our house (and from there disseminated for phone, internet, and cable).
I made it VERY clear that we wanted ONLY a phone line from you all, and was told that would be fine.
In late march or early April I arranged to have our number transferred from our apartment to our new home in advance of our moving in on the 15th of April.
I was told that the lineman would install the line to the external box and there was no need to be here for that OR for the transfer of our line.
1 week or so later, we were called to the house as they were unable to connect to our house as fiber optics and not a phone line had been pulled. What they wanted was to drill a hole into our NEW home, into the apartment (on the lower floor) and then run the lines, somehow, through the house (very inelegantly given that we planned, paid for an already wired everything into the walls during construction).
We cancelled this service. I called back YET AGAIN and spoke with several people and said ALL we wanted was a phone line. Yes, that could be done. I was EXPLICIT about our set up, that we wanted NO external wires, or drilling into our home. AGAIN, I was told that was ALL OK.
I was told someone would be there on Monday the 2nd from 9 - 1.
Well no one came I called and was informed that it had been moved to the 10th. After speaking with a number of folk, I spoke with Shalya who said she would arrange for someone the next day and give me a $50 gift certificate for my troubles.
Unfortunately, no confirmation arrived and I called back to confirm (and that person's name is sitting in my office). That customer service person couldn't reach shalya, told me I wouldn't get the $50 and finally, was told that someone would come TODAY Wednesday the 4th between 9 - 1 PM
At 10:30 fearing there was yet another issue, I called back and was told first that the timing of our appointment was now 1 - 3, I asked to speak with a supervisor who informed me that no, it wasn't 1 -3 it was TOMORROW the 5th from 9 - 1.
At that point I asked to speak with someone that could explain what was going on, read, a more senior person. I spoke with Regina 113, and she was completely unable to explain why the schedule had change WITHOUT my even having being given a courtesy call? Moreover, she told me that she really wasn't the right person to answer my questions. I said I would hold the line until she could find someone who could. After 20 minutes she found JOY ID JAD 116491.
She told me she had no idea why the timing had changed, and told me that we had ordered a fiber optic cable. I said, no, we had specifically asked for a copper phone line, which I KNOW to be on our street.
I asked her again to explain why I had been lied to (by literally dozens of your employees), why the timing had changed on our appointments without courtesy calls. Again she offered no reasonable answers, NOR did I actually feel heard, apologized to or left with ANY desire to EVER do business with you all.
I asked her who I might speak with to ensure that what I wanted with our installation, (a line pulled to our external box, which is wired through the walls to the distribution box in the house) before another tech comes out. She told me that wasn't possible. I would have to speak to the tech.
At that point I decided I would call you. IRONICALLY, I can find NO way to call the CEO of a phone company. So I am writing.
I have an install scheduled for next Friday the 13th at 9 - 1 PM. I would REALLY like to speak with someone at Century link before then to find out if what I want is even possible.
Let me be patently clear. I have articulated what we wanted on at least a dozen times to myriad of your employees including several supervisors, and was assured what I wanted was doable, only to find out, they have ordered whatever they wanted or simply told me what I wanted to hear to get me off the line.
I would like to speak to someone that can ACTUALLY give me an answer to my question that has the knowledge, authority and honesty to assist me.
Yours,
Andrew
