Date: Sat, 10 Dec 2016 23:24:46 -0500
From: paultierney
Subject: CenturyLink Problems
Monda Welch has been documenting her tribulations with CenturyLink and I don’t want her to feel alone. Plus, I have some info that might save you some money.
Telephone service has never been reliable here, but since last summer I’ve had a “temporary” above ground line from the end of my driveway to the corner almost 1/4 mile away. Roadside mowing – the line is cut in multiple places. “We’ll fix it within 5 days. Is that OK?” “No, that’s not ok.” A tall truck goes by & snags the line where it crosses the road overhead – same routine. Someone driving by thinks he has a better use for that orange wire lying beside the road – same routine. Every time it rains we get static on the line and 1/10th speed internet. I won’t list all the (cell) phone calls trying to get service restored. My wife and I have even repaired the wire several times ourselves.
Tip #1: If you have repeated service interruptions you can get a refund for a month of service but you have to ask/demand it.
Tip #2: You can get internet-only service for ~$25/month, but you have to ask for it specifically. Just asking for the cheapest internet service isn’t good enough – they will tell you it’s $48/mo. If you say that’s too much they’ll say, “Oh, there’s a special rate in your area. It’s only $39.”
My next step is to write to the utilities commission. I probably should have done that a year ago. (Are you listening CenturyLink?)
Paul