Why I'm so mad at CenturyLink

I’ve been noticing for months… more than a year… that my internet connection seems to be slower at nighttime.  Significantly slower.  It’s been very annoying, but I’ve managed to live with it.  Right about the time I’m reaching for the phone to call CenturyLink (formerly Qwest), it will start to speed up.

That was, until last Sunday.  I was trying to watch something on Netflix and I had virtually NO speed.  And if you think I’m exaggerating, here are the figures: My download was .06 mbps, and my upload was .43, with a 80ms ping.  I would call that bumper to bumper traffic and virtually stopped on the highway of the internet.

I called CenturyLink.  I find that their inbound customer service is actually quite good.  They apologized, acknowledged my frustration, and walked me through several steps to gather information.  But I knew what the problem was.  It wasn’t the wiring in my house (else why would my speed be perfectly normal in the daytime?).  It wasn’t my operating system (see previous). It could not be anything but too many users and not enough bandwidth.

But they sent a technician to my house on Monday anyway.  And lo and behold, at 10 in the morning, I had full speed.  At 8 at night, I did not.

I called again tonight.  And finally the tech said… “Yes, we have 5 servers and they are all full.  There is not enough bandwidth.  A new server will not be completed until at least April.”

Here’s why I’m mad:

·        If CenturyLink can spend tons of money on marketing material, trying to get me to buy MORE of their services, why can’t they use that same money to solve the problem with the service I am ALREADY paying for?

·        CenturyLink has known about this problem for quite a while.  Why haven’t they contacted me to let me know they are working on it?

·        CenturyLink KNEW I was ticked off when I called the other day.  They didn’t solve my problem.  They didn’t even tell me WHAT my problem was.  Why didn’t a customer service rep call me and ask if my problem was solved?  Where is the outbound love? 

Eric Garland (twitter @EricGarland)

·        CenturyLink is a big, big company.  They can’t afford to pay a trendspotter to tell them that internet usage is ONLY GOING TO INCREASE as time moves forward?  May I suggest my friend, the futurist and trend-spotter Eric Garland.  He could have told them they were going to have this problem a decade ago.

·        Why can’t I tell CenturyLink that I’m having too heavy of a financial load on my system, and I’m only going to pay them 10% of what I owe them this month?  And for as many months as this financial load continues. Because THAT is what they are doing to me! I have paid, month after month after month for 7 mbps download.  And I ain’t gettin’ what I’m paying for.

What CenturyLink should do:

·        Start an outbound customer service department, even if it’s only by email. (although I realize how silly that sounds, if your problem is with the internet.)  Call your unhappy customers and make sure you have solved the problem.

·        STOP sending so much crap in the mail.  It only irritates people.  Don’t think for a minute we’re not pissed off that you are wasting money on marketing crap that could be better used elsewhere. LIKE ON NEW AND BETTER EQUIPMENT.

·        Offer a retroactive credit to people you KNOW you have slighted. If you can’t supply the product or service you are happily taking our money for, then you shouldn’t be taking our money.  Have some integrity.

·        Hire a better prognosticator. Are you seriously going to tell me, CenturyLink, that you had no idea that demand would get so high?  There were so many signs.  Fewer phone lines ordered means more people are working by email.  Survey Says… kids need internet to do their homework, Facebook users go nuts at night, Netflix and Hulu are growing by leaps and bounds.  What are you not seeing?

The reality is we all have more choices now.  And social media allows us to air our grievances.  Will I be looking into a different provider? You bet I will.  And I’ve been with you a long time, but my loyalty means nothing to you. Will I tell others about my bad experience with you?  You betcha.  And I’m going to ask them to retweet.

CenturyLink, shame on you.

--One woman’s opinion

 photo credits: Michal Zacharzewski, Eric Garland