Poor customer service is costing CenturyLink $250,000. The...
Poor customer service is costing CenturyLink $250,000. The telco agreed to pay the “voluntary contribution” in response to an FCC Enforcement Bureau investigation into possible violations of the conditions of its 2011 purchase of Qwest (CD March 11/11 p1). As…
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part of the takeover, CenturyLink agreed to make discounted broadband service available at $9.95 a month, and to offer a discount on computer equipment. But the FCC received two customer complaints that called into question whether CenturyLink was abiding by terms of the agency’s order approving the deal. One consumer complained of being told by a CenturyLink customer service representative that anyone wanting discounted broadband service must also purchase CenturyLink’s Lifeline wireline service. Another consumer complained that a representative said the telco didn’t offer discounted computer equipment. The bureau investigated, assigning staff to place calls to CenturyLink’s national toll-free customer service number in August to “evaluate the accuracy of information being disseminated,” the order said. The bureau also asked CenturyLink if it was complying with the deal’s order. CenturyLink responded that it “attempted in good faith to properly train its customer service representatives” about its obligations, but “there had been some confusion,” the order said. The bureau agreed to a settlement in which, in addition to the quarter-million dollar payment, CenturyLink will retrain its staff. The telco is “proud” of its low-cost Internet program, and its role in “improving broadband adoption and use by low-income consumers,” a spokeswoman said. The consent decree will lead to “improvements in our call centers that will make the application process more productive for customers who call in asking about the program,” she said.