Complaint Review: Qwest

Over the past several months, I have repeatedly attempted to rectify the difficulties I have had both with my wireless phone and internet service. Unfortunately, Qwest Customer Service has continually failed to adequately resolve these difficulties, and my attempts to reach Qwest Utah President Jerry Fenn and Qwest Chairman & CEO Edward A. Miller have been left unanswered. Nevertheless, I continue to pay for one non-working phone, a quickly breaking phone, an unusable modem and problematic internet. I'm feeling somewhat powerless against this corporate giant, and am trapped in a two year contract (which I recall being informed was only one year).

About a month ago, one of the two phones on my account (both Nokia 6165i) began to crack at the left hinge. These phones were provided by Qwest at a discounted price with what I believed was a one-year service agreement. As it has been less than a year since receiving the phones, they are still under warranty. I was willing to believe, at the time, that this individual phone was defective. Nevertheless, Qwest's repair department refused to replace the phone. Since that time, the phone's damage has become irreparable.

Over a week ago, the second of the two phones on our account began to crack at the left hinge, in the same location and manner as the first phone. Again, the phone is under warranty, and the similarities in the damage indicate a flaw in the design. Qwest's repair department continues to refuse to replace the phones, despite the failure of this poor-quality product. Additionally, the account is locked into a contract through December 2009 (two years from the date of activation), and an early cancellation fee of $200 per phone was threatened when I suggested cancellation may be in order. At this time, Qwest has refused to provide a copy of this contract, and the "loyalty department" has been unavailable with each call.

Since obtaining internet through Qwest, internet access has been neither "high speed" nor "reliable," as advertised. Digital signal is frequently lost at or around 4 PM (a time, I expect, when demand on the DSL is at its peak), and it remains down for hours to days. Multiple calls have been made about this problem, and no resolution has ever been made. One such call ended in a representative attempting to download a "packet" to our self-purchased modem, which destroyed it. After a week of phone calls, a replacement was offered at a discounted rate. This "replacement" functions only with Qwest services, and the "discounted rate" was over $90. We have had multiple technicians come to our home for this difficulty. At first it was suggested the problem may be with the wiring in our home, but each time a technician enters our home (thereby creating an additional $50 charge), they discover that is not the case. I have learned that the problem may caused by the demand on the DSL lines in our area, but Qwest refuses to admit this fault and continues to provide less-than-adequate service, if any service at all.

In order to better document these repeated difficulties, I have requested a copy of the wireless contract and the notes on my account. Qwest, however, refuses to provide this information. Throughout this process, I have dealt with difficult to navigate phone systems, customer service representatives ranging from hostile to rude, representatives unauthorized and unable to assist me, promised callbacks that never occur, supervisor escalations that leave me on hold for 15 20 minutes without ever reaching a supervisor, and a general misrepresentation of services. I've moved up the ranks of Qwest about as far as I can reach, and my past two email to Jerry Fenn and Ed Mueller have been completely ignored.

All I want is the chance to gracefully leave Qwest behind. To do this, Qwest must provide a full refund for the cost of the original modem ($90), and refund the unauthorized charges for the Qwest modem ($90), so I can purchase a modem that will work with another company. Qwest should also terminate the wireless contract without an early termination fee, providing me the ability to transfer the two numbers on my account to another phone company. To properly document these difficulties and any potential resolution, I would also like to receive a copy of the signed wireless contract, and the notes listed on my account that have been denied to me. Will this ever happen? Who knows.

Jeremy
Salt Lake City, Utah
U.S.A.

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