Complain about a product or service

Qwest

Qwest • Install & Repair • Billing & Credit • Qwest Wireless • Qwest Long Distance • Qwest DSL -- • Qwest Pays Big Refunds in Arizona • Minnesota Fines Qwest $26 Million • States Sue Qwest • Feds OK Qwest for Long-Distance

Nearly every telephone company had its version of a nervous breakdown the last few years. What with deregulation, the Internet craze, cell phones and everyone babbling on about convergence, the phone Dilberts went wild in the streets, comparatively speaking.

Qwest (formerly US West, formerly Mountain Bell), however, took all this to a whole new level. First, it started out with an abysmal record of providing local service in its far-flung Western region. Then it proceeded to make things even worse.

More than most other companies, Qwest tried to be an all-in-one provider, pushing local, cell and DSL service, all on a single bill. Problem was, in way too many cases it couldn't seem to get that single bill right.

State utility commissions around the West have fined Qwest repeatedly but it will take a long time to get this Humpty Dumpty put back together.

Among Qwest's more problematic services is its version of DirecTV:

Carla of Peoria AZ (03/24/06)
I am a Qwest customer and I am writing to your office because my pay per view account with Qwest was and continues to be charged for pornographic material that I did not order and do not want coming into my home inadvertently. I am in school full time and so is my son. I have enabled, on all of my accounts with Qwest, the pre-scribed parental and purchase controls and yet these charges to my account continue to occur many while we are clearly in school. I do not want and will not be paying for pornography that has been illegally charged to my account.

Qwest is trying hard to figure out how it happened, and has acknowledged that there was a problem that they are attempting to ameliorate. For me, the broader problem is how to prevent this sort of situation from recurring in the future as I do not wish to be charged for and held responsible for purchased of any kind that I did not order, but especially this sort of material. I was informed by a Qwest customer service employee that there are more charges for pornography on my next bill. They stated that their corporate policy does not allow them to remove these illegal charges to my account and that although there was some kind of problem that allowed the charges I would still have to pay them.

I do not understand a policy that does not take into consideration the fact that these kind of mistakes in the system happen and remove the charges that obviously do not belong to me, a long term, customer who does not have a history of purchasing this sort of material at all. it is clear that someone obtained access to my account and then proceeded to order daily this filth. I do not want to pay for the present nor future charges to my account for pornographic material. If you were to go over my account it would become clear that I rarely order movies of any kind and especially not pornography. I have already been a recent victim of identity theft and I do not wish to be victimized again.