I installed an SBX last week for a customer. They ended up calling 911 with it and the dispatchers got the wrong service address (system is using loopstarts from CenturyLink). They also reported no caller id.

So I call CenturyLink and tell them the physical address being provided for E911 is incorrect (and had a notification from the authorities to prove it). That got their attention and they fixed that right away. But then, I spent 50 minutes being passed around from department to department before I could finally get a repair ticket filed for no caller id. If it matters, this is a business account. The call went something like this. First the customer noticed there was no caller id so they call the 800 number. CTL insists caller id is already active. I put my buttset on the line. No Bellcore FSK after the first ring. So I call the CTL business repair number. They say well I don't see it on the acct, I'll have to transfer you to sales. They transfer me to residential sales (this is a business acct). They notice the mistake and transfer me to business sales. That was 10 more minutes of hold. They say caller id is already on that line! I explain that it isn't. OK, we'll get you over to repair. Went on hold and now I'm back at repair. I explain that I put a buttset on the line and saw no Bellcore FSK. They tell me "I don't know what you're speaking about sir, caller id is for incoming calls". I tell them caller id isn't working. They ask "For outgoing calls or incoming calls?" Now I'm loosing my patience. INCOMING CALLS, I say. OK sir I will make a ticket for that. Thankfully due to the odds, that tech made a ticket rather then sending me back to sales.

Remember back when repair knew what bellcore was? I'm convinced they are just receptionists with the ability to create repair tickets now.

Back when things were CenturyTel, I remember talking to very knowledgeable folks every time I called in. I also got consistent information that made sense each time. Now, I get the run around every time and I never receive consistent information from sales and repair. It's like playing the odds with success.

Such is the way of the business world. Customer service reps are clerks who use scripts to try to solve problems. Chances are that the reps either work for contracted companies...or...are simply not being trained to think beyond the prepared scripts.

Yep, that's how it works now. I hate calling in a trouble. Being in a small rural area if I see one of the techs I just tell them my problem and it usually is fixed in short order.

Centurylink has become a highly profitable carrier. They must be doing something right some where. I have used then a few times and they were ok. Nothing special, but what carrier is.

Try working with them porting numbers in...especially if it is a VoIP line. The run around you will get will literally make your head hurt.

Keep in mind that Century Telephone, later CenturyTel and now CenturyLink (or whatever) was originally the #5 independent telco in the United States. Pretty small in the grand scheme of things when you consider that they were way down the list from GTE, United, Centel, Alltel, etc. I assure you that they had no clue what Bellcore was, at least on the customer service end. They didn't have a lot of resources until recently.

Now that they got a bunch of money have become ridiculously huge, and the first independent telco in history to actually buy a regional Bell company (US West), in addition to purchasing Sprint's United and Centel territories, they have developed that "huge" way of doing business. They have taken this mixture of telcos and tried to make them function as one. Century (no pun intended) old companies merged into one just can't be done gracefully. All of them had different ways of doing business. As we all know in this business, bigger is NEVER better for the customer.

I'd be willing to bet that either Verizon or at&t will buy Century within five years and then it will really get fun.

We have Century customers west of St. Louis and I hope they never enter the St. Louis market, they are the worst and always have been the worst to deal with.

I have had that call with Verizon 14 times on cuts for 1 customer over a six month period.