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Two CenturyLink customers who’ve had enough of the company’s billing and customer service practices have responded with a consumer class action lawsuit.
Plaintiffs Craig McLeod of Alabama and Steven McCauley of Kansas claim that CenturyLink has been committing a slew of business violations against millions of its customers.
According to these two plaintiffs, CenturyLink’s offenses include billing for services never purchased, imposing improper fees, billing at higher rates than those agreed to, continuing to bill after cancellation of service, charging customers for keeping rental modems after the customers had returned them, and referring those customers to collections when they refused to pay for the returned modems.
By the plaintiffs’ estimate, the allegations in this CenturyLink class action lawsuit could entitle Class Members to as much as $12 billion in damages.
McCauley says that when he heard about a $24.99 CenturyLink plan from a friend in another state, he called CenturyLink to inquire about switching to that plan. He says he was told that plan was not available in his area, but another plan was available that would offer him 10 mbps service for $27.99.
McCauley agreed to switch to the $27.99 plan. But when his next bill came, he discovered he was being billed the full $80 non-contract price of his original plan.
On calling to complain to CenturyLink, McCauley was told the $27.99 plan did not exist and never had. The CenturyLink rep told him the only available alternative was a contract plan for $43 per month. When McCauley told the rep he wanted to switch internet providers, he was told he’d have to pay a $200 contract termination fee.
McLeod says that in April 2017, he accepted an upgrade offer from CenturyLink that should have increased the speed of his internet service from 10 to 25 mbps for only $2 more per month.
He was told he’d only need to restart his modem to get the new service, but after he did so, his service shut off completely. Two visits from CenturyLink technicians resulted in two replacement modems he was allegedly told he wouldn’t need.
When his next bill came, McLeod found he was being charged far more than the $2 he was told he would pay for faster service. The bill also showed a $35 “wiring” charge, ostensibly to cover the cost of the technicians installing modems he was previously told he would not need.
McLeod reports that when he found incorrect charges on his bill and pointed them out to the company, a CenturyLink representative told him it was his own fault that he had not discovered the charges earlier.
Other CenturyLink customers apparently got the same line of victim-blaming. This CenturyLink class action lawsuit shows a screenshot of an instant message conversation between a CenturyLink rep named Chay and a customer named Nichole, in which Chay tells Nichole:
“Nichole, I understand your frustration, but at the same time it’s also the customer’s responsibility to look at their bill. That’s why you are sent one.”
McLeod and McCauley report that thousands of other consumer complaints about CenturyLink billing have been lodged on the consumer interest website Consumer Affairs.
The plaintiffs say that to submit copies of all these complaints with their CenturyLink class action lawsuit would exceed the capacity of the court’s electronic filing system, so they include a few excerpts of these reviews in their complaint.
One reviewer reports being billed over $300 for mostly phone services after specifically purchasing only internet service for $60 per month. Another reports her monthly bill, which she was led to expect would be around $94, has consistently clocked in at over $160.
McLeod and McCauley launched this action only days after Oregon plaintiff Heather Gonisor filed her own claims on behalf of thousands of Oregon CenturyLink customers who she says were grossly overbilled with fees that the company failed to properly disclose.
The company is also in the crosshairs of a whistleblower lawsuit filed in Arizona by a former employee who says she was fired after bringing evidence of unlawful billing practices to the attention of her supervisors.
The plaintiffs are proposing to represent a plaintiff Class of persons who had experiences with CenturyLink similar to their own.
They seek an award of actual, statutory, punitive, consequential and incidental damages for themselves and for potential Class Members. They are also asking the court to award reimbursement of court costs and attorney’s fees, plus pre- and post-judgment interest on all amounts awarded.
The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Mark J. Geragos, Ben J. Meiselas, Zack V. Muljat and Eric Hahn of Geragos & Geragos APC.
The CenturyLink Unlawful Overbilling Class Action Lawsuit is Craig McLeod and Steven McCauley v. CenturyLink Inc., et al., Case No. 2:17-cv-04504, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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163 thoughts onCenturyLink Class Action Calls Out Bait-and-Switch Tactics
I called Direct TV and was transferred Centurylink.I didn’t even know this until they showed up. They offered 13 mbs here at my home. I was not able to connect to my TV at the same time as as my laptop or my daughters or the other way around. I was having to call 5 times a week, sometimes they would send someone out some times they would do a reset on the phone. It would work fine for a small amount of time and I would have to call again vicious cycle. This last time they sent someone out he told me that I would never get over 3 mbs because I live in an older neighborhood. When I called Cust Serv they said I was informed that I would get between 3 and 13 mbs (which was never mentioned). I asked them to cancel my service they told me I had a contract and could not cancel, which I also didnt agree to. There wasn’t supposed to be a contract that is why I called, and 13 mbs. I was totally deceived from the start and they are still billing me. I would very much like to file against them as well.
I live in Santa Fe, NM and have had the worst experience with Century Link. They made me send in my modem/wifi equipment when I experienced a disconnect for a few days. They assured me my modem was testing (remotely?) as being broken. So, I bought a new one from them. When it arrived it had the exact same problem. They finally sent a guy out and it turns out that a line was down one block from my house. He fixed it and my connection worked again. When I moved last month, I finally had to tell them I was leaving the country.. in order to get them to close my account. I only wanted to move a few blocks away and wanted to close my account, rather than commit to their “offer”… because I did not trust the offer to be as they said it was. They had lied and ripped me off before. They kept switching me from one person to another and I was told that I would have to call back the day before I moved… which was not when I wanted the service to stop! When I said I was leaving the country, they took the shut off order. I had been on the phone with them for over 2 hours!! So… at my new place I went with Xfinity instead and pay a little more but, it’s worth it.
I too, have gone thru the same mess since starting in Sept 2015, even till now June 2 017. Originally was to be $55/Mo. with TV/Internet, then added for equipment. Finally agreed to a Mo. of $90.89 +tx $94.00. Bill ended up around $104/Mo. Not one bill is the same, gradually,it climbed to $116 Mo. I like the TV viewing, internet ok, but billing sucks. Tried to get it lowered, as on fixed income. No luck!! about ready to go back to cable. Not many choices in a small community to choose from. They need to be reigned in somehow. Tkx
They promised me free home phone and a lower rate than I got on my bill. They lied. I called and told them it was supposed to be free and my phone bill was also to high.the rep. told me they had been having trouble with the sales staff making promises that were not true.
I have to check my bill constantly because they add fees and services in unaware of.I have to call them almost monthly to get this fixed.terrible business.
When I signed up for Century Link, I was also told the inexpensive deal was not in my area. So I signed up for just the High Speed Modem, and the gentleman told me that once I paid for their modem, set up auto-pay, my bill would be $16.99 a month. I has yet to be that amount, as I get charged $28.99 a month. And he told me I could set up my auto-pay for the third of the month, since I am on a fixed income, and prefer my bills come out at the same time. I only received an email on the third to tell me they will be taking my payment out on the 27th, or there about. I called to inquire about my bill not being what I was told, and the woman was almost rude telling me that I signed up for $28.99. I stopped my auto pay to correct the date, and now my bill is $44.99, for reasons I do not know. Thank you, Laurel
I lived in AZ and had a Century Link account. I closed it out with a zero balance as I was moving out of state. Two years later, June 2017, I am checking my credit ratings and see a Century Link account in collection for $171, that I have never seen a bill for. I have no idea what it is for. I have reported this to the credit bureau, but have not heard back yet.
Any advice is welcomed.
century link is constantly over billing for my services and when i call and after waiting on the phone for at least a half hour then go thru the billing errors and finding they made another mistake and agreeing to refund the money on the next bill the refund never shows up and i need to go thru the hole process again. this is just one of the many problems i have endured in trying to deal with century link. i am sure one of the problems is that century link feels they have a captive market and feel they can get by with all the crap they make their customers put up with. i would be more than happy to join this class action.
They got me too! Unfortunately, where I live, Century Link is the ONLY phone/Internet service available. I too called regarding the “special” and was charged a different price after I signed up. I have since added a land line….cringing to see my bill!!
I now have Blue Span wireless and love it. I am in Az
They should be shut down. They are the very worst to deal with and they are slick about using their you should have checked your bill. Do they think it is ok to bill a person $130.00 extra whom is on social security because they upped the plan cost they should automatically contact you and see if you are willing for this new charge. I thought a contract was locked in but these slicksters have pulled this too many times
Now karma takes over.
I had a similar experience with these shyters. As part of a promo with direct tv that I accepted. When I call Century Link they claimed they knew nothing about it. I spent HOURS on the phone between direct tv and century link. I was very persistent and they finally agreed to give me the offer. My bil went up rbery month. When I agreed to a contract with them and set up installation I had to pay the installer at my house an outrageous fee and that was never part of the discussion. There are so many increases I finally was able to break the contract under small print I found after I upgraded….another outrageous fee paid at my house and the guy switched out a box and plugged it in. Another charge that was not discussed ahead of time. They kept billing me, I raised hell and they finally refunded the money. The hours on the phone amounted to days before I was shut of them.