Thank You for Using CenturyLink

Thank you for using CenturyLink.com. A CenturyLink Sales and Service Consultant will be with you in just a moment. Your account information is confidential and protected by law. Advise our agent if you prefer that we don't use it to market products or repair your services. This has no effect on the service we provide you.
Thank you for contacting CenturyLink. My name is Joe(xxxx). How may I help you today?
Joe: Hi Liz! How are you tonight?
Liz Ryan: Hi Joe I prefer that you don't use my information to market products. For sure. thanks!
Joe: I understand, Liz. What can I do for you?
Liz Ryan: I am okay - they just lifted the pre evacuation order due to fires so we get to stay in our house tonight. I got CenturyLink service last Friday and I am sad to say it's pretty much been a nightmare so far. This is my third interaction with CL since then. Right now I guess I need an access code to dial my sister in law in Seattle.
Liz Ryan: I have had phone service of course for ten million years with different carriers. I have never used a long distance access code. What is it, and will I always have to dial a code to call long distance on CenturyLink? Thanks!
Joe: I will be happy to give you more information about your CenturyLink service and any access codes you will need. So that I may better assist you, please provide me with your account/billing telephone number, full billing address, and either the 3 digit customer code or the last four digits of the social security number we have on file.
Liz Ryan: I already typed in the phone number when I started the chat session. What is wrong with CenturyLink or LivePerson.net such that every client has to first type in his or her phone number and then repeat it again? That is CRAZY. I mean, it makes your job a LOT harder, because right at the very beginning of the session, which the client obviously doesn't want to be having anyway, you have to tick them off by asking them for information they JUST GAVE YOU.
Liz Ryan: The number is xxx-xxx-xxxx. The billing address is 123 First Street Boulder CO 80305 and the last four of my husband's social security # are xxxx.
Joe: I'm very sorry for your frustration, Liz. Please give me one moment to access your account and I will do anything I can to assist you.
Joe: Thank you for waiting. I'll be with you in just a moment.
Liz Ryan: If I have a three digit customer code, this is the first time I'm hearing about it. No one ever gave us that code, but then again no one told us that we'd have to have three different technicians come out to our house just to get basic telephone and internet working, either.
Liz Ryan: Or that I would spending more time on LivePerson.net than I spend with my kids, for that matter.
Joe: I'm very sorry, Liz, but you are not listed as an authorized user on this account. The primary account-holder will need to call or chat in with us under that person's name in order to add you as an authorized user so that we may assist you. I can tell you that if you are having problems making calls, you can call our Home Phone Repair department at 866-968-9888 Option 195 and they should be able to assist you.
Liz Ryan: Don't be ridiculous Joe! I had an extended chat with Amanda, your colleague, last night. You can look it up. Is there a supervisor in the place tonight?
Joe: I'm only authorized to give detailed account information or make account changes with authorized users. Home phone repair should be able to address your long distance calling issue.
Liz Ryan: Also, why wouldn't the rep who sold us the service ask Michael who can get help with services? I have been doing everything. I set up the service call for the tech who was here today, and the call for the tech who was here yesterday. Each time I said "My name is Liz Ryan. Here's my husband's info."
Liz Ryan: So don't give me detailed info on the account Joe! I didn't ask for that. I asked for a supervisor. Thanks.
Liz Ryan: Look at the LivePerson.net records Joe. I did a chat just like this, last night.
Liz Ryan: It is 2012, and I can't make a long distance call from my home phone. CenturyLink totally rocks.
Joe: I'm sorry: actually, Customer Care should be able to assist you with more information about your account and give you the access code you need to make outbound calls. You can reach Customer Care at 800-244-1111 Mon-Fri 8am-7pm CST. They should also be able to add you as an authorized user on the account if you can provide verifying information.
Liz Ryan: Anyway, why does the long-distance access code issue have anything to do with our account in particular? It's a code. Just tell me what the code is. I'm not looking for information about our account records. I WANT TO TALK TO A SUPERVISOR NOW, JOE. I will pursue this issue like you wouldn't believe. Get a supervisor on this chat now.
Joe: I understand, Liz. I'm directing your request to my supervisor right now. (four minute delay)
Liz Ryan: I am waiting.
Joe: I'm sorry for the delay. One moment, please.
Jennifer P.: Hi Liz, I am Jennifer P, Joe's supervisor. How can I help you?
Liz Ryan: Hi Jennifer. We are having some major problems with our new CenturyLink service. Tonight, the problem is that I've just learned that there is some kind of access code to use when I call long distance. No one told us about that, or told us what the code is. Now Joe, your rep, says I'm not listed on my husband's account even though I had an extended chat session with Amanda last night.
Liz Ryan: He referred me to call customer service tomorrow. "No long distance for you tonight, Missy!" It's unbelievable.
Joe: I will be right with you.
Liz Ryan: Joe again? What happened to Jennifer?
Jennifer P.: I apologize Liz, but I do not see you as an authorized user on the account.
Liz Ryan: Jennifer, than how do you account for my long chat with Amanda last night? Was that a terrible mistake on her part? Should Michael be suing CenturyLink or LivePerson.net right now for violating his privacy?
Jennifer P.: However, we do not have access to the access code, you will need to have an authorized user call into customer service for that information.
Liz Ryan: I gave Joe my husband's social security number -- the last four digits. That's exactly what Amanda asked me for, last night. Which one of your reps screwed up?
Jennifer P.: You are not listed on the account as a user, so we are not able to give you information about the account no matter how much information you give about the account.
Liz Ryan: What exactly is your protection in place in case I start another chat session using the name Michael Wilcox and providing his personal information AS I JUST DID because I am his wife? How do you protect your customers against that kind of horrible invasion of privacy, on a live chat session?
Liz Ryan: How would he verify that it were him and not me, or the man in the moon, on the next chat session? Do you use fingerprint recognition technology?
Jennifer P.: We ask for the information that is on the customers account to verify the person that we are speaking with before we release information about the account.
Liz Ryan: ARE YOU KIDDING ME JENNIFER? I had a chat with your rep last night. I have ordered every service call. NO ONE ever asked Michael who was authorized to do this stuff for our family. I need your last name and your number - I already have Joe's.
Jennifer P.: You have my ID name and my CenturyLink ID is xxxx.
Liz Ryan: What is to stop me from starting another chat session two seconds from now under the name Michael Wilcox? Every other detail is exactly the same as what I have shared with you. Is it the honor system?
Liz Ryan: I feel that I should let you know I am going to be writing an article for the Huffington Post about this bizarre experience. It should get a lot of comments.
Jennifer P.: Since you just stated that you would chat in we do have a chat history for the previous chat and we would have you call into customer care for assitance.
Liz Ryan: That is perfect. Why should I need to call long-distance tonight, anyway? It's not as though raging wildfires are right outside of town here in Boulder.
Liz Ryan: CenturyLink is the best. You personally are the best, Jennifer. I pray that you get a better job very soon. If you stay at this job you are going to turn into a robot. In fact, you may be a robot already. I mean, how would I know? You haven't typed anything human yet. You could actually be Joe! How would I know?
If you are really a woman, Jennifer, I beseech you to get your resume together and start looking for a human job right away. You can't do this kind of thing and stay a person who can bounce babies and laugh and cook and hug people. Your soul will dry up.
Jennifer P.: If you have an emergency like that then you will need to call 911 in an instance like that. I understand that you are not pleased with not being able to use the long distance but you will need to have an authorized user call in to receive that access code as we do not even have access for that information at all online even if you were an authorized user.
Jennifer P.: Since I am not able to further assist you and since you are not an authorized user for this account I am going to end this chat to assist other customer. Thank you for choosing CenturyLink, have a great night. Thank you for using CenturyLink.com. Your chat session has ended.