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CenturyLink Bills: How to get a Lower Phone & Internet Bills

– CenturyLink Bills – 

CenturyLink Bills: Service Providers like CenturyLink are known for overcharging their customers, leaving the burden on you to fight for lower rates. Luckily, you can lower your internet and phone bills. Here is how to.

CenturyLink Bills

CenturyLink discounts and Promotions

You may be eligible for discounts and special promotions through CenturyLink that can save you money every month.  CenturyLink offers the following;

Senior Telephone Discount Program (STDP)

If you are 65 years or older and have income that is at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level, you may be eligible to take advantage of this discount.  Only one person per household is eligible for this discount.

Lifeline

Low-income families may be eligible for discount pricing through the Lifeline program. Households can qualify for this discount based on their income level and participation in federal or state financial assistance programs. The Lifeline program covers one phone line in the household and is available in most states.

Prism TV Entry Program

Low-income families that live in Seattle, WA or St. Paul, MN may be eligible to participate in CenturyLink’s Prism TV program at a reduced rate.

Promotional rates

CenturyLink offers a variety of special programs and bundles designed to keep rates lower. If you find you are paying more for your service than what you can afford, call customer service to see if there is a better deal for you. 

But before you change plans, be sure that you understand what you are entering. If you decide to cancel or change service again, you could be charged additional fees.

Read Also: How to Get Paid for Every Phone Calls You Make.

How to Negotiate Your CenturyLink Phone Bills

  • To start the negotiations, call CenturyLink customer service. Once you reach a real person, say simply, “I’m not happy with the amount I’m paying for my internet service.” If they don’t immediately transfer you to the Loyalty Department ask to be transferred to them. This is important because the Loyalty Department has the power, according to one agent, to give “any promotion CenturyLink offers.”
  • Arm yourself with any fliers or ads you have seen recently from CenturyLink so you know what the best deals are.
  • When you reach the Loyalty Department, say again, “I’m not happy with the amount I’m paying for internet.” If the agent doesn’t offer you a better price, start asking about the promotions. Ask about them one by one and make the agent explain why you can or cannot receive that price.
  • Come to the conversation armed with information. You should know:1. What their best-advertised deal is.2. How fast your connection speed is.3. How fast your connection speed is supposed to be.

The truth about Internet service providers is that they rarely maintain the speed you pay for. You pay for 5 mbs they give you 3. You pay for 7 they give you 5. Do a quick speed test on the Internet before you call, so you can ask about your speed. Say, “I’m only getting __mps. I thought I was supposed to get ___.” It puts them on the defensive from the beginning because they know they are wrong. They will sometimes respond that you are only guaranteed to get 80% of the actual amount, but you can politely tell them you would like all the speed you are paying for.

  • If the agent doesn’t eventually offer you a better deal, ask to speak with someone else. This is a good idea whenever dealing with customer service. If the first person doesn’t help, ask for another person.

All in all, be prepared to spend some time. Calls can take over an hour to get the best deal, but the savings pay for your time. Also, keep in mind that there is likely a limit to how good a deal you can get. In my experience, that limit is whatever their best-advertised deal for new customers is. If you push long enough, you should be able to get that deal.

How to Save Money on your CenturyLink bills

How to negotiate bills

Review your bill

Review your bill every month to make sure that you are being charged for the service you agreed to. If you were promised a special promotional rate or a credit, make sure that you see this on your bill. 

According to the Better Business Bureau, customers often report that CenturyLink promises customers a promotional rate but they either don’t honor it or they don’t explain the terms.

In other cases, you may be charged for services that you didn’t authorize or are incorrect.

  • In August 2019, CenturyLink settled a government action taken by the Federal Trade Commission whereby customers had unauthorized long-distance charges on their accounts. CenturyLink agreed to a settlement of $550,000, plus refunds to customers that had unauthorized charges posted to their accounts.
  • Customers that update or cancel services report that rates aren’t changed and they continue to be billed.
  • Customers also report that they are billed for equipment that they had returned.

By reviewing your bill, you can catch these errors early on which can help you to keep your charges low.

Pay for what you Need

CenturyLink provides an array of services including internet, television through DirecTV, and phone service.  Many times, customers purchase bundled services as a means to keep their costs low.

While this may seem like a good deal, if you aren’t using all of the services, you may be paying than if you just signed up for what you need.

In other cases, you may be able to reduce the level of service you receive.  If you subscribe to multiple channels or you don’t need a landline, you may be able to scale these back to save a little money each month.

We hope this article has been helpful to you. Please share it with anyone you think will appreciate the information and kindly drop your comment below.

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