Qwest: Corruption at the Top

The former Qwest CEO has been indicted on 42 counts of insider trading. This story is interesting to me because I was ripped off by Qwest during the time this guy was at the wheel. I should start by saying I hope and think Qwest has cleaned up its act. However, a few years ago they called me to "offer" me three free trial months of one of their products (I was an existing customer at the time). However, after the first month, the bill for the service came. After waiting 45 minutes to get to customer service, they told me they would take the charge off the next bill. However, the next bill did not deduct the charge and in fact had an additional charge for the service. After a few more 45-minute calls and similar responses, I just gave up, which was exactly what they wanted me to do. I filed a complaint with the BBB, but never heard back.

This isn't the first time Qwest has been in the hot seat. See here and here. My point here is not to criticize a company that treated me badly, but to point out that corrupt leadership at the top trickles throughout an organization.

By the way, I now use Verizon wireless and do not have a landline (to avoid using Qwest). Verizon's customer service is unbelievably good.