Qwest on "obsolete" Macs

One Mac owner who recently signed up for Qwest wireless experienced various technical difficulties getting online, and after numerous technical support phone calls was told by a Qwest employee that "Qwest should not have to train its employees in a practically obsolete system," according to The Consumerist. More than nine phone calls to Qwest resulted in several instances of blaming the customer's MacBook, not Qwest, for the troubles she experienced receiving internet service.

In the end the MacBook owner exceeded her cellular phone minutes for the month by spending hours on the phone with Qwest technical support, was billed for a different modem that also failed to work with her Mac as well as for the two months she spent without internet trying to receive help with her issue, and was taken to collections for waiting to pay for the new modem at the request of Qwest employees who promised to remove the charges.

MacBook owner Lindsey Case moved in May of 2007, deciding with her new housemates to share wireless internet service for the household. She ordered Qwest wireless during the first week of June, but recalls her experiences thereafter:

"When I received the modem and start up disc, none of the codes would work for my computer, nor my housemates. I called Qwest and was told that it was because I had a MacBook," Case told The Consumerist. "During the month of June I called Qwest over nine times, and was repeatedly told in both polite and in rude terms that the problem was my Mac, not Qwest. During one call to Qwest, an employee told me that he could get it up and running in 30 seconds if my computer were a PC. When I asked him if any of his colleagues were trained for Macs, he told me that hardly anyone uses macs and Qwest should not have to train its employees in a practically obsolete system. He then transferred me, against my will, to the apple support line."

Following numerous phone calls and much frustration, Case finally spoke with a Qwest employee who knew Macs and had the wireless working in less than 30 seconds. Case eventually canceled her service with Qwest to sign up with Charter, which provided her household with fully operational internet service immediately.

Qwest responds

Following the story of Lindsey Case, Qwest's director of network operations responded to the incident by explaining that the company does in fact support Macs on its network.

"I work at Qwest, and I am Mac user with Qwest Broadband. I want to clarify that Qwest Broadband absolutely works with Macs," said director Jon Lentz. "I apologize for the poor experience Ms. Case had with our technical support - it runs counter to our goal to provide outstanding customer service."

Lentz says the company has Mac specialists in its technical support centers, and encourages users to visit an online resource available for Mac users with Qwest Broadband.

by MacNN Staff