CenturyLink Corporate Office

It doesn’t take much to feel like David fighting Goliath when a company you’ve done business lets you down.

This is especially true when they let you down via a mistake, usually one that was their fault but costs you money. But if you rely on their service, you have to pay the bill, even though it is wrong or risk having your service cut off.

Phone calls with employees who don’t have any power to fix the issue waste your time. Email complaints seem to go into a black hole, and if you are lucky enough to get a response it is usually a boilerplate one. So you request to speak with someone higher up, someone at the corporate office with authority to fix it, but that gets ignored or takes too long, and that’s just not time you can afford.

Or, they tell you they’ll make things right and don’t follow through, leaving you to begin the frustrating process all over again.

What can you do other than feel like a chump who was taken advantage of?

Use arbitration to settle your complaint with CenturyLink

When situations like this arise, you look for a legal route. But the problem is, most companies like CenturyLink include include forced arbitration clauses in their contracts to prevent you from taking them to court. And if you are limited in your choices for cable, internet, and cell phone service providers force you are forced to do business with companies who have low customer service standards and unresponsive staff at their headquarters. Even when we have a choice, we may be locked in by a contract.

So what can you do? Use that arbitration clause to your advantage. Arbitration helps you get a satisfactory solution for your complaint against CenturyLink without having to sue the company. When you request arbitration, the company has to do a lot of work and they lose control of the outcome. During arbitration, an independent individual (the arbitrator) is appointed who is familiar with the type of situation involved. The arbitrator has to be impartial. The arbitrator looks at the facts presented by both sides and makes a binding decision.

Arbitration is fair, just, reasonable, and transparent

Arbitration handled by the American Arbitration Association® comply with the Statement of Principles of the Consumer Due Process Protocol which means:

The process must be fundamentally fair to all parties including yourself and that means you get the appointment of impartial, competent, and qualified arbitrators who conduct fair hearings.
A reasonable standard is applied to the arbitration process so you get access to all the relevant information, reasonable costs, and reasonable meeting times/locations.
The transparency standard requires clear arbitration agreements that include all the necessary information and give each party the ability to hire their own representation.
An alternative to arbitration, in the form of small claims court and, in some cases, mediation, should be available.
The process should be just and allow the arbitrator to award the same relief that would be available in a court of law in a binding decision.

Arbitration gives you leverage

When you put a company like CenturyLink on notice that you are going to pursue arbitration, they know they are going to be required to pay expenses out of pocket. They also know that they are going to risk losing the case, which means they pay for arbitration and pay for the mistake. They become much more willing to listen to your reasonable demands at that point.

If CenturyLink doesn’t meet your demands, you can get a reasonable, fair, transparent, and just hearing without spending any money by using FairShake to help you file for arbitration. Our help doesn’t cost you anything unless you win.

You don’t want to bring a nuisance case because you could be held responsible for the company’s costs if the arbitrator believes the case is frivolous. But if you have a real complaint, you shouldn’t have to worry about the possibility of having to pay the company’s costs.

Leverage leads to faster settlements

That leverage, where the company no longer has control over the situation and no longer has the advantage is something you can use for faster settlements. Remember, when you begin the arbitration process, the company loses the advantage and now you are on an equal footing with the company because the neutral arbitrator will view both sides of the issue without bias. The first step to give you the leverage you need to resolve your complaint is for you to formally raise your problem with CenturyLink.

And FairShake helps you do so. We will send a demand letter to CenturyLink corporate offices to start the clock on them to resolve your case before you can file arbitration (usually 30 days but this depends on the length of time required by the arbitration clause in your contract).

In about half the cases, the company’s headquarters makes an acceptable settlement offer during this period and the matter is resolved without going to arbitration. If they do not offer you a reasonable settlement during this period, the next step is to file the case with the American Arbitration Association. FairShake will put together the official arbitration paperwork for you, and help you take the next steps.

Do I need an attorney?

If your case reaches arbitration, you might consider whether to hire an attorney. In legal terms an individual without an attorney is bringing their claim “pro se.” If you decide to move forward without an attorney, you’ll want to read the information available from The American Arbitration Association’s Pro Se Case Administration Team.

Certain common complaints fall under specific laws in which cases it is possible to get compensation that is particularly high without an attorney.

Certain other issues like complaints involving robocalls or improper debt collection attempts, are more complicated and in these situations, the assistance of an attorney can help you maximize the value of those claims.

What can I do next?

Begin the process by letting us know below about your complaint against CenturyLink. Let FairShake take the frustration of dealing with a big company off your to do list and help you get the satisfactory solution you deserve.

FairShake offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are not satisfied with our services, you will not owe us anything.