Qwest To Microsoft Migration Causing Headaches

DENVER -- DSL is a great service if you can get it -- even better if you can keep it. But Qwest is unloading most of its residential DSL customers and that's created the Microsoft migration mess.

Bob Keihl ordered DSL service from Qwest and was told that Microsoft would provide the service.

The two companies called this a migration but Keihl says it was a mess. After a few days, his line was shut down and when he complained to Microsoft, "The gentleman said they weren't going to be able to help me unless I agreed to cancel my order and start over," Keihl said.

But Keihl's contract with Qwest carries a $150 cancellation fee and Microsoft's customer service rep insisted.

"That was the only way they were going to be able to generate a DLS order to Qwest," Keihl said. "Their customer service people are not very helpful to get them back on line."

Computer specialist Mike Siebels says the migration has not gone smoothly for a majority of his customers.

"I get one answer from Qwest -- one solution. Their solution is to call MSN. MSN has another solution which ends up referring back to Qwest," Siebels said.

Aside from complex computer issues, Siebels says the technical support people seem untrained for these issues and appear to be working from prepared answers read off a computer terminal.

"This stuff is really not in the script. These problems are kind of outside the box," Siebels said.

Last week, Qwest chief executive Joe Nacchio told consumer champ Bill Clarke that he was aware of the problem and that the product manager for residential migration at Qwest had been replaced.

"But we're responsible cause these are our customers and we're gonna fix it," Nacchio said.

Qwest promised to help us help its customers with DSL migration problems.

If you have a problem with DSL migration, fill out our complaint form. Be specific but be brief. *By filling out our complaint form concerning this specific problem with request, you will give us your permission to turn your information over to Qwest for resolution.

We'll check to see how you and Qwest and Microsoft are doing.