CenturyLink has been under fire as of late, amid allegations of cramming and overcharging and a lawsuit filed by the Minnesota Attorney General to address the latter on behalf of consumers in that state. And CenturyLink CEO Glen Post wants employees to know that’s not what his company stands for.
In an email sent to employees last week that was shared with CED, Post addresses these issues, noting “the allegations contained in these lawsuits are contrary to everything I believe we stand for as a company.”
“These allegations do not represent our values, our principles or our commitment to always try to do the right thing in running our business,” Post writes. “We are working diligently to investigate and respond to these claims. We will defend ourselves where we must, and we will fairly address any mistakes we may have made.”
Post says he was not previously aware of an employee’s allegations that CenturyLink encouraged fraudulent billing of customers, but said such suggestions “go against everything we stand for as a company.” Post adds that he is baffled by the Minnesota AG’s claims that the company has been uncooperative with her investigation into the allegations. CenturyLink, he says, has “had several phone meetings with the AG’s office” and “been fully cooperating” with the AG’s Office since the inquiry began.
“We take these allegations very seriously and are diligently investigating them. In addition to committing significant internal resources, our Board of Directors has hired the law firm O’Melveny & Myers to conduct an independent review of these issues,” Post reports. “This decision was made immediately after learning of our former employee’s claim and is one that I completely support. Whatever we find in our review of these matters, we will do what we always aspire to do: we will be fair and do the right thing.”
Post’s note to workers comes on the heels of a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a former CenturyLink employee named Heidi Heiser last month. Heiser claims she was let go for calling out a scheme at the company that enabled sales representatives to cram unauthorized fees on consumer bills to meet sales goals.
Similar allegations were made by Minnesota AG Lori Swanson in her lawsuit taking CenturyLink to court. In her complaint, Swanson claims the company is charging customers significantly more than the prices quoted by sales agents. More on that here.