“Even though some Qwest employees told our reader that Qwest wireless wouldn’t work for her because ‘Macs are practically an obsolete system,’ Jon Lentz, Qwest director of network operations, wrote to inform us that Qwest, does, in fact, support the use Macs on its network,” Ben Popken reports for The Consumerist.
Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. I work at Qwest, and I am Mac user with Qwest Broadband. I want to clarify that Qwest Broadband absolutely works with Macs. I apologize for the poor experience Ms. Case had with our technical support – it runs counter to our goal to provide outstanding customer service. We have Mac specialists in our technical support centers, and there is an online resource available for Mac users with Qwest Broadband.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: That’s more like it. Now if only Qwest would get around to updating their online Mac resources to cover beyond Mac OS X 10.3 Panther (released over four years ago on October 24, 2003) they’d really be cooking with gas.
Thats funny…I was thinking Qwest was an obsolete telco
WWAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! too late
Pathetic.
MDM Word: “very”
Just goes to show that anyone with a pulse can get a job at a tech support center.
One person got an anti-Mac a-hole in tech support, the company is clearly making an effort here. Let’s not trash them just yet.
No, let’s trash them for being one of the most ordure-filled telecom companies in the west! I live in Colorado, and until you’ve been “had” by Qwest, you don’t know what you’re suggesting here.
Anything and everything that befalls this company THEY DESERVE!
To me, this sounds like the recordings of the tech support’s call activities are being reviewed, and a certain call operator will be flipping burgers soon.
When Qwest uses the phase ‘Macs are practically an obsolete system,’ then Qwest has gone past a point of no return.
There is nothing Qwest can say or ever say that will make me want to give them my business and hard earned money.
It is a free market and I can find similar services elsewhere.
As far as the person with the original problem is concerned, Qwest doesn’t support Macs. As far as the next Mac user seeking support from Qwest is concerned, they might not support Macs, because they have no guarantee their call won’t be answered by the same jerk. All the nice letterns from the director of network operations (who I believe) don’t make a bit of difference to the person on the phone seeking help. I the rep is lame, lazy or both, the result is the same as if Qwest was making no effort at all.
Which gets us to Strategy One for dealing with support lines. If you think you’re getting a bogus answer, hang up and call back! You’ll get a different person who may have a better grasp on the question. They quality of tech support line is always proportional to the care of the industry for the individual customer. Telcom views us as fools to be taken advantage of and that attitude works its way down from the top to the lowest tech support call center worker.
Well, I don’t have any personal experience with Qwest, but clearly they’re at least doing PR damage control. Most companies just bury stuff and hope it goes away on its own. If they are telling the truth about their Mac support, then that’s even better. If they are actually reviewing the tech support phone records and take action, that’s even better still. How much do I hope for? Not much, but it does look like they’re trying.
My experience with Qwest DSL started about 6 years ago.
The initial setup experience was horrible. Since then it just plain works. I can’t remember the last time that it didn’t. I do have an old cisco modem so that might help plus I chose their no ISP bring your own thing instead of MSN. Friends with the Qwest MSN manually setup the connection and install nothing and seem to have no problems either.
This is a common problem not limited to Qwest. I live in Canada and offer my IT services for a select few. Some are using windoze systems and others are taking my recommendations and switching to Mac. From my experience with Bell, Cogeco, Rogers, basically everyone in the internet supply business all leave new Mac users to fend for themselves. Including setting up blackberrys and what not.
The customer service industry with respect to phone and internet supply is based on a model from many years ago. And, as such I would say that 7 times of 10 when calling customer service you will be told that the aforementioned company does not support Mac.
The customer service call centre goals are for shorter call times. That means that instead of helping their customers through the problems it is easier to get off the phone to lower the average call time and let some other CSR take care of it. They all have targets to hit when it comes to average call time. Spending time with a unfamiliar system and a new Mac user lowers their potential for bonus based on time.
SAD but TRUE!
@lurker – Yeah, I’d love to wait ANOTHER 45 minutes on hold for a tech rep if I don’t get the answers from the first one. That’s always a fun way to waste a whole day.
I have to back up what Tranz4m has said.
I have Qwest DSL and an independent ISP that hooked me about 4 years ago. It has been reliable service with the Qwest supplied modem. Very reliable and always up.
I think the the “practical obsolete’ part of the tech support guy statement might be referring to his services. All his calls are PC related, i.e. non Mac issues – hence that’s his little universe. One Mac issue and he is out of his element.
For those of you thinking of dumping cable for DSL, I for one have had no issues with qwest DSL service, and I’m running 10.4.10. Just my two cents. An no, I don’t work for them. I can’t speak to thief voice stuff as I don’t have call forwarding, waiting , ring back etc. etc. Just a phone and DSL that’s it. Both work without issues.
Are the telcos different than Comcast in the level of Apple support? The only broadband provider I’ve ever had is Comcast, and when I got it installed, I don’t remember the question of what type of computer I had ever being mentioned.
I bought the “modem”, did the install, and was done in about 15 minutes, and tech support has been great, at least for me.
Who will be fired at Qwest?
“For those of you thinking of dumping cable for DSL”…
Not sure why, but I’ve never had a good experience with DSL here in So Cal. It’s slow, spotty, and not as good as cable. This experience holds true with my mac converts also.
Do not.
Do too.
Do not.
Do too.
Doughnut?
Yes, thanks! Where were we? Oh yes, I came here for an argument.
I tried to signup for qwest dsl at my home and they informed me that it would cost $10/month more because I was a mac user. All I wanted was an IP. I don’t care about their email or hosting if that’s what’s not compatible.
I don’t use Qwest, but what one person reports was said to them does not neccesarily mean that they represent the whole company.
How can we judge any of this without hearing the tape and listening to both sides?
@PCIdiot,
Judge this by going to Qwest’s support site linked by MDN:
http://www.qwest.com/internethelp/opsystems/mac/index.html
You’ll see that it’s true that they stopped updating their website for Macs after OX 10.3! That clearly demonstrates that they are making no effort to provide support for the Mac.
Problem with Qwest is their partnership with Microsoft and resulting subsidization of MSN. Qwest’s ISP by itself costs a lot more. When they decide to give me comparable DSL rates without being shackled to M$, then I might consider giving them my business.
To PCIdiot:
What’s a tape? Still using that dial-up modem and a rotary phone?
Nice to see a response from Quest! Thanks
I disagree with Jim – TIV. I’ve never had as slow downloading on DSL in two different states across the continent as I do with my present NV cable provider. Between 8 to 8:30 am and 6 – 6:30 pm it is slower than trying to pour cold molasses. I never had that happen with DSL. I’m switching.
WHOOPS! I mean Qwest
I’m here, in Quebec/Canada, with Sympatico. When I phone to get technical support, half the time they says that they don’t support Mac platform (which is false). So, the trick is to say “Ok, thanks” and phone back to hit a more helpful “technician” on the line. It always worked. It is sad but some support tech are severely anti-Mac. I never waist my time with them.
Qwest is the de facto option for DSL services where I live, and they are terrible !
I put up with their DSL for 5 years, before finally getting smart and dumping them for cable …
I had a Qwest “tech guy” at my house on the average of about once every two weeks trying to fix one problem or another .. and most of the time they pointed to the fact that their “install disk” wouldnt work on my Mac …
I pointed out that Macs didn’t need an “install disk” … all they needed was a signal from the modem.. and if they could get the signal to the modem .. I could fix the problem …
When they got that part fixed .. I just rebooted my Mac … and laughed at them when they saw with their own eyes .. my Mac online !
Isn’t OSX wonderful ?
My cable modem has been a lot more reliable, but, lately it, too has had some issues …
Usually, though.. a quick reboot and the problem is solved ..
I wouldn’t recommend Qwest DSL to anyone … let alone a Mac user .. due to the (mostly) Mac-ignorant “tech” guys … and the idiots manning the phone support lines !
“@ PCIdiot
I don’t use Qwest, but what one person reports was said to them does not neccesarily mean that they represent the whole company.
This is exactly what i said yesterday, But MD”News” gets it’s info from Fanboy Blogs. He posts the garbage here and all the fanboys mindlessly chime in without any proof.
Qwest is a fine company, it’ll take more than Apple fanboys to change that…
Like I said yesterday, the stupid blogger got pissed off when the Windows tech offered to transfer him to a Mac tech, which Qwest obviously has for just such a case.
Has anyone who’s defending Qwest actually looked at their website? It’s YEARS out of date for Macs. It should be no surprise that Mac users find the support lacking.
@ TommyBoy
“…..the stupid blogger got pissed off when the Windows tech offered to transfer him to a Mac tech, which Qwest obviously has for just such a case…..”
If you have ever talked to Qwest’s “Mac support guy” … it wouldnt take you long to figure out… that this guy knows absolutely nothing about Macs …
Most of their “advice” to you comes from a PDF they are reading on their PeeCee .. on “How to support Macs” …. trouble is … that PDF usually covers only OS 9 !
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Yikes, I developed their Mac broadband router kit about 5 years ago. I wonder if they’ve updated it ? The hardware people were totally focused on Windows and the hardware was not so hot. What an awful project!
MDN: That’s more like it…
BS. It’s just MDN’s spinning of their hatchet job from yesterday.
If Mac’s have 8% or so of the market, shouldn’t the calls into the support lines have the same ratio…about 1 in 10 calls about Mac problems?? Then again, with the Mac’s being so reliable and easy to set up there might be a skew due to the poor quality PC’s.
Just for the record, I was listening to NPR today and caught a story on the subject of an exAT+T employee who blew the whistle on the NSA direct tapping of all internet traffic at 5 US located AT+T data hubs.
It seems all the Telcos were complicit in giving the NSA the ability to unconstitutionally tap all our internet traffic. All the Telcos that is with the exception of one, that’s right…………. Quest.
Quest was the only company that denied the NSAs requests on the grouinds that the request to copy all internet traffic was unconstitutional.
I get just as pissed off as the next guy when Macs get short changed by PC Tech Support but you have to admit Quest is one Great American Company!
Here is the link to the NPR stream;
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16088947
Good for Qwest for directly addressing the situation. Follow-through would be good now (better training, updated website, the firing of rude service technicians…)
My personal experience with Qwest in general has not been positive (I won’t go into specifics). A part of me will always hate Qwest because of the pains of the past.
@BuriedCaesar
How do you spin 45 minutes into a whole day?
Just asking.
MDN word wasn’t “hyperbole” … but it should have been.
I’m on a Macbook Pro on QWEST DSL right now. In general, I would have to say the service works, but there are moments when it really seems to bog down, most notably on Myspace, which considering the way that site is organized doesnt surprise me.
Still, it seems to run fine on a PC. There are times when the DSL really bogs down, but it isn’t all that often, and I have no custom Mac equipment set up. The major problem I had was the salesgirl telling me that installation was free, and then the bill came. You gotta stay on Qwest’s case on the billing, but they did relent after I called three times. Oddly enough, the uploading has always been smooth and fast, which i appreciate greatly. Sometimes it seems to be Firefox that is the problem,
and sometimes no browser will grind through the molasses.
Oh well, its not bad enough to scrap, but it makes me suspicious.
I’ve been a Qwest customer since before their name change. Imagine my surprise when I had first a cell phone service issue and then a MAC support issue and found they had no means or intention of resolving the problems. Won’t bore you with the details but every horror story previously submitted matches mine. My advice: don’t argue with the idiots, they just wear you down and beat you with experience.