CenturyLink customers in Colorado who signed up for the telecommunications company’s “Price for Life” promotion say they’ve run into a problem: Their costs unexpectedly jumped earlier this year, thereby invalidating their lifetime deals.

The company debuted the service in 2017, with prices at the time recorded as 1.5 mbps to 25 mbps for $45 monthly, 40 mbps to 80 mbps for $55 monthly, 100 mbps to 140 mbps for $65 monthly and 200 mbps to 1 gbps for $85 monthly.

The requirements: Remain on the same plan and don’t switch home addresses.

Allan Rotgers, 53, signed up for the “Price for Life” deal in October 2020 at $65 monthly. In April, he noticed a $10 price increase hit his account.

He contacted the company several times about the issue. A representative initially told him that “a special team” would handle customers affected by the situation, then credited his account $10 for the “known issue.” But Rotgers never heard back.

Later, another agent claimed, “You never signed up for ‘Price for Life,’” Rotgers said. “It was infuriating how many times they changed their story.”

He has since filed a complaint with the office of Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.

CenturyLink previously found itself in hot water with Weiser after he determined in 2019 that it overcharged consumers for services, falsely advertised and failed to follow through with its discounts, but his office declined to confirm or otherwise comment on investigations or complaints related to the “Price for Life” promotion, spokesperson Lawrence Pacheco said.

The attorney general’s earlier investigation, which started in 2017 and found evidence from as far back as 2014, resulted in CenturyLink refunding customers $1.7 million and paying the state almost $6.8 million for breaching the Colorado Consumer Protection Act. The company disagreed with his conclusion and declined committing any violations.

The same challenges with CenturyLink that occurred in Colorado happened across the country – and with similar consequences. The company, which rebranded as Lumen Technologies in 2020, paid around $38.5 million in five states, including Oregon, Washington State, Minnesota and Arizona, over allegations of consumer fraud.

Allen Cowgill, 42, said he locked in the “Price for Life” deal at the $65 rate in 2018. When his cost remained the same as years went by, he decided, “I can trust this.”

But the Denver resident saw a $10 increase on his family’s monthly bill in April, with his rate jumping to $75.

“When you say it’s price for life, you should probably honor that, right?” he said.

Cowgill pointed to the biggest challenge of working with Lumen as “they don’t put anything in writing,” he said. “It’s all verbal, so you don’t really have any documentation.”

He reached out to them using the online chat feature “because I want to have it all in writing now.”

In a Sept. 27 transcript with CenturyLink customer service agent Luis F. provided to The Denver Post, he explained, “I see that this $10 increase was for all our customers, even if they had price for life. All our services get a $10 charge.”

Cowgill asked to return to his original rate, with a credit for the months he paid a higher price. The representative said Cowgill switched to Quantum Fiber in September 2022, thereby invalidating his “price for life” deal, and offered him a $10 discount on the next bill.

The agent ended the conversation by confirming that a price increase “impacted the price for life feature,” he said. “We just want to keep the business working, Allen.”

But Lumen spokesperson Kerry Zimmer gave The Denver Post a different explanation.

Cowgill “changed his plan to increase his internet speed and accepted terms of that plan in October 2019,” Zimmer wrote in an email. “His new plan did not include protections against future internet rate increases.”

Regarding the $10 increase, “we continually examine all offers and plans,” he said. “Rate increases are communicated in advance in writing to affected customers.”

Zimmer asserted that “Price for Life accounts have not increased.”

He didn’t respond to follow-up questions about the inconsistencies between his explanation and the live agent’s explanation offered to Cowgill or how Lumen will prevent misinformation provided by its representatives.

Cowgill said he ordered a new modem in October 2019 because the old one “wasn’t working well,” and was told on the phone that he could upgrade his internet speed at the same “Price for Life” rate as long as he didn’t move and stuck to paperless billing.

“I’m not surprised if they turned off my price for life back then and didn’t say anything,” he added.

He ultimately wants Lumen to honor the deal and return their customers to their original rates.