This is, of course, only personal observation. I don't really have an opinion on which would provide the better service for you or anyone, but you might find this interesting nonetheless.
I live in the city where Qwest has its headquarters, and there has been a lot of news lately about "Enron type" bookkeeping. That's not to say that Qwest will go the way of Enron - down and out - but they are indeed in for some rough times ahead. Qwest lost $4 billion, or $2.41 per share, for the year (2001) compared with a loss of $81 million, or 6 cents per share, in 2000. So they're losing money big-time for whatever it is they're doing. MCI, on the other hand, posted earnings for WorldCom Group of $460 million, or 16 cents a share for the same period. Does that mean MCI is financially stronger than Qwest? I guess any interested party will have to do their own due diligence to find out.
Meanwhile, Qwest stock value has plummeted – down 85% over the past year. MCI is also down, but only by 50%. (Only 50% !) However, and this is interesting, the Qwest “insiders” (corporate officers and directors) have been buying a lot of shares at these depressed prices, so they apparently have faith in the future of the company. (Maybe I should buy a few shares!)
Qwest has also been taking a lot of heat for poor customer support. That has been their standard operating procedure for years. In this area, Qwest has been losing phone and Internet customers in droves - mostly to AT&T.
Personally, all other things equal, I'd go with MCI. Especially considering the bad reputation Qwest has for their less-than-desirable customer service. On second thought, maybe I’d go with Qwest, since they are a local company and all.
Disclaimer: This is my UNEDUCATED personal opinion only. And I have neither long or short investment position in either company.
(It was just fun writing this answer.)
Bes
