What's a reasonable compensation for 12 hours without phone service? For AT&T subscribers impacted by last week's widespread outage, the company suggests $5, which enrages users on Social Media, saying it is not enough.
The telecom company released a statement on Sunday about the service disruption on February 22, attributed to a software update that affected tens of thousands of customers, with some experiencing disruptions for nearly 12 hours. Upon waking up, customers nationwide were alarmed to find their phones in SOS Mode, leading to investigations by the FBI and Homeland Security.
AT&T Extending Apologies Through a $5 Credit
AT&T apologized for disappointing many customers and their families, acknowledging the letdown in a statement on its website, saying that it will automatically credit affected customers' accounts to compensate for the inconvenience they faced.
A follow-up statement on AT&T's website mentioned that the $5 credit equals the average cost of a full day of service for AT&T Wireless customers only and excludes AT&T Prepaid, AT&T Business, and Cricket accounts.
On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, the company clarified in a post that customers may expect to see the credit in their accounts within one to two billing cycles to "help make it right," promising that they are taking measures to avoid future occurrences and focus on continuous improvement on customer connectivity.
Shrugging the Thought of a Cyberattack
Initial investigations suggest Thursday's outage was caused by an error in network expansion, not a cyber attack. The company also confirmed that there is no evidence or reason to believe the February 22 outage involved a third party or compromised customer data.
Customers' Frustration Over Social Media
Shortly after the announcement, some AT&T customers online expressed frustration, stating that the credit does not sufficiently compensate for their losses. On AT&T's Community Forum, one user referred to the credit as a "joke."
Commenters expressed frustration, stating that the $5 credit offer was insufficient compared to their cell service costs. One individual owning four cell phone lines on an AT&T account deemed the credit "worthless." Other users on X echoed similar sentiments.
One user expressed dissatisfaction, saying that their phones were out for at least 8 hours, and
$5 is not sufficient. Another user commented that AT&T is only offering a $5 credit for the nationwide outage on Thursday, which will not apply until 2 bill cycles later, saying it is not enough. A user mentioned that the service outage impacted calls to emergency services, putting many lives in danger. Hence, they are owed more than a $5 credit.
When questioned about customer pushback regarding the credit amount, AT&T referred Business Insider to its earlier apology statement, where it recognized and apologized for the outage, which let many of its customers down.
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