AT&T faces backlash over measly $5 credit for network outage

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Last week, tens of thousands of AT&T customers woke up without service, their cellphones stuck on SOS Mode. 

The outage that spanned up to 12 hours was later attributed to a software update, but the disruption had already set off alarm bells nationwide, even prompting an investigation from the FBI and Homeland Security.

AT&T’s response to this havoc was financial restitution. In a statement on their website, the company announced a measly $5 credit per account for impacted customers, which, according to AT&T, equates to “the average cost of a full day of service.” 

We apologize for Thursday’s network outage. We recognize the frustration this outage has caused and know we let many of our customers down. We understand this may have impacted their ability to connect with family, friends, and others. Small business owners may have been impacted, potentially disrupting an essential way they connect with customers.
To help make it right, we’re reaching out to potentially impacted customers and we’re proactively applying a credit* to their accounts. We want to reassure our customers of our commitment to reliably connect them – anytime and anywhere. We’re crediting them for the average cost of a full day of service.

We’re also taking steps to prevent this from happening again in the future. Our priority is to continuously improve and be sure our customers stay connected.

It’s important to mention, that the credit does not extend to customers with AT&T Prepaid, AT&T Business, or Cricket accounts.

A Twitter post from AT&T further stated that the credit would appear in their accounts within one to two billing cycles. The belated nature of this reimbursement has some consume fuming. 

Blogs like AT&T’s Community Forum and platforms formerly known as Twitter saw a flurry of discontent, with customers terming the offer a “joke” and “worthless.”

While AT&T did acknowledge their failure, the reaction to the $5 credit has underscored that putting a price tag on trust and reliability isn’t always as straightforward as it seems.

Were you affected by this outage?Let us. know below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.