Verizon customers to get 'account credit' as compensation — here's how to claim it
In an age when staying online is an essential part of everyday life, losing connectivity can be frustrating. Customers of Verizon Communications experienced this when they were hit by a widespread outage, and now they are set to receive a $20 credit as compensation. In the seven-hour-long outage, about 1.5 million customers were affected, according to service tracker Downdetector. While it is still unclear what caused the massive outage, Verizon said it could have been due to a software issue, and the company was investigating the matter.
The nation's largest wireless network outage started around 12:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, according to USA Today, and lasted for about seven hours. Subscribers complained that during the outage, their ability to use their mobile services was limited, and it prevented them from making calls or completing online transactions that required the services of a wireless network. To appease the frustrated customers, the wireless provider on Thursday announced credit to compensate customers for the disruption.
"Yesterday, we did not meet the standard of excellence our customers expect and that we expect of ourselves," the company said in a statement to CBS News. "To help provide some relief to those affected, we are giving customers a $20 account credit that can be easily redeemed by logging into the myVerizon app. On average, this covers multiple days of service. Our business customers will be contacted directly about their credits," the statement added.
To claim the credit, customers need to log in to their account on the myVerizon app, where they should see an option to claim the offer, but as per USA Today, the option hasn't appeared, as of yesterday. "Credit isn't meant to make up for what happened. No credit, really, can. But it's a way of acknowledging our customers' time and showing that this matters to us," the company's statement mentioned. "We are sorry for what you experienced and will continue to work hard day and night to provide the outstanding network and service that you expect from Verizon," the company wrote.
Furthermore, Verizon on social media stated that the outage had been resolved, and customers who continue to face issues should restart their devices and connect to the network to refresh their systems. As per Downdetector, the outage was widespread across the country, but the issue was reported in higher concentrations in New York City, Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, North Carolina, New York, and Brooklyn. The outage was significant enough to grab the attention of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which said it was monitoring the situation, Mashable reported. This wasn't the first major service outage for the company, as back in September 2024, a similarly widespread Verizon outage hit over 100,000 people.
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