AT&T offers customers bill credits for network outages

The telecommunications giant AT&T On Wednesday it announced that it is offering bill credits to customers who are affected by network outages as part of an initiative to attract customers in the wake of the industry experiencing several significant disruptions last year.

In February 2024, AT&T was hit with a national strike wireless service disruption that lasted more than 12 hours, blocked more than 92 million calls and prevented more than 25,000 attempts to contact the emergency call line 911. The company provided a bill credit to affected customers for a full day of service , which amounted to $5 per account.

“Four years ago, we were losing industry share for a significant period of time,” Jennifer Robertson, executive vice president and general manager of AT&T Mass Markets and Mobility, told Reuters. He added that the company “knew we had lost the trust of our customers” and responded with new pricing strategies, product improvements and promotional offers to restore growth.

The new AT&T warranty initiative will go live on Thursday and will be a way for the company to guarantee to “make good” for customers if the company fails to provide reliable connectivity as promised, the company said in a statement.

AT&T TO GIVE BILL CREDITS TO CUSTOMERS AFFECTED BY CELL NETWORK OUTAGE

AT&T has announced a new warranty program that will see the telecom giant provide bill credits to wireless and fiber customers who are affected by service outages. (Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images/Getty Images)

A company webpage describing the new AT&T warranty said: “In the event of a network outage, we will work diligently to restore service and makes it fair for fiber customers who experience 20 minutes or more and wireless customers who experience 60 minutes or more of a covered outage.”

The website also promoted AT&T’s warranty, saying, “No other carrier has offered a warranty as comprehensive as this one, spanning our network, our care and our deals. We are the first and only carrier to offer a warranty in order wireless and fiber networks.”

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Workers and customers are seen on the floor of an AT&T store in Miami on April 1, 2024. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/Getty Images)

“Customers tell us they want confidence in their service provider and offering a warranty makes them four times more likely to choose a brand that offers one,” said Kellyn Kenny, AT&T’s chief growth and marketing officer.

“It’s being transparent, taking action and making sure our customers know they’ve been supported. We’re committed to delivering on our promises. We’re walking the walk and talking the word – and this is just the beginning,” said Kenny.

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Reuters contributed to this report.