AT&T to offer customers bill credits for network outages

Telecom giant AT&T on Wednesday announced that it will offer 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 nationwide wireless service disruption that lasted more than 12 hours, blocked over 92 million calls and prevented over 25,000 attempts to contact the 911 emergency call line. 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 share in the industry for a significant period of time," Jennifer Robertson, executive vice president and general manager of AT&T Mass Markets and Mobility, told Reuters. She added that the company "knew we had lost our customers' trust" and responded with new pricing strategies, product improvements and promotional offers to restore growth.

The new AT&T guarantee initiative will go live on Thursday and will be a way for the company to guarantee to "make it right" for customers if the company fails to deliver dependable connectivity as promised, the company said in a statement.

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A company webpage outlining the new AT&T guarantee said, "In the event of a network interruption, we will work diligently to restore service and make it right 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 touted AT&T's guarantee, saying, "No other carrier has offered a guarantee as comprehensive as this, spanning our network, our care and our deals. We're the first and only carrier that offers a guarantee for wireless and fiber networks."

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"Customers tell us they want confidence in their service provider and offering a guarantee makes them four times more likely to choose a brand that offers one," said Kellyn Kenny, chief growth and marketing officer at AT&T. 

"It's being transparent, taking action and ensuring our customers know they are being supported. We're committed to delivering on our promises. We are walking the walk and talking the talk — and this is just the beginning," Kenny said.

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Reuters contributed to this report.