If you are Verizon customer, like me, you’ve probably been scrambling to make phone calls, send texts, and get online since Wednesday, due to a massive nationwide service outage. (I am writing this from my local food co-op outside Boston, where I am using the internet in their café.)
The mobile giant says the issue has now been resolved; however, some customers are saying they’re still without service. Some 1.5 million users reported the prolonged outage on Downdetector, which still had some 893 reports (as of around 2:30 p.m. ET Thursday). That’s over 24 hours after customers first started losing service around noon ET on Wednesday, with iPhone users reporting an “SOS” icon, as Fast Company reported.
This live map on Downdetector reports continued outages in Boston, New York, Atlanta, Tampa, Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C. (as of this writing at around 3 p.m. ET).
To its credit (literally), Verizon has said it will contact customers and provide them with a $20 credit for the inconvenience.
Posting on X, the mobile company wrote on Thursday: “Yesterday, we did not meet the standard of excellence you expect and that we expect of ourselves. To help provide some relief to those affected, we will give you a $20 account credit that can be easily redeemed by logging in to the myVerizon app.”
How can I get the $20 Verizon credit for the outage?
According to the post, customers will receive a text message when the credit is available.
However, the credit will not be automatically applied to customers’ accounts, and customers must redeem it through the myVerizon app. Additionally, the credit can also be redeemed by contacting Verizon customer service by phone or chat, or going online, according to reporting from Engadget.
“On average, this covers multiple days of service. Business customers will be contacted directly about their credits,” the company explained. “This credit isn’t meant to make up for what happened. No credit really can. But it’s a way of acknowledging your time and showing that this matters to us.”
Still having trouble connecting? Verizon suggests the following: “Please restart your device (power down and power back on). This is the fastest way to reconnect your phone to the network.”