AT&T to Credit Customers for Internet Outages and Wait Times in Customer Service Revamp

On an acknowledged initiative, AT&T declared on Wednesday its new measures aimed at restoring customer faith in its services. These measures include provisions for compensating customers for internet outages and protracted wait times, marking a significant shift in the company’s approach towards customer service.

Automated Compensation for Outages

From Thursday onwards, individual AT&T customers and small businesses will automatically receive a full-day bill credit for fiber outages exceeding 20 minutes or wireless outages surpassing one hour. This initiative seeks to alleviate the inconvenience caused to customers and provide them with tangible compensation for disruptions in their internet services.

Support for Prolonged Hold Times

Furthermore, customers who contact the company’s technical support and endure hold times exceeding five minutes will be rewarded with a $5 Visa gift card. This move is aimed at acknowledging the frustration caused by extended hold times and offering a gesture of goodwill to customers for their patience.

Investment in Customer Service

These new policies are part of a broader, robust $750 million investment made by AT&T over the past four years to enhance its customer service. Kellyn Smith Kenny, AT&T’s chief marketing and growth officer, highlighted the company’s commitment to improving customer experience through these initiatives.

Improved Outage Updates

In addition to the compensation measures, AT&T customers will have the convenience of checking the status of their outages through a newly launched website. This digital enhancement aims to provide customers with real-time information regarding the status of their outages, thereby reducing uncertainty and promoting transparency.

The announcement comes in the wake of notable internet outages that have affected AT&T and other companies in the past year. Notably, a widespread outage impacted tens of thousands of AT&T customers across the nation last February, and in September, a significant outage affected over 100,000 Verizon customers. These incidents have underscored the importance of reliable internet services and effective customer support.