Verizon's cheap response to Wednesday's outage makes subscribers question the new CEO's customer-first plan
The carrier has been criticized for giving its subscribers only $20 per account instead of per line. As a result, those paying Verizon for an account with 10 lines are getting the same $20 as someone with as few as one line. In other words, those paying Verizon hundreds of dollars per month are receiving the same outage compensation as someone paying $65 per month ($55 with Auto Pay) for one line on the Unlimited Welcome plan.
New Verizon CEO Dan Schulman has said that he wants Verizon to be a customer-friendly carrier. Not making up for the inconvenience suffered by Verizon subscribers last Wednesday is not going to help Schulman reach his goal. One Verizon subscriber was so upset by the measly $20 credit that he spoke with a customer service supervisor and received an additional "one-time credit" of $30 bringing his renumeration up to $50.
Verizon customer gets a total of $50 credit related top last Wednesday's massive outage. | Image credit-Imgur
By the way, before I continue, Verizon has said that the credit would take two billing cycles to apply. As a Verizon subscriber for over two decades, I find this to be pathetic considering it took Verizon just one afternoon to knock so many subscribers off the network. Honestly, the whole thing shows you why trust in wireless providers, especially the Big 3 carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile), probably has been eroding among American consumers.
Some Verizon customers claim to have wrangled $50 to $100 credits from the carrier
For example, one Redditor asked the Verizon customer who said he was told that he would receive $50 in credit, whether the whole $50 was showing in his account. He asked that question because, "I've learned that some Verizon reps blatantly lie to you just to get rid of you," he said.
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Will you ask Verizon to raise your outage credit?
Yes. $20 per account is a joke.
50%
No. What the carrier decided is fair is fair.
50%
I'm not a Verizon customer.
0%
Believe it or not, some other Verizon subscribers said that they will receive a $100 credit. The reason why these figures can't be discounted so fast is that some Uber, Lyft and other rideshare drivers who heavily rely on their phones to do their jobs were essentially out of business during the outage.
The thing to do is call Verizon customer service and simply express your displeasure with the $20 credit. You can reach the wireless provider if you are a customer by dialing 611 from your Verizon-connected phone. As you can imagine, the company is still receiving calls about the outage so you should be prepared for a long wait on hold.
What happened when I asked Verizon for a larger credit
Let me tell you what happened to me when I called in to Verizon today seeking a hike in the $20 credit. After waiting on hold for about 45 minutes, I spoke with a Verizon customer service rep who thought I had asked for the $20 to be applied for each of my four lines. Actually, I had never really specified an amount. I heard the usual boiler plate apology about the "downfall" of Verizon, which is how this rep characterized the outage last Wednesday.
He also said that he understood how important wireless connectivity is and throughout the conversation, inside I was wavering back and forth about whether I would receive a hike after all. But sure enough, the customer service rep doubled my credit to a total of $40 or $10 for each line.
If you are a Verizon subscriber, you might want to take a few minutes out of your day and make a call to the carrier. All you have to do is ask for a larger credit, although it helped that I have 20 years with Verizon and have four lines.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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