AT&T (T) is providing some reprieve for its customers after a nationwide outage — but the gesture doesn't seem to be enough for many of its affected customers.
The network announced on Saturday, Feb. 24 that it was going to credit $5 back to the accounts of AT&T Wireless customers, excluding those who are subscribed to AT&T Business, AT&T Prepaid or Cricket Wireless.
The release, which the company site titled as "Making It Right," said that the company is "proactively applying a credit" to the accounts of affected customers. The justification for the amount of $5 is that it is the "average cost of a full day of service."
According to the Dallas Morning News, reports of service disruption started at around 2 a.m. Central Time, while AT&T had reportedly fixed its service 12 hours later.
The justification of AT&T makes sense, theoretically. The cost of its services in a month range depend on the plan and the number of people in the household, but unlimited plans for a solo user could go up to $85 before tax, or about $3 per day.
But in actuality, the loss of service may have drastically affected the live of many in ways that are more than just the $5 credit, which is why many are still complaining.
TODAY Show host Hoda Kotb said that the return may not even be enough for some people's morning coffee.
"Can't get a Starbucks, but you can get something else, maybe," Kotb said on Monday, Feb. 26.
AT&T is offering a $5 credit to the tens of thousands of its customers who were affected by a nationwide outage. pic.twitter.com/2GNQMPue60
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 26, 2024
Users on X (formerly Twitter) were also frustrated by the news, with one user named Kristina Hart saying that some people pay around $200 per month for the network's service, and that $5 is small especially considering the outage happened during a work day.
"On behalf of everyone who pays $200/month for service, we are not at all baffled by at your ignorance," Hart sarcastically wrote. "We are so grateful for the $5 as it covered the cost of breathing."
Thank you @ATT for the $5 credit for a work day phone outage. On behalf of everyone who pays $200/month for service, we are not at all baffled at your ignorance. We are so grateful for the $5 as it covered the cost of breathing. pic.twitter.com/op3cXRrf7z
— Kristina Hart (@edgykristina) February 25, 2024
Related: Southwest Airlines brings back a way to get free flights
Another X user, @fasho2k, said he responded to the network's apology text to him with a meme to express his displeasure.
AT&T had the nerve to send me this, so here was my response pic.twitter.com/LIf5NFlnR3
— Billy…Knicks Fan (@fasho2k) February 26, 2024
Meanwhile, another user, @MichaelEStevens, called the $5 sum "laughable."
"You are better of just not doing anything ATT!" Stevens wrote.
AT&T's stock has gone down slightly since the Thursday incident, but only by around 2%.
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