• Verizon is offering a $20 credit to customers impacted by a significant outage on January 15.
• The outage lasted approximately 9 to 10 hours and affected various regions, notably the Northeast.
• Customers can claim the credit via the myVerizon app, which is intended as a gesture of goodwill.

On January 15, Verizon Communications announced that it would provide a $20 credit to customers who were affected by a service outage lasting up to 10 hours. This outage primarily impacted users in the Northeast, southern California, Texas, and Midwest regions, preventing them from making calls and completing online transactions. Verizon explained that the situation arose from a software issue, not a cyberattack, and confirmed that the problem was resolved around 10 p.m. EST that day, according to Reuters.

Verizon acknowledged customer frustration, stating, "Yesterday, we did not meet the standard of excellence our customers expect and that we expect of ourselves." The company emphasized that the credit is not compensation for the outage but rather a means to acknowledge the difficulties endured by customers. To redeem the credit, customers can log into the myVerizon app, as per CBS News. Reports of the service disruption peaked at over 180,000 users, according to Downdetector data.

During the outage, major cities including New York and Washington, D.C., issued advisories urging residents to use alternative carriers for emergency calls. "Call using a device from another carrier... to report emergencies," New York City advised. This scenario led to notable competitors like AT&T and T-Mobile publicly highlighting their service reliability in the face of Verizon's challenges, as reported by Business Insider.