Verizon Wireless customers across the country have been reporting data outages affecting both 3G and 4G networks on the carrier’s support forums and Twitter account. This comes just two weeks after customers suffered outages on Verizon’s 4G LTE, the carrier’s fastest network. It is a potentially brand-damaging development for a company that claims to have the country’s most reliable network.
Verizon Wireless hasn’t responded to requests for comment from media outlets such as The Washington Post and All Things Digital. When tech news Web site The Verge spoke to a Verizon Wireless support representative, the rep confirmed the outages but wasn’t authorized to discuss the issues in detail. There has also been no announcement of outage issues on the company’s official customer service Twitter account.
On the plus side, on Dec. 21, Verizon Wireless representatives were on Twitter actively engaging with customers affected by the outages. In addition, it appears Verizon Wireless’ crisis management playbook has ensured that employees who are not authorized to be spokespeople aren’t making statements to the press.
It’s understandable that Verizon may not have clear answers as to the cause of the network outages. Nevertheless, a conversation that is currently focused on the unreliability of its networks will continue to fester and cries out for brand engagement.