Advertisement
Engadget
Why you can trust us

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products.

Can't pay a bill or activate your phone on Verizon? It's not you, it's them (update: fixed!)

Richard Lawler
Senior News Editor
Updated ·3 min read
0

Verizon Wireless acknowledged today that its billing system is having issues for customers across much of the US. According to subscribers tweeting on the #VerizonOutage hashtag, issues have extended over the last two days, preventing them from doing simple things like activating a new phone or paying their bill. In tweets and a message on its news page, Verizon said the issue is affecting customers in the Northeast, Midwest and Southern regions, but has yet to offer an ETA for a fix. It doesn't appear to be affecting things like phone calls or connecting to the internet, but if your bill is due right about now, this could be a problem. We've contacted Verizon for more information and will update you when we hear anything.

Update: Verizon reports the issue has been repaired overnight, so My Verizon and other wireless account tools should be working now.

[Thanks, Aaron]

Verizon:

We are still experiencing issues with our billing system that is affecting customer accounts mostly in the Northeast, Midwest and some southern states. This is an internal billing system issue that doesn't affect the network's ability to connect calls, deliver text messages or use data services. This is taking longer to resolve than any of us would like. The good news is that we have identified the issue and are working hard to ensure we have the right fix to resolve it. As we know more, we'll continue to post updates to our @VZWNews Twitter account and post updates on the Verizon Wireless News Center. Affected customers will be notified by email once the issue has been resolved.

Verizon:

The Verizon Wireless billing system was fully restored early today, shortly aftermidnight. The issue affecting some customer access to account information was an unintended consequence of a software update performed by the company on its billing system two days ago. It affected customers mostly in the Northeast, Midwest and some southern states. This did not in any way involve the network's ability to connect calls, deliver text messages or provide data services. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience they may have experienced and appreciate their patience.