All articles tagged with #customer impact
Marriott ended its licensing agreement with Sonder, leading to the abrupt eviction of guests from Sonder properties, causing chaos, financial loss, and a loss of trust among customers, as Sonder filed for bankruptcy and Marriott promised refunds and rebooking options.
Victoria's Secret temporarily shut down its U.S. website and some in-store services following an unspecified security incident, likely a cyberattack, affecting operations and customer service. The company is working to restore services and has extended return windows for impacted customers, while some international operations remain unaffected.
A nationwide AT&T outage is preventing many customers from completing calls between carriers, though calls between AT&T customers are still going through. The issue, which also affects some Verizon customers, is being addressed by the carriers. Internet access remains unaffected, and 911 calls are reportedly going through despite some erroneous alerts. This outage follows a major disruption in February and a hacking incident in March.
Legacy Health is at risk of not reaching a new contract agreement with Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, potentially leading to higher healthcare costs for 200,000 customers if the contract expires at the end of Sunday.
AT&T will provide a $5 credit to customers affected by a recent widespread outage, with CEO John Stankey stating that the credit covers the cost of "essentially a full day of service." The outage, which lasted about seven hours, prompted the company to take action to address customer backlash and potential impact on revenue, leading to a 1% drop in AT&T's shares. Regulatory reviews and investor concerns about the credit's impact on revenue are also being closely watched.
A small restaurant in Australia reportedly lost nearly $8,000 due to a significant downturn in customers after Apple Maps incorrectly listed the business as "permanently closed." The owners, Chris and Pum Pyatt, struggled to update the listing as they did not have an Apple product, and customer support was unhelpful. After reaching out to Apple, the listing was eventually updated, but the pin location shown on the app was also incorrect. This incident highlights the impact of navigation app errors on businesses and the challenges faced by non-Apple users in updating Apple Maps listings.
SmileDirectClub has abruptly closed down its operations, leaving hundreds of employees without jobs and uncertain about their benefits. The company, which marketed dental aligners as an affordable alternative to braces, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September. Employees were informed of the closure on December 8, with little notice or support. The impact on customers is also significant, as the Lifetime Smile Guarantee is no longer valid, and refunds are uncertain.
The Maryland Public Service Commission has approved a rate increase of nearly $408 million for Baltimore Gas and Electric Company's multi-year rate plan, covering both gas and electric services. The approved rates will result in average bill increases of $4.08 per month for residential electric customers and $10.43 per month for residential gas customers in 2024, with smaller increases in subsequent years. The Commission also expressed concerns about a new conduit agreement between BGE and Baltimore City, which may impose future burdens on ratepayers. The agreement will be subject to ongoing prudence reviews, and the Commission will require a cost analysis in every rate case until the contract costs are fully recovered. Other issues addressed include the denial of a request to terminate the multi-year rate plan and the rejection of proposed performance incentive mechanisms by BGE.
SmileDirectClub, a direct-to-consumer dentistry and orthodontics company, abruptly shut down after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company stated that aligner treatment is no longer available through their platform, leaving some customers stranded in the middle of treatment. The lifetime guarantee is also no longer in place, and customers are expected to continue making monthly payments. SmileDirectClub had positioned itself as an affordable alternative to traditional orthodontics, but its closure has left customers questioning the future of their treatment.