Orbitel issues credit to customers for city-wide outage

Orbitel Communications has issued full credits to its Internet and digital phone subscribers for the 12-hour outage that paralyzed Maricopa on Saturday. Internet and phone service out of Maricopa and Casa Grande was interrupted for most of the day on Saturday when a contractor severed a major fiber optic cable owned by Qwest Communications near Casa Grande.

The fiber optic cable used by many companies, including Orbitel Communications, provides Internet, cell phone and long distance service out of Maricopa. “This isn’t our cable and was not within our control to repair,” said Keith Kirkman, President of Orbitel Communications. “But our customers don’t care who is at fault. They only care that their Orbitel services were interrupted.”

Orbitel agrees with its customers and has issued a full credit to its Internet and phone customers for the 12-hour outage. “We are not obligated by our service agreement or by the FCC to issue a credit for a 12-hour outage,” continued Kirkman, “but we just think this is the right thing to do for our customers in this case.”

Orbitel was in constant communication Saturday with the appropriate people owning the fiber optic lines and monitored the progress, ensuring that, as soon as the fiber was repaired, each of Orbitel’s customers regained their Internet and phone service. While the outage was outside the control of Orbitel, Kirkman says the company recognizes the frustration that customers experienced on Saturday.

By midday Monday, Orbitel’s customer service department had posted credits to more than 3,300 Internet and digital phone accounts. Customers will receive the credit on their August statements.

“We can’t always control these outage situations,” said Kirkman. “We can control how we treat our customers. I think this credit demonstrates that we care and are sorry for the interruption in service regardless of the reason it occurred.”

Orbitel customers can check their accounts on-line at OrbitelCom.com using the company’s new on-line bill pay and account management site.