WTOC-TV: Savannah, Beaufort, SC, News, Weather & Sports Verizon outage leaves Savannah customers without cell phone calls

Can you hear me now? For many Verizon customers Friday morning and afternoon, the answer today was no.

When the service goes down, what do you do?

Verizon customers in Savannah lost service from the early hours of Jan. 13 to 2 p.m. in the afternoon. No calls coming in.

Verizon says it was a software upgrade which caused Verizon customers to not be able to receive calls. They could text, call other people, and check data, but incoming calls went straight to voice mail.

For some of us, losing contact with the others, especially if you run a business, and losing the use of your cell phone can put you in panic mode. Others, not so much.

"You know, for me, I have backup. I can do e-mailing. I am not completely in the digital age," Heather Bailey told WTOC.

"I am a realtor for Keller-Williams so I was making a lot of phone calls this morning to get in touch with customers. Everything was going to voicemail. It was too much of a coincidence. It was confusing," Joe Iannacone said.

"Without your cell phone, you have no clue. People can't get to you, they get worried, they get mad at you. It's a big deal," Ryan Wilie told WTOC.

Not everyone is like Heather Bailey. When they hear this over and over...

"Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system."

...they do panic and then they call Verizon, which is exactly what happened all morning long into the afternoon. Verizon stores across Savannah saw customer after customer who either could not get in touch with a loved one, or like Bailey and Iannacone, use their phone to run a small business.

By 2 p.m., everything was cleared up. However, it does beg the question: How dependent are we on cell phones and other technology?

"That is so correct. We are so dependent on phones. We can't do anything without our phones. What did you do ten years ago? I don't know. I can't remember that long," Edward told WTOC.

"You don't even have to say that. Without it, my life would probably come to a complete screeching halt," Iannacone said.

"Also, technology can lead you astray," Bailey said. "Sometimes its better to do the old fashioned meet and greet, paper and pen. I think there is nothing wrong with that."

If you don't remember what a letter is, and your cell phone is your only lifeline, the good news  is Verizon has everyone back in service. The company issued a statement thanking customers for their patience.

The problem was a big deal for some, including Georgia State Patrol, who use Verizon and troopers could not get a hold of other troopers. There was, in some cases, a safety impact. No injuries or dangerous situations were reported because of the outage. 

Here is the official statement that Verizon sent out:

As of 2:00pm local time this afternoon, the outage that some local customers experienced today has been fully resolved and normal service has been restored.  During the outage, which was related to a software upgrade implemented to local network equipment overnight, affected customers could still place outgoing calls, check their voicemail and use data service—including text messaging and email.  Incoming calls went directly to voicemail.  We appreciate customers' patience.