It was one of those Mondays that cruelly reminds us of our dependence on all-digital. This Monday, June 16, 2025, hundreds of thousands of SFR subscribers, and by extension those of many virtual operators using its network, were reduced to a kind of digital silence. No internet, both landline and mobile, no way to make calls or even send a simple text message. A massive, national outage that paralyzed work, communications, and, for some, even had far more dire consequences, such as missing a flight.
Faced with the public outcry on social media, SFR communicated soberly, citing a "technical incident" and the mobilization of its teams. A laconic response in the face of very real frustration, and the problem still existed last night, even though the situation was already improving for many subscribers. It was not until 7:52 a.m. on Tuesday, June 17, that SFR stated: "All mobile services that may have been impacted by yesterday's incident have been 100% restored. The mobilization of all teams enabled this gradual return of communications during the evening. Our technicians remain attentive to the situation to ensure optimal quality of service on our networks. To its customers, SFR once again sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience and thanks them for their patience."
Now, one question is burning on everyone's lips: is compensation possible?
The cold shower of general conditions
Let's be direct: for an outage of a few hours, Even on this scale, don't expect an automatic refund. While the operator's responsiveness in restoring service is a positive, its contractual obligations are well defined. Within the maze of SFR's general terms and conditions of sale (PDF), the rule is clear and protects the operator in the event of short-term incidents. For prorated compensation to be a near certainty, the service interruption would have to exceed 48 consecutive hours or 10% of the duration of the month.
For this Monday's outage, we are far from that. Unless the operator makes an exceptional commercial gesture, concerned about its image, the fight for compensation is not a foregone conclusion.
The practical guide to trying your luck
So, should you give up? Not so fast. The adage "nothing ventured, nothing gained" has never been truer. An operator will very rarely compensate you if you don't proactively ask for it. If you believe you have suffered harm, our colleagues at Numériques remind you of the steps to follow:
- Document the outage precisely: Note the date, start time and end time of the service interruption for your line. Take screenshots from your phone without network or from the Down Detector website. Every piece of evidence is worth taking.
- Justify your request: Don't just complain. Explain the concrete consequences of the outage on your situation. Is teleworking impossible? Missed a professional appointment? The impact on your business is a strong argument that can tip the scales in your favor.
- Contact customer service in writing: The best approach remains a formal complaint via your online customer area or the SFR & Me app. A written record is always preferable to a phone call. If you are a customer of a virtual operator (RED, Prixtel, Syma, La Poste Mobile, etc.), you must contact your direct operator, not SFR.
The operator then has one month to respond to you. The outcome may vary: a partial refund, a credit on your next bill, or a goodwill gesture such as additional mobile data. In the event of refusal, there are remedies available, from the electronic communications mediator to consumer associations.
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