SFR failure: compensation in the event of prolonged interruption on box or mobile offers, what recourse for subscribers?
With each major failure of an ISP, users in difficulty wonder if they can receive compensation from the company at fault to compensate for the duration where they have no longer had access to the Internet, calls or SMS. Let us see in this mid-June 2025, in a context where SFR has just wiped a severe failure of a few hours everywhere in France, which is.
Under what conditions can we request compensation
Let’s say it immediately: if the breakdown lasts only a few hours and SFR is quick to repair the breakdown, nothing obliges the company to make the slightest commercial gesture. In its general conditions of sale, the ISP is clear concerning the condition to be able to request a possible reimbursement in the pro rata of the breakdown time: if the interruption exceeds 10 % of the duration of the month or lasts more than 48 consecutive hours.
In this case, and this also applies to most of its competitors, so it is quite unlikely to obtain their case. Note that in some cases, suppliers can also provide a means of accessing the temporary Internet time to repair the failure, such as a 4G/5G key.
If you still wish to request a refund from SFR (or any other third -party operator based on its network), or even a termination of a subscription with commitment without paying costs because of this failure, several stages are necessary. Note that even with a proven breakdown, the ISP will not reimburse you if you do not ask for anything proactively.
Before contacting SFR customer service in writing via the site or the mobile application, note the nature, date and exact time of the failure to support your file. Also indicate the concrete consequences of the breakdown on your situation (professional for example), while evidence (screenshots of its terminal or the Down Detector site) can help.
The operator then has a month to meet demand. If it is accepted, it may be a reimbursement of the subscription, a commercial gesture or a voucher. If it is refused, it is then possible to seize an electronic communications mediator, an association of consumers or initiate legal proceedings.
