Compensate customers after an outage
When a router, power supply or upstream link fails, customers keep paying for time they can’t use. ISPMan has a Compensation page for hotspot customers and another for PPPoE customers. Both add the lost time on top of each customer’s current expiry.
Who can do this
Section titled “Who can do this”Any staff member with hotspot or PPPoE access can open the page and review who was affected. For hotspot, applying compensation is limited to owners, admins, operators, customer admins and hotspot admins. Everyone else gets a read-only view.
Step 1: Note the outage window
Section titled “Step 1: Note the outage window”You need to know when the outage started and when it ended. If the router went offline, ISPMan has probably already recorded it:
- Alerts lists device alerts, including when each one was detected and how long it lasted.
- The Compensation page itself shows Device outages in the last 24 hours. Pick one with Compensate this outage and the page fills in the window and the router for you.
Step 2: Open the Compensation page
Section titled “Step 2: Open the Compensation page”- Hotspot: go to Services → Hotspots and click Compensation.
- PPPoE: go to Services → PPPoEs and click the Outage Compensation button.
Both pages work the same way.
Step 3: Describe the outage
Section titled “Step 3: Describe the outage”Under When was the outage?:
- Outage started at: only customers whose package was still valid at this moment are compensated.
- Outage ended at: fill this in as soon as service is back. If you leave it blank, the outage counts as ongoing and the award keeps growing until now.
Under Who did it affect? (optional), narrow the list by Package or Router device. For a single-router outage, always pick the router so customers on other sites aren’t included.
Click Load affected customers.
Step 4: Choose how much to give back
Section titled “Step 4: Choose how much to give back”Under Compensation to add, the page shows how long the outage lasted and offers these options:
| Option | What each customer gets |
|---|---|
| Unused time (per customer) (default) | The paid time the outage actually cost them. It’s never more than the outage lasted, and never more than they had left when it started. Anyone who lost nothing is skipped. |
| Whole outage … to everyone | The full outage length, as a flat amount for everyone selected. |
| Or a manual amount | A number of minutes, hours or days that you choose, the same for everyone. |
The table previews what each customer will receive and, for anyone skipped, why. For example: Package had already expired before the outage — nothing was lost.
Step 5: Select and confirm
Section titled “Step 5: Select and confirm”- Use Select all, or tick individual rows. The header shows Selected: X / Y.
- Click Compensate N selected.
- Check the summary in Confirm compensation: the outage window, how long it lasted, and a breakdown of what the customers will get. Then confirm.
You’ll see a result such as Compensated 42 of 45 connect(s)…, and the page keeps a Last compensation line for reference. Every run is recorded in the system logs.
Step 6: Tell your customers
Section titled “Step 6: Tell your customers”Customers don’t need to do anything, because their expiry is simply later now. A short message still builds goodwill. Go to Comms → SMS → Send SMS, filter to the affected package or router, and send something like:
Sorry for today’s interruption. We’ve added the lost time to your package. – Your ISP
Common messages
Section titled “Common messages”| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| Pick the time the outage started. | Fill in Outage started at. |
| The outage cannot end before it started. | Check the dates and times, including AM/PM. |
| Select at least one connect first. | Tick at least one row. |
| No customers had an active package at that time for the chosen filters. | Widen the filters or check the start time. |
| You do not have permission to compensate hotspot customers. | Ask an owner or admin, or have them give you a suitable role. |