Can we talk about SLAs that don't actually mean anything?

Sat in a meeting last week with our provider from Comcast Business and they kept pushing their 99.99% uptime SLA. I asked them point blank what the credit is if they miss it. They said 5% off one month's bill. So we get maybe $150 back for a full day of downtime that costs us thousands in lost sales. What a joke. Has anyone actually fought for a real SLA that works?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordan_webb4928d ago

The 5% credit thing is pretty standard, but I see it differently - you're looking at it wrong. SLAs are more about setting a minimum bar for performance than actually making you whole financially. If you want real teeth, negotiate for service credits that stack or escalate, like 10% for the first violation and 25% for anything after that.

the_emma28d ago

idk, saying "you're looking at it wrong" about SLAs feels like a lot of weight for something that's probably just a boilerplate clause in a contract. Like, who's really gonna sit there and fight for escalating credits for a server that went down during a routine update? Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather spend that energy on something else.