If you lost Internet, land line or cell service during the big silence on Friday, your carrier might -- just might -- give you a little refund.

Only you have to ask. Which means you have to pick and poke through one of those annoying phone trees, possibly for less than the cost of a latte. Might someone just be counting on that?

Naw, that's not it, at least not according to Suddenlink.

It's not an automatic refund because, after all, some people might not have been home or wanted to use their phones or tried to get on the Net while service was out. So they've just gotta call Suddenlink to explain that they actually tried to use what they pay for.

At least that's how Wendy Purnell, Suddenlink's director of operations, explained it in an email. She says customers can call 1-877-443-3127. Or if they don't want to mess with the phone, they can always stop by the office at 911 W. Wabash in Eureka.

AT&T says pretty much the same, except that if you actually called to report that your phone wasn't working (huh?), that would generate a trouble ticket, which in turn would generate an automatic refund. Otherwise, call 1-800-288-2020.

For something like the fire that knocked out so much connectivity on Friday and into Saturday, AT&T doesn't have any obligation under its tariffs to provide a refund or credit, said spokesman John Britton. It does so anyway, as a courtesy, he said.

Be sure to tell the phone tree thank you.