Santander Banking Outage Leaves Customers Frustrated Amid IT Failures

Santander Banking Outage Leaves Customers Frustrated Amid IT Failures

Santander Banking Outage Leaves Customers Frustrated Amid IT Failures

Santander customers across the UK have been hit with a major outage today, leaving them unable to make online transactions or even use their cards for payments. This unexpected disruption has caused frustration among both personal and business account holders, as many rely on these services for their daily financial activities.

Reports started flooding in earlier this afternoon, with over 600 customers logging complaints on Downdetector, a platform that tracks service outages. According to the data, around 68% of affected users were unable to process instant payments, while another 17% reported issues with card transactions. As expected, social media quickly became a hub for frustrated customers to voice their concerns. One user on X (formerly Twitter) shared, “Santander, please sort your mobile banking out! I’m at a pub and I can’t even transfer money.” Another customer questioned whether they would be charged an overdraft fee because they couldn't move money between their own accounts.

Santander has acknowledged the issue and assured customers that their team is working urgently to resolve it. A spokesperson for the bank apologized for the inconvenience and reassured users that no one would be left out of pocket. However, this incident has reignited discussions about the reliability of banking IT systems, especially in light of recent findings by the Treasury Committee.

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According to the committee's latest report, the UK’s major banks have experienced over 33 days of unplanned outages in the past two years. Santander alone has dealt with 24 separate incidents , amounting to more than 116 hours of downtime . In contrast, Barclays, which has faced 93 hours of downtime , has set aside £12.5 million in compensation for affected customers. Santander, however, has reportedly paid out only £17,000 despite its repeated technical failures.

So, what can you do if you've been financially impacted by this outage? While banks aren't required to provide compensation for service interruptions, you can request reimbursement if the outage caused you direct financial loss —for instance, if a failed payment led to late fees or impacted your credit score. It’s crucial to keep records of failed transactions, additional charges, and any other financial impact. You can then file a formal complaint with Santander and, if necessary, escalate it to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you're unsatisfied with their response.

For those wondering how to check if their bank is down in the future, the best approach is to visit their official website or check platforms like Downdetector, which provide real-time updates. In the meantime, Santander customers will have to wait and hope the issue is resolved soon. If outages like this continue, it might be time to consider switching banks to one with a more reliable system.

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