Sorry for the inconvenience: Bank tech snafus of the past year
January 10, 2018 10:00 PM
Here's a truth for the banking industry that Capital One just learned the hard way.
Whenever clients are unable to access their money, the bank will hear about it to no end. It doesn't matter however temporary the delay is, or how benign the glitch might be that caused the snafu. They're going to get on Twitter, Facebook and other social media venues and rant. And nobody's going to be polite about it, either.
Capital One customersvented on social media after being charged multiple times for the same debit card transactions. Some ended up with overdraft charges and negative balances. They were very unhappy about long hold times to find out what was going on.
Technical glitches were to blame, and the bank later announced on Twitter that the issue had been resolved and that all balances would be accurate. But that didn't stop some customers from posting zingers.
Days later, well after Capital One said the problems were solved, customers were still hammering the company.
But Capital One is hardly alone. Its problems were just the latest in a series of banking breakdowns that have driven customers crazy. Here's a roundup of the notable bank tech snafus, at big and little institutions, during the past year.
Whenever clients are unable to access their money, the bank will hear about it to no end. It doesn't matter however temporary the delay is, or how benign the glitch might be that caused the snafu. They're going to get on Twitter, Facebook and other social media venues and rant. And nobody's going to be polite about it, either.
Capital One customers
Technical glitches were to blame, and the bank later announced on Twitter that the issue had been resolved and that all balances would be accurate. But that didn't stop some customers from posting zingers.
What’s in your wallet? Not a damn thing cause of capital one ....
— #ZeddyTaughtME (@BluSatire)January 3, 2018
Days later, well after Capital One said the problems were solved, customers were still hammering the company.
It’s a new day and
— Jay (@Mousefan2)@CapitalOne continues its lies and mistreatment of its customers.January 10, 2018
But Capital One is hardly alone. Its problems were just the latest in a series of banking breakdowns that have driven customers crazy. Here's a roundup of the notable bank tech snafus, at big and little institutions, during the past year.
Barclays, February 25
Bloody hell. We can't even repeat what the bank's U.K. customers tweeted after a systems crash left many of them without cash or unable to pay by debit card. The BBC reported that "online and telephone banking, and in-branch payments were also affected."
In response to customers' profanity, the bank apologized profusely for the inconvenience.
In response to customers' profanity, the bank apologized profusely for the inconvenience.
Frost Bank, March 15
Customers in Texas reported ATMs went down and debit card transactions being denied for three days. Not just any time, mind you: during Spring Break! The bank said the glitch was due to a change in systems that rolled across its debit card network of more than 1,200 ATMs in the state.
Kelvin Ma/Bloomberg
Citizens Bank, March 17
Some customers in Cleveland discovered missing paychecks and unprocessed online bills. Point-of-sale, ATM and credit transactions were also affected by a “vendor processing issue,” according to the bank.
JPMorgan Chase, May 11
Instead of outrage, some customers resorted to snark after they were unable to view their account balances online and on mobile. The technology glitch appeared to have lasted for several hours. ChaseSupport tweeted that the cause of the customer balance problem was an internal issue.
PNC Financial Services, June 20
Well, some folks really have better things to do than stand in line at a branch. Customers were unable to access their online and mobile banking accounts for several hours because of an unspecified issue with the company’s technology. PNC announced on Twitter that it was having problems with its digital banking platforms.
Scott McIntyre/Bloomberg
Bank of America, July 19
Detroit customers on social media reported branches were down and that they were having difficulty depositing money online. Bank of America said a system update resolved the issue.
IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union, October 13
An update disrupted debit card transactions of some customers in Moline, Ill. The glitch affected checking accounts and ATMs. Then, in December, the credit union suffered another glitch that affected debit card use.
HSBC, October 27
A glitch locked out HSBC U.K. customers from their online and mobile accounts, but they didn't get angry like Barclays' customers did. (One customer did complain on Twitter that she was getting hangry.) Still, it was bad timing as the interruption happened on a payday. The bank got systems back up in less than an hour.
