Tesco Bank has suffered something of a meltdown on what is fast becoming one of the hottest recorded days in the UK, with hundreds of customers unable to access their online banking accounts.
The supermarket giant is now entering its second day of computer failures, with customers facing an IT glitch affecting online shopping orders on Tuesday. Today, the IT problems have spread to Tesco’s banking arm, with the company yet again blaming a vague IT problem on the glitch.
Although Tesco was quick to state that the two glitches were unrelated, it did not stop the same customer response – thousands took to Twitter to complain they could not access accounts, as did online shoppers the day before.
“We apologise to customers who could not access online banking earlier today,” a spokesperson said.
“Service is now restored and customers can access their account as normal.”
The Tesco Bank glitch follows recent research showing how 79% of people are worried the shift to online banking will negatively impact customer service. An even more concerning stat, especially for Tesco in the wake of this latest glitch, is that 43% plan to switch banks in the next year.
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“There’s a perfect storm brewing as consumer expectations grow and as it continues to become easier to compare banks’ offerings and switch or spread your accounts across multiple providers. The research also revealed 43% of UK consumers plan to switch banks in the next year, which means banks should be looking over their shoulders,” said David Webster at GMC Software.
“To stop an exodus, banks must prove they can be depended upon whenever their services are needed, and communicate effectively, ensuring they are able to tell account holders what they need to hear, when they need to hear it, over the right channel.”
