Which? responds to Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks’ payments failure

Jenny Ross, Which? Money Editor, said:

“Our research has found banks are being hit by almost daily IT failures, which can leave customers without wages and struggling to make essential payments like rent or bills. With banks increasingly moving customers online, more needs to be done to ensure that their systems are robust enough to prevent hugely disruptive outages.”      

“It is unacceptable that these glitches are still so common across the industry, and banks must ensure their customers aren’t shut out of making payments as a result. Consumers have made it clear that cash is a vital back-up when digital systems fail – so government must urgently intervene with legislation to protect access to cash for as long as it is needed.”

Advice for customers: 

• Be wary of unsolicited contact claiming to be from your bank – scammers are likely to take advantage of this IT glitch to try and exploit customers. If you’re not sure if a message or call is legitimate, contact your bank through the number on its website, or on the back of your payment card.
• Keep a note of any expenses incurred as a result of the system failure, as the bank has communicated it will ensure customers are not left out of pocket.
• For more advice, visit: https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/online-banking-and-app-problems-from-it-outage—what-are-my-rights 

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