In an era where digital banking has become a norm, imagine the frustration of not being able to access your own money due to a system outage.

This was the reality for thousands of Westpac and St George Bank customers who found themselves locked out of their online banking services for several hours.

On a Monday morning, more than 2600 people reported Westpac's service as down, according to DownDetector.

Customers were met with a blank screen when opening the app, and others were unable to log into their online banking.

Westpac and St George Bank customers were reportedly unable to access their online banking services for several hours. Image source: Westpac (left), Facebook/St.George Bank (right).

'Your system is down again. Not just the app. Christmas week, and we can't get our money. I'm done,' one customer vented online.

Another echoed the sentiment, saying, 'It's down again. Merry Christmas from Westpac.'

St George Bank customers were not spared either, with hundreds reporting similar issues.

The banks were aware of the outage, as they posted updates on their social media platforms stating: 'We’re aware that customers are experiencing intermittent issues… Our teams are working to fix the issue.'

You can read Westpac’s statement below:

Source: X/@Westpac.​

'We're sorry for the inconvenience and will continue to share updates here,' the banks said.

You can also read St George Bank’s statement below:

Source: X/@StGeorgeBank.​

By 2.40 pm, the banks confirmed their services were back up and running again.

'Our online, mobile and telephone banking services are working as usual for customers,' they announced on social media.

'We're sorry for the disruption, and thank you for your patience during this time.'

These outages come after Natalie Barr expressed her concerns about Australia’s move towards a cashless society.

Barr cited the Optus outage in November, which left millions of Australians without phone and internet connectivity.

This resulted in many small businesses being unable to accept payments as they relied on EFTPOS linked to the telco.

While such outages are not uncommon, with Telstra experiencing a similar issue in May and Westpac Bank going offline just last week, they cause issues in the everyday lives of their customers.

These incidents also highlight the vulnerabilities of a digital-only economy. If there is no circulating cash, a simple network disruption could have far-reaching consequences.

You can read more about this here.

Key Takeaways

• Westpac and St George Bank experienced an outage affecting their online banking, mobile app, and phone banking services.
• Customers reported issues such as being greeted with a blank screen and being unable to log in to their accounts.
• Over 2600 people reported the Westpac outage on DownDetector, indicating widespread disruption.
• The banks resolved the issue by the afternoon and apologised for the inconvenience caused to their customers.

Have you ever been affected by a banking outage? How did you manage the situation? Share your experiences in the comments below.

 

[Penny4]

On my recent visit to the Gent's Hairdresser l was surprised to see a sign @ the Cash Register which said, "OUR PREFERRED METHOD OF PAYMENT IS CREDIT CARD".

They are part of a big chain of Hairdressing Salons & in a small shopping centre, l was still charged the usual $19 for the service (no surcharge) but somewhat surprised that customers are already being forced to accept these changes. I only saw a screen but no cash drawer, which may have been under the bench. Customers were offered a receipt if they wanted it, to which every person was saying, 'No thanks'.

I don't think customers will opt to go elsewhere in the hopes of being given an option of cash or card. They are only one of three such services in a vicinity of approx five kilometres but I DO OBJECT TO NOT BEING GIVEN AN OPTION.
[I was approx 10 weeks overdue for a haircut (my opinion- hair over collar) - 6 weeks following a foot operation & unable to drive just rest, rest & rest then COVID stopped me].

I think businesses these days who don't accept cash is due to banks closing nearby for them, so they have to pay an employer to drive to the bank with the cash. This way they save money by accepting cards, even though the banks charge them for their eftpos privilege. A while ago, I went to a shoe shop and I was required to pay by their wi-fi tablet not an eftpos. I blame banks for closing for businesses to access them.

 

[Ezzy]

Your key word there was "They are part of a big chain of Hairdressing Salons".
If you are to avoid those chain stores *which I usually try to do in order to support the little battler bloke" you would soon see that they will do a quick reverse to their rules.
If you support what they will tell you to do they will continue doing it unperturbed, if you stop supporting them where they will begin to feel the pain, they will change.
People are waking up to this dictatorial attitude.

Actually a bit hard to avoid going here. They are in a convenient location, but unfortunately very popular. Of the two other hairdressers nearby, one is more of a up-market establishment with prices to match (sort of a Sam Rifici) & the other is also further from me with prices to match. A new salon near my Bunnings store charges $30 for a pensioner haircut. I paid $19. Big difference & a long hike.

As l stated, the sign said, "OUR PREFERRED....." & there may have been a cash drawer. To me preferred means people still have an option, don't they?

If we believe what is in the news this will happen in the next 5 years regardless. What Joe Blogs wants is not a consideration to the Federal Government. We are mere mortals to those would bees if they could be.