ME Bank issues apology after 24-hour outage due to ‘technical fault’
By
Seia Ibanez
- Replies 12
In an era where digital banking has become the norm, a major technical glitch can cause significant disruption and inconvenience.
This was the case for thousands of Australians who found themselves locked out of their ME Bank accounts on the eve of a long weekend.
The outage lasted for over 24 hours and was widely criticised as 'unacceptable'. It also raised questions about the reliability of digital banking services.
ME Bank, a direct bank based in Melbourne, first acknowledged the issue on its website at 7:15 pm AEDT on Wednesday.
‘Transactions and account balances will update progressively over the coming hours. Credit card balances may take longer than usual to reflect recent transactions. We’ll continue to keep you updated as all outstanding transactions are processed,’ ME bank said on its website.
‘This issue is the result of a technical fault.’
‘Customers’ funds remain safe and secure.’
It continued: ‘We continue to focus all available resources on resolving the technical issue impacting our services.’
The bank confirmed that its internet and mobile banking services had been restored around 12:00 am AEDT on Friday and thanked customers for their patience.
However, the damage was already done, with many customers expressing their frustration and disappointment online.
The technical glitch affected customers' ability to log into their internet banking and the ME Mobile App.
While the bank assured customers that their funds remained safe and secure, the inability to access their accounts caused significant inconvenience, particularly for those relying on their funds for the long weekend.
'An outage of over 15 hours is ridiculous,' one customer vented.
‘This really isn't acceptable on my payday,' said another.
As of 8:00 am AEDT on Friday, the ME Bank has restored all its services, including the ME Internet Banking and the ME Mobile App.
‘We’re back online. ME Internet Banking and the ME Mobile App are now available. Thank you for your patience as our specialist teams worked to get us back online,’ the bank said on its website.
‘We’ll continue to keep you updated as all outstanding transactions are processed, so check back for details.’
According to ME Bank, here’s what users will expect today after the outage:
This bank issue is not an uncommon incident. Last December, Westpac also experienced a lengthy outage that prevented customers from accessing their accounts for over eight hours.
The bank has since issued an apology, but the incident has raised serious questions about the reliability of digital banking services and the potential consequences for customers. You can read more about it here.
Have you been affected by the ME Bank outage? Share your experiences and tips for dealing with such incidents in the comments below.
This was the case for thousands of Australians who found themselves locked out of their ME Bank accounts on the eve of a long weekend.
The outage lasted for over 24 hours and was widely criticised as 'unacceptable'. It also raised questions about the reliability of digital banking services.
ME Bank, a direct bank based in Melbourne, first acknowledged the issue on its website at 7:15 pm AEDT on Wednesday.
‘Transactions and account balances will update progressively over the coming hours. Credit card balances may take longer than usual to reflect recent transactions. We’ll continue to keep you updated as all outstanding transactions are processed,’ ME bank said on its website.
‘This issue is the result of a technical fault.’
‘Customers’ funds remain safe and secure.’
It continued: ‘We continue to focus all available resources on resolving the technical issue impacting our services.’
The bank confirmed that its internet and mobile banking services had been restored around 12:00 am AEDT on Friday and thanked customers for their patience.
However, the damage was already done, with many customers expressing their frustration and disappointment online.
The technical glitch affected customers' ability to log into their internet banking and the ME Mobile App.
While the bank assured customers that their funds remained safe and secure, the inability to access their accounts caused significant inconvenience, particularly for those relying on their funds for the long weekend.
'An outage of over 15 hours is ridiculous,' one customer vented.
‘This really isn't acceptable on my payday,' said another.
As of 8:00 am AEDT on Friday, the ME Bank has restored all its services, including the ME Internet Banking and the ME Mobile App.
‘We’re back online. ME Internet Banking and the ME Mobile App are now available. Thank you for your patience as our specialist teams worked to get us back online,’ the bank said on its website.
‘We’ll continue to keep you updated as all outstanding transactions are processed, so check back for details.’
According to ME Bank, here’s what users will expect today after the outage:
- Able to log into Internet Banking and the ME Mobile App as usual;
- Their account balances are being updated progressively today as ME Bank processes transactions from the past 24 hours;
- They can continue to use their card for payments up to the current balance of their accounts; and
- Credit card balances may take longer than usual to reflect recent transactions.
This bank issue is not an uncommon incident. Last December, Westpac also experienced a lengthy outage that prevented customers from accessing their accounts for over eight hours.
The bank has since issued an apology, but the incident has raised serious questions about the reliability of digital banking services and the potential consequences for customers. You can read more about it here.
Key Takeaways
- ME Bank experienced a significant technical issue that locked users out of online accounts and the mobile app for over 24 hours.
- Services were restored around morning AEDT Friday, with the bank assuring customers that transactions and account balances would update progressively.
- Scheduled payments in and out of ME accounts began to be processed after services were restored, although credit card balances may take longer to update.
- Customers expressed their frustration at the inconvenience, particularly as the outage occurred right before the long weekend and affected payday for some.