As Australians all over the East Coast were busy celebrating the long weekend and AFL Grand Final, a number of ANZ bank customers and Woolworths shoppers were faced with a very inconvenient disruption.

​

According to an ANZ spokesperson, ANZ customers were hit with outages on September 29 that affected internet banking, the ANZ app, card transactions, and ATM and branch services due to a software issue.

Reports of access issues began spiking at around 1.20 PM, with about 7,629 reports being recorded at 2.20 PM.

Many ANZ customers experienced a disruption on September 29 due to a software issue. Image source: Freepik.

However, by 5.30 PM, this figure had significantly dropped to 187.

'ANZ experienced a software issue which impacted a number of our core systems from 1.37 PM AEST today,' the ANZ spokesperson explained.

'As a result, multiple internal applications and customer-facing channels, including our ANZ app, internet banking, credit/debit card transactions, ATMs, contact centres, and branch services, became unavailable.'

'By 5 PM AEST, most systems were back online—including contact centres, internet banking, ATMs and the ANZ app,’ the spokesperson explained.

'However, we are still experiencing some instability across our Visa credit card transaction services. We recommend customers [to] use [their] debit card or cash wherever accepted while our teams are continuing [the] work to resolve [the problem].’

'We apologise for any disruption or inconvenience caused to our customers.'

A similar outage also occurred for Woolworths supermarkets, affecting up to 20 stores' eftpos systems.

Woolworths stores in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, and the ACT were the first to encounter the issue of disrupted eftpos systems which left cash as the only accepted form of payment.

IT issues which were experienced in stores in Sydney’s south and west, Mawson in the ACT, Pakenham in Melbourne, and Stafford in Brisbane, allegedly interfered with the eftpos system.

Woolworths experienced a disruption on their eftpos systems due to an IT outage. Image source: X.

Some stores have put up handwritten signs to explain the situation to customers, with one sign saying: 'We temporarily have no eftpos due to no internet.'

'Cash only, sorry for the inconvenience.'

A Woolworths spokesperson addressed the issue and said: 'We'd like to thank customers for their patience with an IT outage affecting eftpos in a small number of stores.'

'Stores remained open with cash still being able to be used.’

'The cause has been identified, and eftpos is being restored.’

'Again, we thank everyone for bearing with us this morning.'

Many customers expressed their frustration about the poorly timed outages on social media, with one saying: 'Go cashless, they said, it will make things so much easier and convenient, they said…'

'This is why I always carry cash,' another added.

And a third asked: 'And they want a cashless society?'

Key Takeaways

• Widespread service outages were reported by both Woolworths and ANZ customers on September 29.
  
• The disruption to ANZ services, impacting the app, internet banking, card transactions, ATM and branch services, was due to a software issue.
  
• Frustrated customers took to social media to voice their frustration over the poorly timed outages, particularly as it coincided with the long weekend and AFL Grand Final.
  
• Similarly, some Woolworths stores on Australia's east coast were forced to only accept cash as payment due to IT issues affecting their eftpos systems.
  

Members, were you affected by these service outages? Share your experience with us in the comments below!

 

[Go Cats]

I

And for all of those who insist we have to go cash less - are you joking. This is just the tip of the ice berg, and yes this will happen many times over. The idea of forcing us to go cash less is simply to know where, when, how we shop and live and when you want to buy something that you may need a loan for, well look out - sorry, computer says no (coz you spend too much on coffee) Young ones beware this is what you will be living with. And dont get me started on electricity black outs, they will be big this summer.

I agree.

 

[Nandy]

Great stuff to people who want to go cashless. Did you learn anything today? See. Cash is ‘God’

 

[Go Cats]

I to

And for all of those who insist we have to go cash less - are you joking. This is just the tip of the ice berg, and yes this will happen many times over. The idea of forcing us to go cash less is simply to know where, when, how we shop and live and when you want to buy something that you may need a loan for, well look out - sorry, computer says no (coz you spend too much on coffee) Young ones beware this is what you will be living with. And dont get me started on electricity black outs, they will be big this summer.

I totally agree.

 

[michaelkfra1]

What happens when we get that enormous solar flare? Everything goes for who knows how long? Cashless my A*se

 

[Alan1947]

As Australians all over the East Coast were busy celebrating the long weekend and AFL Grand Final, a number of ANZ bank customers and Woolworths shoppers were faced with a very inconvenient disruption.

​

According to an ANZ spokesperson, ANZ customers were hit with outages on September 29 that affected internet banking, the ANZ app, card transactions, and ATM and branch services due to a software issue.

Reports of access issues began spiking at around 1.20 PM, with about 7,629 reports being recorded at 2.20 PM.

View attachment 31260

Many ANZ customers experienced a disruption on September 29 due to a software issue. Image source: Freepik.

However, by 5.30 PM, this figure had significantly dropped to 187.

'ANZ experienced a software issue which impacted a number of our core systems from 1.37 PM AEST today,' the ANZ spokesperson explained.

'As a result, multiple internal applications and customer-facing channels, including our ANZ app, internet banking, credit/debit card transactions, ATMs, contact centres, and branch services, became unavailable.'

'By 5 PM AEST, most systems were back online—including contact centres, internet banking, ATMs and the ANZ app,’ the spokesperson explained.

'However, we are still experiencing some instability across our Visa credit card transaction services. We recommend customers [to] use [their] debit card or cash wherever accepted while our teams are continuing [the] work to resolve [the problem].’

'We apologise for any disruption or inconvenience caused to our customers.'

A similar outage also occurred for Woolworths supermarkets, affecting up to 20 stores' eftpos systems.

Woolworths stores in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, and the ACT were the first to encounter the issue of disrupted eftpos systems which left cash as the only accepted form of payment.

IT issues which were experienced in stores in Sydney’s south and west, Mawson in the ACT, Pakenham in Melbourne, and Stafford in Brisbane, allegedly interfered with the eftpos system.

View attachment 31261

Woolworths experienced a disruption on their eftpos systems due to an IT outage. Image source: X.

Some stores have put up handwritten signs to explain the situation to customers, with one sign saying: 'We temporarily have no eftpos due to no internet.'

'Cash only, sorry for the inconvenience.'

A Woolworths spokesperson addressed the issue and said: 'We'd like to thank customers for their patience with an IT outage affecting eftpos in a small number of stores.'

'Stores remained open with cash still being able to be used.’

'The cause has been identified, and eftpos is being restored.’

'Again, we thank everyone for bearing with us this morning.'

Many customers expressed their frustration about the poorly timed outages on social media, with one saying: 'Go cashless, they said, it will make things so much easier and convenient, they said…'

'This is why I always carry cash,' another added.

And a third asked: 'And they want a cashless society?'

Key Takeaways

• Widespread service outages were reported by both Woolworths and ANZ customers on September 29.
• The disruption to ANZ services, impacting the app, internet banking, card transactions, ATM and branch services, was due to a software issue.
• Frustrated customers took to social media to voice their frustration over the poorly timed outages, particularly as it coincided with the long weekend and AFL Grand Final.
• Similarly, some Woolworths stores on Australia's east coast were forced to only accept cash as payment due to IT issues affecting their eftpos systems.

Members, were you affected by these service outages? Share your experience with us in the comments below!

And these banks are wanting us to go cashless, WHAT A JOKE

 

[Rob44]

As all banks start sharing the same platforms for their technology you can almost guarantee some threat actor will bring it all down crippling all services across the country. Cash will be the only purchasing option, whilst some will simply grab what they want and run.

Welcome to the Glory of the Digital Age. Things used to work well before the mobile phone and the digital age.

There was indeed once a time when grocers and butchers would accept payment by cheque sent though the post (the letter with the invoice and cheque used to get delivered to them next day, unlike the at present) for their normal weekly delivery of items to one's door.