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BANK FAIL

NatWest error leaves desperate customers without cash

NATWEST customers have been left without cash, unable to pay bills or food due to a payments glitch.

The bank, which has 12.5million customers across the NatWest Banking Group, has promised users "won't be left out of pocket".

NatWest customers complain that they're missing payments this morning and that their cards aren't working
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NatWest suffered an outage that saw it unable to debit or credit accounts

It follows a huge outage last night where customers were unable to log into accounts using the app, website or phone, as well as being unable to use debit cards to withdraw cash or to spend money online and in stores.

The issues appear to have started around 8pm last night, according to outage site DownDetector but some customers report still having payments missing this morning.

The bank says issues with its app, website, and debit card have been resolved, but admitted there were still a "small number of payments" going in and out of accounts that were delayed today.

It says these will update as the day progresses, and as of 4.30pm it says these should all have now gone through.

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Frustrated customers have complained of missing payments in NatWest accounts, as well as being unable to use ATMs
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Frustrated customers have complained of missing payments in NatWest accounts, as well as being unable to use ATMs

Sister bank RBS, meanwhile, says it too experienced banking, app and phone issues last night but it tweeted during the evening to say these had been fixed.

RBS doesn't appear to have been hit by the debit and credit problems.

One NatWest customer tweeted today: "I’m money down and it’s made my account go into minus? How am I supposed to pay bills when my money isn’t showing??"

Another wrote last night: "@NatWest_Help The embarrassment of leaving all of my shopping behind because of my debit card NOT working.

"The cash machine didn’t work either. And top it all off... the NatWest App was also down. WHAT IS GOING ON? #NotHelpfulBanking"

NatWest tweeted this morning to tell affected customers to get in touch for refunds
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NatWest tweeted this morning to tell affected customers to get in touch for refunds
But it added that some payments were still delayed
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But it added that some payments were still delayed

Someone else added: "Thanks a lot @NatWest_Help - literally ran to shop to grab a snack before they shut, cos I'm OUT of food - like have none in - to find when I came to pay that your app and online was BOTH down.

"Couldn't transfer any £ over, so now I'm #hangry and NOT a happy bunny right now."

Someone else tweeted: "Yet again @NatWest_Help your online banking is down and apparently cashpoints too - just tried to get some cash out and it said "your financial institution is unavailable". Need this sorted urgently."

RBS said its online, app and telephone banking were back up and running last night
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RBS said its online, app and telephone banking were back up and running last night

The beleaguered bank says customers who need help should either send it a message on social media or message it privately via its banking app.

You're unlikely to get any compensation but if you've been pushed into your overdraft or incurred late payment fees because you didn't have the funds in your account to pay for bills you should be refunded.

Take screen shots of the problems if they're still occurring or explain to NatWest what's happened and provide evidence of the fees charged.

What to do if you can't access your money

If you can't access your money and you need to urgently, here's what to do:

  • Visit your local branch as soon as you can.
  • If you can't get there, or it is closed, call your bank and ask for its guidance on what to do. 
  • If the bank’s phone services are also down or busy, try contacting your bank on social media to ask what to do. But remember: don’t ever share your account details over social media.
  • Try to do this on the day the problem arises so you can show you made every attempt to solve the issue.
  • If you still can't access your money, begin gathering evidence for a complaint.

It's also worth checking your credit report to ensure there's no adverse impact to your score as NatWest should correct this too if so.

See our guide to how to check if the NatWest and RBS websites or banking apps are working for more information on what to do, and how to complain if you're unhappy.

A NatWest spokesperson said: “The issues affecting a small number of our customers have now been resolved and all our services are operating normally. We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused."

"We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused. No customer will be left out of pocket as a result."

Read More on The Sun

It's not just banks that have been hit with outages though - most of the major telecoms companies have also suffered disruption to service as customers try to work from home due to the coronavirus crisis.

In August, both Virgin Media and BT experienced issues.

NatWest is testing payment FOBS - and customers don't need their card or phone to use them
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