HSBC online banking outage hampers Black Friday shopping for thousands

Many customers complained about the lack of communication from the bank

In a recurrence of the ongoing digital banking woes, thousands of HSBC customers in the UK found themselves locked out of mobile and online banking services on Friday.

The disruption, reported on the busy Black Friday shopping day, sparked frustration among users trying to make transactions and manage their accounts.

HSBC acknowledged the issue via its Twitter/X account, stating it was investigating the problem urgently. The bank attributed the outage to internal system problems.

Downdetector, a service that monitors online service outages, recorded over 4,000 complaints at its peak, with customers voicing their concerns throughout the day.

Users attempting to log into the HSBC mobile app were greeted with a message informing them of a system upgrade aimed at enhancing the banking experience.

While some customers experienced inconveniences in making card payments and verifying purchases, the disruption did not extend to First Direct or M&S Bank customers.

Marius Acsinte, a 34-year-old HSBC customer, expressed his frustration, stating that the outage had caused him problems in paying his rent on time.

"I'm not able to open the app to pay my rent due today," he told the BBC.

"I was expecting the bank would send a message or an email explaining why, but instead I had to find out online.

"It doesn't matter if it's Black Friday tonight or not, I'm not able to use my money and nobody informed me about why that's happening."

Many other customers also complained about the lack of communication from the bank regarding the issue.

As the day progressed, the number of complaints continued to rise, with customers venting their grievances on various online platforms.

At 11 pm, HSBC announced on Twitter that its "online and mobile banking services are getting back up and running for all our customers."

The bank apologised for the inconvenience and assured customers it was working behind the scenes to ensure a full recovery.

The exact number of affected individuals remains unclear. With approximately 14.8 million customers in the UK, HSBC estimates that nine out of 10 transactions are conducted digitally.

HSBC's previous announcement of branch closures in 2023, attributed to the increasing shift to online banking, now faces heightened scrutiny in light of the recent digital banking outage.

Consumer advocates, including Sam Richardson, Deputy Editor of Which? Money, emphasised the impact of the outage on one of the country's most active shopping days, stating that it would cause "a real headache" for affected customers.

"We strongly advise customers that have been left out of pocket to keep evidence of extra expenses they may have incurred as a result of the outage, so they can be claimed back from HSBC," he said.

"People want a bank they can depend on, and if IT outages become a regular occurrence, consumers could be tempted to vote with their feet and switch to an alternative provider - particularly with a lot of tempting switching incentives on offer at the moment."