HUNDREDS of Natwest customers were unable to access online banking services through their apps this morning following an outage.
Brits were unable to use their Natwest banking app, with problems starting around 9am, according to Downdetector.
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However, Natwest has been contacting customers on Twitter to say that the issue has now been resolved.
The areas most affected, according to the complaints tracking site, appeared to be London and Cardiff.
Cities including Manchester, Brighton and Birmingham were hit too.
Furious customers took to social media to complain about the outage.
One tweeted: “Wow it would be really cool if [the] natwest app was working.”
Another said: “Your app isn’t working at all this morning. I deleted it and downloaded it again and still nothing… what’s going on?”
One customer tweeted: “When I try to use the app, verifying device takes a long time then it says ‘some kind of error has occurred when trying to establish a connection’.”
How to claim compensation for major app, bank account and card issues
BANKS don’t have to pay out compensation to customers if there has been a drop in service, unlike telecoms companies.
But that doesn’t mean that you may be eligible for compensation in some cases.
If you’ve incurred costs as a result of service issues, you’re likely to get your money back.
For example, if a bill payment didn’t go through as a result of an outage and you’ve been charged a fee for missing it, you should be able to claim that money back.
Money.co.uk personal finance expert James Andrews previously told The Sun that you’re not usually entitled to automatic compensation just because your bank is down – unlike the payout you’d get if your power or water supply runs into issues.
“But that doesn’t mean you’ve no rights at all,” he said.
“If you’ve lost out as a result of the service interruption, contact your bank and tell them what’s happened and what it cost you.
“Provide as much evidence as possible of any charges you’ve incurred as a result of not being able to access your bank account to have the best chance of a refund.”
Natwest replied to customers on Twitter to say there was an “ongoing issue with our app” and that the bank was “working hard to fix this urgently”.
However, customers are now tweeting that they are back online.
If you’re still having problems, Natwest’s customer service account on Twitter said you can still access online banking services on its website to view and manage accounts.
A NatWest spokesperson said: “Mobile banking is now working as normal and we apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
Banks don’t have to pay out compensation to customers if there has been a drop in service, unlike telecoms companies.
You may, however, be entitled to some money back depending on how much the service disruption has affected you and how long it lasts for.
To make a claim, you’ll need to present evidence of how the outage negatively affected you, including any extra costs incurred, such as late payment charges.
Make a note of when you were unable to access the services and the names of anyone you spoke to about resolving the issue – record-keeping will strengthen your case.
For example, Santander released details of how customers could claim compensation after thousands were unable to access mobile and internet banking or use their app for hours in May.
Customers said they had payments rejected in supermarkets, claimed their cards weren’t working and even said telephone banking was down.
Other banks have had issues with their website and app banking services this year as well.
In July, customers were unable to access their accounts with Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland after internet banking and apps went down.
TSB’s website and app went down in January, leaving thousands of customers locked out of their accounts.
A “bug” with Klarna’s app let users log into other customers’ accounts.
Lloyds Banking Group has paid out £13.6million to 350,000 customers following an investigation into home insurance renewal policies.
Thousands of savers have been urged to claim compensation for bad pension advice – how to check if you’re owed up to £85,000.
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