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Computer Glitch Leaves Bank Customers Fuming, Ferrari-less

by Terrence O'Brien on June 17, 2009 at 06:30 PM


It's bad enough when your credit or debit card is rejected, but imagine if you tried to make a large purchase and were declined due to a computer glitch. That's what happened to customers of Barclays bank across southern England when a "faulty disc array" took out 1,500 ATMs along with phone and Internet banking services, altogether preventing merchants from processing purchases.

According to BBC News, Mark Taplin of High Wycombe was one of those haplessly caught in the middle of this embarrassment. While some were left borrowing a few dollars for lunch, or wondering why they couldn't access their plane ticket, Taplin was turned away while attempting to purchase his dream car -- a Ferrari. In an e-mail to BBC News, Taplin said, "Trust this to happen the only time in my life that I'm ever likely to buy a Ferrari. I'm not amused."

This isn't the first time that a bank has prevented people from accessing their accounts. Earlier this month Nationwide suffered a similar glitch, barring its British customers from online banking. And last year an Australian bank started taking (accidentally, of course) double-sized withdrawals from customer accounts. Even government-run unemployment benefits in Pennsylvania have seen havoc wreaked by computer issues.

Fortunately, Barclays has told those who incurred penalties or fees that it will refund the charges, though no word yet on whether Taplin was since been able to purchase the sports car. This just goes to show the more we rely on the technology, the more we are at its mercy. [From: BBC News]

Tags: atm, banking, banks, barclays, glitch, online banking, OnlineBanking, top

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