ⓒ The Irish Times
The Permanent TSB (PTSB) faced widespread criticism on Black Friday after a technical glitch caused significant salary payment delays for numerous customers. The disruption, affecting payments from employers and pension providers, left many without access to their funds on one of the year’s busiest shopping days. The bank acknowledged the issue, attributing it to problems with a third-party payments provider. While PTSB claimed to have resolved the majority of payment delays by midday, many customers reported ongoing difficulties accessing their accounts, expressing considerable frustration with the bank’s response and service levels.
Michael Kilcoyne, chair of the Consumers’ Association of Ireland, condemned the service failure, highlighting the significant inconvenience caused to customers, particularly those planning Black Friday shopping. The incident is understood to have affected at least ten banks across Europe, all using the same external payment processing service. The Sepa (Single Euro Payments Area) system, implemented in 2014, was implicated in the widespread disruption. While PTSB maintained that all other services were functioning normally, online customer feedback revealed persistent issues with the bank’s app and website, fueling further anger and dissatisfaction.
The timing of the outage, coinciding with Black Friday’s intense retail activity, exacerbated the negative impact on customers. Social media was flooded with complaints from customers unable to access their funds, even after the bank announced a partial resolution. This incident underscores the vulnerability of banks relying heavily on external service providers for critical payment processing. It also raises concerns about the resilience of banking systems in the face of technological disruptions and the importance of robust contingency plans to minimize customer disruption during peak periods. The PTSB apologized for the inconvenience caused and promised further updates via various channels, but the damage to public confidence has been significant.
