DOWN AND OUT
Lloyds and Virgin Money online banking went down leaving customers unable to view transactions
We reveal how to check if you're entitled to compensation
LLOYDS and Virgin Money's online banking apps went down, leaving hundreds of customers unable to view their transactions earlier today.
Over 650 Lloyds Bank customers complained about the issue which started on Monday morning, according to Down Detector, a website that monitors outages.
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A further 390 Virgin Money customers complained about the same issue.
The disruption started as millions of Brits received their monthly pay packet.
Most customers reported issues with online banking, while others said they were struggling with their mobile banking app, too.
Specifically, customers complained that they couldn't see their list of recent transactions.
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Frustrated customers took to X (formerly Twitter) to share how they were affected by the outage.
One Lloyds Bank customer said: "I think you need to look at your new app, it doesn't work very well, shows no transactions in all mode and appears to have emptied one of my accounts!"
Another said, "I've logged in via the website now, but my account shows no transactions of any kind.
"You clearly have major problems with the app and online banking."
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At the time, a Lloyds Bank spokesperson told The Sun: "We know some of our customers are having issues viewing their recent transactions and our app may be running slower than usual.
However, the bank issued a further updated at 1.50pm confirming the issue was resolved.
A spokesperson added: "Our mobile app is back to normal. We're sorry some of our customers had issues viewing transactions and it may have been running slower earlier today."
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Virgin Money customers also took to X to share their frustrations over a similar glitch.
One customer said: "VirginMoney is the app playing up this morning? I can get onto it but no transactions showing."
Another joked: "If I had a £1 for every time the Virgin Money website wasn't working, I'd be rich enough to own them."
"We're sorry about this and we're working to have everything back to normal soon."
Virgin Money also confirmed on X that there's an issue with the bank's mobile app.
It said: "We're aware that there's an issue with our mobile app.
"Our IT team are looking into this and will endeavour to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
"We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this, and please try again later."
Like Lloyds Bank, Virgin confirmed that the issue had been resolved by 2pm.
A spokesperson said: "Some of our customers experienced issues viewing their transactions online this morning, but we’re pleased to say that everything is now back to normal and apologise for any inconvenience this caused."
Lloyds Bank is a subsidiary of the Lloyds Banking Group, which owns sister brands Halifax and Bank of Scotland.
The banking giant described itself as the UK's largest digital bank and serves roughly 27million customers.
Virgin Money serves roughly over six million UK customers.
Lloyds Bank and Virgin Money are not the only firms that have suffered from service disruption in recent months.
NatWest's banking app went down last week, leaving thousands of customers unable to transfer money.
Meanwhile, millions of HSBC, Virgin Money, Lloyds Bank, Barclays and Nationwide customers were last left unable to access their accounts or make payments due to a major IT glitch in June.
Check if your bank is down
THERE are a few different ways to find out if your bank is experiencing an outage.
Senior consumer reporter Olivia Marshall explains how you can check.
If you're trying to send money to someone, or you just want to check if you have enough cash for a coffee, finding your online banking is down can be a real pain.
Most banks have a dedicated news page on their website to show service problems, including internet banking, mobile apps, ATMs, debit cards and credit cards.
You can also check on any future work they have planned and what it might mean for you.
Plus, you can check websites such as Down Detector, which will tell you whether other people are experiencing problems with a particular company online.
Can I claim compensation for the outage?
Banks don't have to pay out compensation to customers if there has been a drop in service, unlike how telecoms companies have to.
But if you have incurred costs as a result of service issues, it's likely you could 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.
If your credit rating has been affected by a service outage, because you got a late payment fee after being unable to make a transaction, for example, you should also keep a record of this.
If you spoke to anyone to try and resolve the problem, make a note of their name and when you spoke to them, as well as roughly what you discussed and what they advised you to do.
You can find out more details about how to complain on the bank's website.
It is worth gathering evidence of your problems so you can make a formal complaint to the bank directly.
What happens if my bank refuses to compensate me?
If you're unhappy with how the bank dealt with your problem, you can contact the free Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).
It is an independent body that will consider the evidence you present and make a fair decision about the action a bank should take.
The FOS can usually get involved 15 days after you've raised concerns with the bank.
In the case of an IT system outage at a bank, the FOS says any compensation depends on your circumstances and whether you lost out as a result.
If it thinks you did, it has the power to tell the bank to reimburse any fees, charges, or fines you were hit with, for example, if you were unable to make a payment on a credit card bill or to your mortgage provider.
It could also tell a bank to pay you for any money you didn't receive, such as interest, if you weren't able to pay money in.
If your credit score was affected, it may tell the bank to correct your credit file.
The FOS might also tell the bank to reimburse you for any extra costs you had to make, such as phone calls or trips to your local branch, as well as a payment for any inconvenience it caused.
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