Nearly half of UK households say that they would struggle to cope if their monthly outgoings rose by £99. We look at how you can create some financial 'breathing space' to help you out if you lose your job or become ill.
RBS to compensate IT hitch victims
The banking group behind NatWest's latest IT collapse has promised to compensate customers who were left out of pocket as a result of being blocked from accessing their cash.
NatWest has apologised after customers were left unable to access their cash
The banking group behind NatWest's latest IT collapse has promised to compensate customers who were left out of pocket as a result of being blocked from accessing their cash.
Furious customers have deluged the bank with complaints about its second computer hitch to happen within a year, which has also affected sister banks Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Ulster Bank.
RBS Group has apologised for the "unacceptable failure", which it said was due to a hardware fault unrelated to last summer's meltdown that cost the group £175 million to put right.
Problems from around 9pm on Wednesday meant that customers were barred from withdrawing money at ATMs, with reports of some having their cards "swallowed" at cashpoints. Online and telephone banking services were also disrupted.
The bank said that the hitch was cleared up a couple of hours later, but some customers were still reporting problems on NatWest's website on Thursday. The group is urging customers who have been left worse off to get in touch and promised they will not be permanently out of pocket.
A statement from RBS Group said: "This problem was caused by a hardware fault and was not related to the issues we experienced last summer. It was much easier to fix, though clearly an unacceptable failure. Any customer who was left out of pocket due to this outage should get in touch so we can put things right for them."
A spokeswoman for the group said claims will be looked at on a "case by case basis" to work out if people should be compensated for any extra costs. Customers will not be automatically entitled to a payout just because they had problems and those who believe they are entitled to some cash should keep evidence such as receipts.
The BBC quoted NatWest customer Darren Reuben who said he had to get someone else to cover a restaurant bill on Wednesday evening. Mr Reuben said he was given £70 in compensation for the embarrassment caused after turning down an offer of £30. He said: "It was paid into my account straight away. While it was embarrassing, they did me a good turn."
It is unclear exactly how many of the 17 million personal banking customers of NatWest, RBS and Ulster Bank had been affected by the problems, although many people vented their frustration online. One Twitter user said: "Natwest, you left me with no dinner tonight, and left me walking home in the rain!"
In its recently-released annual report, RBS said it had been investing in technology to make it easier for people to bank with the group, including introducing more than 200 ATMs and cash deposit machines.
related stories on msn
85Comments
07/03/2013 03:06
Posting a word limited Tweet doesn't make up for the fact that people have been left without money and made to suffer the embarrassment of their cards declining in supermarkets and in my case; petrol stations. I visited five different ATMs trying to get money out of my account, and had my card declined when I tried to fill up my car. I called RBS and was told that there were no problems with my account or the bank themselves and that it was either the ATMs or my card that were faulty.
I'm sure if we (the public) owed you (the bank) money - you wouldn't accept a short, meaningless apology. You'd send letters, call us, hound us until you got your money!
Don't be sorry. Be professional.
07/03/2013 03:10
07/03/2013 02:52
07/03/2013 03:00
07/03/2013 03:38
Apologies... it's the very least they can do... and they wont give anybody anything more. Just another glorious day with the banks in England. I'll apologise for not paying back my over-draft, and apologise to Clegg when I don't pay my student fees back. After all, it's the least I can do.
07/03/2013 03:29
07/03/2013 03:44
I have just phoned Natwest asking if my money is in my account to be told that the we know there is a problem and are updating the computers....thats not gonna help me when i have to pay my rent at 9am or my husband has to go to fill his car with petrol before he can evenb get to work or the fact my direct debits wont go out.......it chuffin stinks yet again i can not access MY money in MY account .....maybe they should pay my bills and my charges.
07/03/2013 09:17
what is going on in Mr camerons mind he is not going to give the romanions or bulgarians full
benefits when they flood our country soon,if you dont contribute to a society you get nothing out of society grow a pair cameron or should i say moron, nothing to offer our country no entry.
a very pissed off british tax payer.
07/03/2013 08:25
07/03/2013 08:53
first time was a an unprofessional pain, they are paid millions in bonuses because we keep getting told you have to reward negligence otherwise they will leave and work for someone else, me I voting with my feet apologies are not good enough anymore so a reward from me to the Royal bank of Scotland my money, and loyalty are just leaving ............that's my bonus , anyone else???????
07/03/2013 04:31
07/03/2013 08:55
07/03/2013 08:49
enough of this crap ... .. ask yourself this question . When you have let them lead you into a cashless society and everything is on an RFID chip, what will you do when things go wrong, when they block your chip because you don't comply or are wrongly identified as a criminal. No access to travel, food, health care or your credit.? yes I thought so .. just go back to watching shop window tv's eh.
07/03/2013 09:03
Banking is a very competitive market. If people do not feel satisfied with the service they are receiving, then they should move their accounts to a different banking group. The process is so easy these days that all it takes is one phone call. If a failing banking group isn't enough of an incentive to do so, then there are other sweetners out there to move your account.
RBS clearly has issues. Two failures within a year?? Not very professional. I realise that technology is great when it works and a pain when it doesn't but it still seems the attitude of some banks is 'If you don't like it then tough!!'
Many banks have become complacent, if they're not making billions in profit each year, then they can still feel safe in the knowledge that any rpoblems and the taxpayer will bail them out.
If enough people were to move their accounts maybe then will they wake up and realise the error of their ways!!
07/03/2013 04:13
07/03/2013 09:13
07/03/2013 10:23
They have operated at a loss for 5yrs or so now and have recently paid out huge(600mil) bonuses yet again. I also recently read that some banks will operate negative interest accounts.....so when will banks be offering negative interest loans i wonder....lol
WHEN ARE THE PEOPLE GOING TO WAKE UP!
YOUR GOVERNMENT DOESN'T GIVE A FLYING FCUK ABOUT YOU!
07/03/2013 10:06
Millions of RBS customers were unable to get access to their accounts nor could they withdraw their own money due to technical problems
Bet Stephen Hester has no problem getting access to his account and huge bonuses.
Perhaps he would be kind enough to waive his bonuses to pay for improvements so that no further technical problems occur?
Guess that is something which will never happen.
I'm alright Jack comes to mind.
It seems the more you underperform and fail the better off you are.
Something wrong somewhere.
The quicker they cap bankers bonuses the better.
If they choose to pull out of the UK might be doing their customers a favour.
Could possibly give birth to a better banking system which may be fairer to its customers and at a lower cost.
These so-called clever dicks in the banks have wreaked havoc costing the taxpayers billions.
What use are they to us when they have only their self interests at heart?
Report
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
latest money videos
more on msn money
Avoid these mistakes if you want to lead a richer life!
Save regularly to nab a leading easy access ISA rate from Newcastle Building Society and the chance to earn up to £1,000 cashback.
Barclaycard is now offering a record 27 interest-free months to pay off your debts.
The taxman says three and a half million people are due a refund, but two million will have to fork out for underpaid tax.
Fed up with low savings rates and high borrowing rates? As Dave Fishwick and his Bank of Dave has demonstrated, there are other options out there.
If you want to find a unique property bargain, there is plenty of help available online - you just need to know where to look.
US couple have found an innovative solution to the problem of sky-high house prices.
The two banks have now joined the Post Office's banking network, meaning customers can make withdrawals and deposits at branches around the UK.
Get 5p off per litre of fuel at Shell, broadband from £2 a month and more in our latest discount and freebie round-up.
Lifestyling is supposed to mean that your pension pot becomes more secure the nearer you get to retirement. Yet your pension provider might be switching you to overpriced and therefore riskier investments.
If you want to borrow a larger sum of money and repay it over time, a conventional personal loan is not always your best option.
