BNF's rocky system update leaves customers locked out of their accounts
Customers say they couldn't log into their accounts, withdraw money or issue payments
Frustrated BNF customers were left in the lurch on Wednesday as the bank’s attempts to upgrade its online and ATM systems over the weekend dragged on throughout the week.
Late last week, the bank announced that its systems would be unavailable until Tuesday 1 April while it refreshed its mobile app, internet banking and ATMs.
BNF encouraged customers to “plan ahead” for their banking needs during the downtime.
But come Wednesday morning, many customers reported still being unable to access their account altogether, with others saying that several services, from online payments to transaction history, remain unavailable.
Cash withdrawals were also unavailable to many, while some reported having their card payments declined whilst out shopping.
Others said they were unable to enter their passwords or activation codes when trying to log into their online accounts. And some of those who managed to log in said that the name on their account appears to have been “mixed up” as a result of the update.
Customers flooded BNF’s social media pages, saying they were unable to get in touch with bank representatives over the phone, while others reported facing long queues when visiting a branch to try have their problem solved.
The bank’s customer service number was unavailable when Times of Malta dialled it on Wednesday afternoon.
When contacted, a BNF spokesperson said BNF “underwent a major upgrade to its core banking and digital platforms over the weekend, as part of a significant investment in state-of-the-art banking technology”.
“As can occur following a large-scale technological upgrade of this magnitude, we have encountered some technical challenges affecting certain functionalities,” the spokesperson said.
These include “intermittent access issues, delays in retrieving transaction histories, and higher-than-normal call volumes at our customer support centre and walk-ins at all our branches,” they added.
The bank said it is working to resolve the issues “as quickly as possible”.
“We expect services to stabilise and sincerely appreciate our customers' patience during this short transitional phase,” the spokesperson said.
BNF is the fifth largest bank in Malta, with a 3.7% market share, according to financial services website TheBanks.eu.