Customers of Bendigo Bank faced significant frustrations on Christmas Eve as the bank's phone app and e-banking services experienced extensive outages, preventing many from accessing their accounts and completing necessary transactions. The outages caused widespread discontent, particularly since this occurred during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year, just hours before Christmas.
Reports began flooding social media platforms shortly after 9 am on December 24, 2023, as customers took to online forums to voice their grievances. Many noted the lack of access to digital banking services, which are particularly important for those living in rural areas, where banking branches are scarce. "I am stuck. I’m in a country town where they don't have a [branch]," one frustrated customer shared online.
Despite the peak of complaints reaching over 1,000 entries by 10:30 am, with reports flooding websites like Downdetector, Bendigo Bank initially reassured its customers via social media. "Our teams are working to restore service," the bank stated.
The bank later updated customers, confirming issues with Osko payments and other digital platforms but assured them other services remained available, including ATMs and branch services. By 12:30 pm, the bank confirmed full restoration of its app and e-banking services.
Nevertheless, many customers expressed their anger over the timing of these disruptions. "This is an absolute disgrace to have happen and take this long on Christmas Eve," lamented one user. Others echoed their sentiments with messages like, "Bendigo Bank ruined Christmas" and "I’ve banked with Bendigo for around 30 years and I’m seriously considering changing banks because I’ve been caught without app access so many times now." Such frustrations were not unique to Bendigo Bank; fellow major Australian bank ANZ also reported significant outages the same day.
These disruptions resulted not only in inconvenience but also impacted holiday plans, with some customers unable to access their funds to purchase food and gifts for Christmas celebrations. "If I don’t do the [trek] to town soon there won’t be a Christmas lunch in this house," one user remarked on social media, highlighting the severe inconvenience the outage caused. Many felt the effects of the technology failures, which raised concerns about the reliability of banking services during peak periods.
Added to this was the question of long-term trust. Some customers voiced their serious concerns about the repeated issues with Bendigo Bank’s app, indicating dissatisfaction with their overall digital banking experience. This incident might not be an isolated case—social media posts suggested complaints about the app's unreliability as being part of a pattern.
On Christmas Eve, as consumers rushed to secure their holiday plans, the tech issues posed uncomfortable reminders of the vulnerabilities inherent within digital banking systems, especially during high-demand periods. While services were restored within hours, the long-term repercussions of such outages cast uncertainty over customer loyalty. Many users are left questioning whether they should continue banking with institutions they depend on, especially when traditional brick-and-mortar services are compromised.
This event serves as both a warning and a lesson for banking institutions, emphasizing the need for reliable and efficient digital infrastructure. For Bendigo Bank, the path forward will likely require enhanced measures to prevent future outages, particularly during peak times, to rebuild trust with their increasingly frustrated customer base.
Reflecting on these outages as Christmas approached, customers noted the combination of technology’s utility and its flaws, underscoring the need for banks to invest not only in improving customer service but also assuring reliable access to their financial systems through thick and thin.
