Barclays customers getting letters on compensation after massive outage | Personal Finance | Finance
Barclays is offering financial compensation to select customers as a token of goodwill following a significant technical glitch earlier this year – and sending out letters to all those impacted.
The banking giant has initiated the reimbursement process for some users to make amends for troubles experienced during the service disruption in January.
A substantial portion of these repayments are expected to be completed very soon, yet more intricate cases may encounter delays. Those eligible for the refund will see a distinctive entry in their mobile app payment history labelled “Barclays UK Refu”, accompanied by the refund sum.
The bank has dispatched letters through the mail outlining the compensation amounts sent to those entitled to it, with some customers likely to notice money in their bank accounts even before receiving the correspondence, potentially catching them off guard. The sum of the refunds varies among clients based on the degree to which they were affected by the system downtime.
This update comes after numerous Barclays patrons reported their bemusement on social media platform X upon noticing unanticipated deposits in their bank statements; a few fortunate individuals have reportedly pocketed as much as £600.
Social media buzzed with intrigue, as one customer tweeted: “Did anyone else randomly receive 50 pounds from Barclays?” and another posted in surprise: “Barclays just refunded me £600? ? I don’t know what’s going on down there but I will be taking that money.”
A perplexed user took to the internet asking: “Does anyone have any idea why Barclays would send me a payment for £50?” while another equally baffled person inquired: “Why did Barclays just give me money?”.
The technical glitch at Barclays that began in late January affected thousands, coinciding with payday for numerous customers. The disruption spanned several days, leaving many unable to access their online banking or make transactions.
The timing was particularly unfortunate as January 31 marks the deadline for submitting self-assessment tax returns and settling dues with HMRC, resulting in significant inconvenience.
In response to the disruption, Barclays announced its intention to proactively contact those impacted to offer compensation, with the amount varying based on the extent and duration of the impact experienced by each customer.
Barclays disclosed plans last month to compensate customers who suffered from outages since January 2023, according to a letter sent to MPs. Vim Maru, the CEO of Barclays UK, stated in the correspondence released by the Treasury Committee: “We acknowledge that through no fault of their own, some of our customers and clients may have suffered loss or distress and inconvenience.”
The bank has set aside approximately £5million to cover compensations for outages spanning from January 2023 to the present year.
Moreover, Barclays has allocated an additional £7.5million specifically for those affected by the outage that started at the end of January and extended into early February.
