Westpac outage causes devastating blow for Oasis fans just moments before they purchase tickets

Westpac outage causes devastating blow for Oasis fans just moments before they purchase tickets

As a seasoned Australian who has witnessed the evolution of technology and finance, I find myself torn between the convenience of cashless transactions and the essential nature of good old-fashioned cash during outages like today’s Westpac incident.


On Monday, ardent Oasis followers found themselves frustrated due to a technical glitch at Westpac that prevented numerous fans from buying presale tickets for the band’s 2025 Australian tour.

Fans of the English rock band based in Melbourne and Sydney, who bank with Westpac, regrettably couldn’t secure early bird tickets due to technical issues preventing them from accessing their funds via the mobile app or online banking platform.

People rushed to their social media platforms to criticize the company due to an inconvenient outage that occurred earlier. This issue was later resolved at 3:15 PM, but it came after the pre-sale tickets had already been made available for purchase.

Westpac expressed apologies to their customers via a platform previously recognized as Twitter, acknowledging any inconvenience (or disruptions) experienced. They also extended gratitude to users for their understanding and patience throughout this period.

But Oasis fans weren’t having it. 

The frustrated attendee exclaimed, “It’s not acceptable. This isn’t the first instance, and I’ve grown tired of insincere apologies.

‘It’s unacceptable that I’ve been inconvenienced, and those half-hearted apologies are nauseating! Will Westpac guarantee I receive my Oasis concert tickets? I missed out because of their so-called “inconveniences”!’

Originally stated: ‘Stopped me from getting Oasis tickets! Had the tickets reserved – went to my Westpac app to get my credit card details…. Something’s not working…. Something’s not working… Not happy.’

Westpac outage causes devastating blow for Oasis fans just moments before they purchase tickets

One person chimed in, “‘Wonderful day for Westpac Oasis enthusiasts,'” while another lamented on Facebook, “As soon as the Oasis tickets are released.

A significant technical failure at Westpac caused a disruption, preventing numerous Australians from accessing their funds via mobile apps or internet banking services.

Over 7,000 complaints were reported on the tech monitoring site Downdetector on Monday afternoon.

Westpac promptly acknowledged the issue and have since restored its app and website.

Westpac outage causes devastating blow for Oasis fans just moments before they purchase tickets
Westpac outage causes devastating blow for Oasis fans just moments before they purchase tickets

The bank acknowledged that some customers were having trouble accessing their online and mobile banking services during an outage, as stated in their communication.

‘Our teams are working to fix the issue. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.’

Many Australians have reported being unable to access their money due to the issue. 

At exactly lunchtime, someone mentioned that they had to move funds since they manage all transactions through their primary account, yet they were unable to complete the transfer, which in turn prevented them from going out for lunch.

‘Stuck at the fuel station and I can’t pay, please hurry up,’ another added. 

Westpac outage causes devastating blow for Oasis fans just moments before they purchase tickets
Westpac outage causes devastating blow for Oasis fans just moments before they purchase tickets
Westpac outage causes devastating blow for Oasis fans just moments before they purchase tickets
Westpac outage causes devastating blow for Oasis fans just moments before they purchase tickets
Westpac outage causes devastating blow for Oasis fans just moments before they purchase tickets

It was noted by some that the event underscored the difficulties associated with Australia transitioning into a more cashless nation.

Despite the increasing number of Australians opting for cashless transactions both in stores and online, Swinburne University business professor Steve Worthington stated that cash will remain essential, especially in light of outages like todays.

‘Cash can’t crash,’ he told AAP earlier this year.

If telephone services fail or the IT infrastructure of banks malfunctions, you find yourself in a difficult situation without any support.

Westpac outage causes devastating blow for Oasis fans just moments before they purchase tickets

The outage comes just days after the bank ended cardless cash withdrawals, forcing customers to use a physical bank card to withdraw money from an ATM.

Excitedly, I’ve always kept tabs on every change Westpac makes, and here’s one that’s got me thinking: it seems our beloved bank is phasing out the cardless cash withdrawal feature from its services!

The bank claimed the change was part of a continual review into its ‘products and services’.

It stressed that customers will still be able to make cash withdrawals from Westpac ATMs across Australia as long as they use their physical card, and cash transactions can also be made at branches across the country.

Westpac confirmed that cardless cash deposits would still be available to customers.

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I understand that some customers have expressed strong dissatisfaction regarding the recent change of discontinuing cardless cash withdrawals. Many believe this move appears regressive and counterintuitive to the advancements we’ve made in digital banking.

In today’s digital age, many individuals, including myself, no longer have a physical wallet card on hand. Consequently, when an unanticipated need for cash arises, cardless cash becomes my sole solution. It appears somewhat counterintuitive or a step backward.

Westpac outage causes devastating blow for Oasis fans just moments before they purchase tickets

One Aussie, who claimed to work at Westpac, explained the service was removed due to an ‘insanely high’ amount of fraud and scam incidents.

At the branch level, I work for Westpac, and we took away that feature due to an incredibly high number of fraud and scam incidents. Specifically, over a thousand such incidents were reported in just one month.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that approximately 4,000 cash withdrawals without cards take place across the country each week. Compared to the total number of branch transactions, this is a relatively small amount.

It’s incredibly inconvenient and problematic to manage at local branches due to the high prevalence of fraud, scams, and misuse by numerous individuals who abuse others’ online banking systems to obtain SMS codes for unauthorized fund transfers.

Read More

2024-10-14 09:06

Previous post MNDE PREDICTION. MNDE cryptocurrency
Next post COMBO PREDICTION. COMBO cryptocurrency