By Matthew Don
“System maintenance currently in progress. Please, try again later. Thank you for choosing Access Bank.”
The above was the terse message customers who subscribed to Access Bank’s Internet mode stumbled on Friday as their attempt to send money to loves ones for urgent matters could not be accomplished.
Access Bank is at the forefront of banks that encourage their customers to subscribe to the internet for transactions, and boasts of one of the best ICT sections in the industry.
Since merging with former Diamond Bank, the situation has not been very palatable as most customers complain they meet one brick wall or the other over hitherto simple transactions.
A former Diamond Bank’s customer who is now an automatic Access Bank customer by virtue of the merger (acquisition) told this medium on Friday that an attempt to send money to his Eye Clinic was met with the excuse of “system maintenance…” and consequently, frustration as his glasses could not be processed by the hospital due to failure to pay.
“I have been trying to pay for my glasses for the past four hours now, but I cannot because my bank has a challenge which I just stumbled on. They tell you to subscribe to internet banking and when you do so they come up with all manner of excuses. Now, i cannot process my glasses, not because I do not have the money to pay, but because my bank is in mess,” the man who identified himself as Gerry told Armadanews.com.
He added: “I am talking about my eyes here. And this is what I am experiencing, and I do know that many other customers are going through the same challenge now caused, not by them, but by their so-called big bank. It is a pity.”
Asked if he will remain with the bank after the experience he quipped, “If you are in my shoes would you?”