IT glitch overcharges Natwest customers

NATWEST customers have complained of being pushed into their overdraft after the bank confirmed a payments glitch had caused some accounts to be accidentally charged twice.

A number of customers said that the error, which showed some Visa debit card purchases twice, has decreased their balance and erroneously pushed them into their overdraft as the bank battles to rectify the issue.

It is understood that around 112,000 customers were affected by the glitch.

A notification sent to customers on the bank’s app said yesterday: “Some customer accounts are showing debit card purchases twice, and in certain cases their available balance will be lower than it should, we’re really sorry for any inconvenience.”

The issue has persisted since at least early yesterday, with Natwest responding to frustrated customers over Twitter that their team is “working hard on a fix”, but could not advise further on when the problem would be resolved.

One user tweeted: “I was already struggling with money this week and now I’ve woken up and most of my transactions have been duplicated. Now I’m in minus figures!”

Another added: “I’ve had my transactions duplicated which has put me in overdraft and I will have fees if I don’t supposedly sort it by 3pm today. I didn’t make any same payment twice?”

A Natwest spokesman said customers would not incur fees as a result of the mistake. He added: “We are aware that some Natwest customers’ accounts are showing some Visa debit card purchases twice, and in certain cases their available balance will be lower than it should. We are working to fix the problem, and will ensure that no customer is left out of pocket. Our customers can be assured that payments to retailers/merchants have only been made once, so there is no need to contact them. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.”