‘I couldn’t even buy food’—Access Bank customers decry persistent service failure

When Kola needed to access his money at a crucial moment, he found himself stranded. The banking app he relied on had failed him, leaving him with no choice but to borrow until he could regain access to his funds. “I could not access my money with Access Bank and had to borrow until I could,” he said, frustration evident in his words.

For Banji, the experience was even more troubling. “I have been experiencing the same issues with the network. There was a time over the weekend and on Monday when everything stopped,” he explained. But this was not his first unpleasant encounter with the bank. 

“There was a time earlier when Access Bank started deducting money from my account and called it a loan, one I don’t remember taking. When I reached out, they responded but did not resolve the issue. So, I shut down my account and moved to another bank.” His decision was final, a move to safeguard himself from further financial distress.

The problems did not stop with individuals; businesses were suffering too. An Ankara trader at Oshodi lost a significant sale of ₦2.1 million because the bank’s app refused to work. 

“We did not even know if it was the network or not. This customer loved the Ankara. She was even there with her mom who loved it too. But we lost that money because the Access Bank app would not work,” the trader recounted, disappointment in her voice.

Another business owner who remained anonymous shared the ripple effects of the bank’s technical failures. “Three of my customers have not been able to patronise me because their app cannot open.” Transactions that should have been seamless became impossible, stifling businesses and causing financial strain on both buyers and sellers.

On social media, the grievances have piled up. 

@Hereistrustnkem voiced their exasperation: “I can’t even pay for food… Over an hour, the bank app has been malfunctioning this week and they keep making stupid excuses.” 

@exon_Idy, clearly at their wit’s end, tweeted: “Access Bank, I have been waiting since Monday to get back my money but it seems you are not ready to do anything about it. Return my money please.”

The banking crisis intensified after Access Bank’s recent system upgrade. The bank had announced via an email to customers that between February 22 and 23, it would be ushering in “a new phase of digital banking experience.” The promise, according to its statement, was part of a broader commitment to serve customers “excellently.” 

However, days later, customers were still unable to carry out basic transactions.

While the bank later sent an email assuring users that services had been restored and urging them to reach out if they had concerns, social media has been flooded with complaints, painting a starkly different picture, one of network failures, inaccessible funds, and an overwhelmed customer service team struggling to contain the fallout.

Access Bank is not the first financial institution to suffer from a system upgrade gone wrong.

Recall that GTBank’s transition to Finacle, a digital banking platform, was similarly chaotic. Customers of GTBank had faced prolonged downtimes, failed transactions, and severe network issues, sparking widespread criticism. The lessons from that debacle seem to have gone unheeded, as Access Bank’s rollout has triggered the same disruptions, if not worse.

Attempts to reach Access Bank for comments have proven abortive, leaving customers in limbo, forced to either wait indefinitely or take drastic actions like Banji, who opted to shut down his account entirely. 

The silence from the bank only deepens the frustration of those still waiting for their money, their transactions, and the digital banking experience they were promised.