Internet banking clients from First National Bank (FNB) and RMB Private Bank have been having trouble with the service for the past 10 days due to software and system problems. FNB Internet Banking has 200 000 clients.
Apologising for the breaks in service, Roland le Sueur, the head of internet banking at FNB, says that the online banking service has been down intermittently since the Monday before last.
FNB management has also apologised for the inconvenience caused to clients and earlier this week the bank encouraged clients to use FNB branches, ATMs or the dedicated call centre to process their transactions.
FNB has increased staffing levels by 55 percent at its internet banking call centre to assist customers with critical transactions. The call centre has also started a programme of proactively calling customers to complete transactions. The call centre's number is 0860 328 257 and it is open from 7am to 12pm Monday to Saturday and from 8am to 1pm on Sundays.
Angus Brown, the chief executive of eBucks, which runs FNB's online banking website, says the bank will recompense you if you are charged interest because your account payments have been late due to the problem with the internet banking system. You should contact your branch with the details of the interest charges and the bank will verify the amounts.
By Thursday system availability on eBucks.com, was at 85 percent, allowing clients to perform online banking transactions, albeit only at certain times.
By yesterday there was a substantial improvement in the service, with availability rising to 96 percent.
The problems have been attributed to an unprecedented growth in the volume of transactions being conducted online, necessitating eBucks to expedite its plans to increase its system capacity.
Clients will not lose out on any of the eBucks rewards due to them as a result of the difficulties, the bank says.