Tesco customers were unable to complete online payments when shopping earlier this morning as the supermarket giant’s website appeared to suffer from a technical error.
The retailer seems to be the latest business to be impacted an outage with Marks & Spencer (M&S) and various banks being hit with similar IT glitches in recent months.
According to Downdetector, customers reported issues accessing the website’s services 7:52am and 9:22am this morning with more than 1,200 complaints being logged.
Taking to social media, Tesco shoppers voiced their concern about unable to pay for their weekly shop due to outage, which appears to have now been resolved.
Tesco shoppers were impacted by a IT glitch this morning
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On X, one customer shared: “Your app and online services are not letting me order a shop online or access any information, is there an issue? Thanks.”
Another added: “App not working and online grocery site not working. Can’t spend my money.”
One shopper messaged Tesco directly, writing: “Is something wrong with the app/ordering online? Can’t access it.”
A concerned customer stated: “Desperately need to add shopping to my nans order and the app and web is down. She’ll blame me if it’s not added. Help.”
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Many companies and banks have experienced IT outages in recent years | GETTY In a statement to GB News, a Tesco spokesperson said: “We’ve fixed a technical issue that very briefly affected our app and website earlier this morning. We apologise for the inconvenience.”
Cybersecurity experts have previously sounded the alarm over the numerous IT outages which have inflicted UK businesses in recent years.
Rob Jardin, the chief digital officer, cybersecurity specialists NymVPN, said: “In today’s climate, any unexplained disruption to payment systems or operations is likely to raise red flags, especially when details are scarce.
“Until more information is shared, speculation will fill the gap – which is why clear, timely communication from companies is so important in maintaining trust.
“The causes of IT outages like this are often discovered hours after the incident, which is why it is crucial that shoppers are taking the necessary precautions before shopping online.
“Do not save your payment details with the retailer directly to avoid being even more vulnerable during a data leak.”
According to M&S, the outage is expected to reduce profits for the current year by around £300million. This is more than analysts had expected and the equivalent of a 30 per cent hit to profits.
Particular concern over access to vital banking concerns has arisen in the wake of the ongoing trend of app outages, with more Britons opting to use online banking services when managing their money.
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Banks, including NatWest, was recently impacted by bank app outages
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GETTYFollowing NatWest’s recent IT glitch, Which? Money editor Jenny Ross said: “Banks are encouraging more and more of us to rely on apps to do our essential banking, so when these go down it can be devastating.
“In the worst cases there’s a risk that impacted NatWest customers may miss important bill payments, find themselves unable to pay for essential services or risk going overdrawn – issues which could come with knock-on effects like late payment or overdraft penalties, or affect their ability to get credit or borrow money.
“Banks must ensure customers are kept updated and are swiftly compensated where appropriate.
“Anyone affected should keep evidence of impacted payments in case they need to make a claim, and if you think you’ll be unable to pay a bill, contact the company involved as soon as possible to ensure they’re aware and waive any late payment fees.”
