Commonwealth Bank says it has resolved duplicate transaction issue after funds wiped from accounts – The Guardian

Commonwealth Bank said customers' balances were lower than they should have been after the bank charged them twice for some transactions, leaving some people unsure about how they would buy essentials or pay their rent. He said the error was resolved.

The duplicates included recent transactions that resulted in some people having their bank accounts debited.

A Commonwealth Bank spokesperson told Guardian Australia shortly before 6pm on Saturday evening that it was working to reverse these transactions “as a matter of urgency”. The process is complete.”

The bank said the fees charged will be refunded.

Earlier, the bank issued an “important message” to customers on Saturday morning, saying it was “aware that some customers are seeing duplicate transactions from their payments.”

“We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience,” the company said in a statement to customers.

But for some, lack of funds was a pressing issue. Some took to X (formerly Twitter) to complain that they were unable to pay for necessities such as medicine, fuel, food and diapers.

One person on social media said they were at risk of missing their flight because their account had been debited and they did not have enough funds to get transportation to the airport.

Some have had to change their weekend plans. One person said: “This has ruined my Saturday. Thank you Combbank.”

Sophie Edwards, a 19-year-old university student, thought she had been hacked when she saw $230 debited to her bank account on Saturday morning. When she looked at her bank account, she saw that she had been charged twice for every transaction she had made in the previous week.

“It was a very stressful morning,” Edwards said. I'm already under a lot of pressure with money, but this is an added stress that I can't bear. ”

Saturday is the only day she has to buy groceries for the week, including cat food. But she said she can't afford to buy a store or pay for public transportation to get there.

She couldn't connect to Commonwealth Bank phone or web support and was worried about paying her $390-a-week rent.

Marcelo, who asked to be referred to only by his first name for privacy reasons, said he was at the register at a pharmacy trying to buy prescription medication for arthritis after his wife woke up with severe knee pain and his card was stolen. He said he had found it. $600 was debited.

42 years old from Sydney It was discovered that $3,000 had leaked between the couple due to duplicate transactions. Marcelo said the only option is to buy drugs through a buy now, pay later business.

He said the duplicate transactions were “still ongoing” and that all transactions from Friday were rebilled shortly after noon Saturday.

“I'm definitely worried about the next few days,” Marcelo said, adding that he was worried the bank wouldn't pay him back soon.

He has been talking with his brother, and his brother's family has also lost money due to this mistake, and they are thinking about what to do. “I don't know how I'm going to pay the rent on Monday.”

Marcelo said the situation has caused a lot of emotional distress within the family.

The Commonwealth Bank told X: “If anyone is experiencing financial hardship, they can call us on 13/2221 or visit a branch for temporary overdraft support and other support.” There is a possibility that it will happen.”