Customers of Zenith Bank have voiced their frustrations on social media over difficulties with online banking services following a scheduled maintenance period. Many took to platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter), on Tuesday to express their displeasure with issues such as failed payments and transaction delays.
The complaints follow Zenith Bank’s announcement of a routine maintenance exercise, which was set to take place from September 29 to October 1. In a notification shared on X on Saturday, the bank informed its customers that the maintenance would occur between 12:01 AM and 5:00 AM each day.
A statement titled “Notice of Routine Maintenance” read: “Please be informed that we are currently undertaking routine maintenance of our Information Technology Infrastructure to enable us to significantly improve the quality of service rendered to you. On Tuesday, October 1, 2024, our Mobile Banking App, USSD Service, Internet Banking, and Corporate Internet Banking platforms will be unavailable between 12:01 AM and 2:30 PM WAT. We solicit your understanding and offer our assurances that measures are in place to minimize any service interruptions during the exercise.”
However, despite this notification, several customers claimed that the bank delayed the start of the announced maintenance. According to users, the system maintenance only began on Tuesday, causing disruptions to various banking services.
Speaking with a correspondent, Zenith Bank customer Olaniyi Oludare expressed disappointment, saying he was unable to access funds for essential needs such as food and transportation. “It is frustrating. I haven’t eaten all day because I wasn’t able to withdraw money today (Tuesday). Zenith said they would be undergoing maintenance on Saturday through a pop-up message on the bank app, but they didn’t start until this morning,” he stated.
Another customer, Adeleye A. P., tweeting as #deji4ever, criticized the bank for scheduling the maintenance during the day, especially at the end of the month when many employees receive their salaries. “The worst bank award should be given to Zenith. Why deny customers transfer privileges to other banks on the last day of the month? It’s a bad business strategy,” he tweeted.
Other users echoed similar frustrations, with Dave Oriss, tweeting as #orissonline, stating, “#ZenithBank, you people should keep frustrating your customers. Some have emergencies, and you are busy shifting the time for maintenance.”
In response to the growing complaints, Zenith Bank released another statement on Tuesday, reiterating that the ongoing maintenance was part of their efforts to improve service quality. The bank assured customers that every effort was being made to minimize disruptions.
Despite this, many customers argued that maintenance should be conducted during nighttime hours to avoid affecting users during peak periods of banking activity. Ken, tweeting as #KennethNnamdiA2, shared his frustration, saying, “#ZenithBank, since morning, I haven’t been able to access my account through your app. Please do something about your network ASAP. I have an emergency to attend to.”
As of the time of writing, Zenith Bank has yet to provide further updates on when full services will resume.
