Customers Left Frustrated as Online Platforms Unavailable for Hours
- M&S website and app faced technical issues
- Down for several hours on Saturday
- Customers saw an error message
- Third party provider issue
- Sparks card users also affected
On Saturday, Marks & Spencer’s (M&S) website and app experienced technical difficulties that left customers unable to access the platforms for several hours. The issue was due to a problem with the retailer’s third-party provider, causing an error message on the homepage stating ‘Sorry you can’t shop through the app right now. We’re busy making some planned changes, but we will be back soon.’ By 18:15 BST, the website and app were operational again. Some customers also reported issues with their Sparks card, claiming they lost out on savings.
Factuality Level: 8
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate information about the Marks and Spencer’s website and app outage, including the duration of the issue, the error message displayed to customers, and the reason for the problem (third-party provider issues). It also mentions the time when the website and app were back to normal. However, it lacks some details such as the specific cause of the technical issue and the number of affected customers.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article provides relevant information about a specific event (Marks and Spencer’s website and app going down) but lacks in-depth analysis or exploration of the underlying causes or consequences. It also does not offer any actionable insights or solutions.
Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Marks and Spencer’s stock price
Financial Rating Justification: The article discusses the impact of technical issues on Marks and Spencer’s website and app, which could potentially affect customer trust and sales. This may have an effect on the company’s financial performance and its stock price.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: No
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: No
Extreme Rating Justification: There is no extreme event mentioned in the article. The issue was a temporary technical problem with the website and app due to a third-party provider.