National Savings Web site unreachable; internet availability in banking code.

broken on virgin too

and on NDO

...

This is the text of an email I sent to the Banking Code Standards Board ( snipped-for-privacy@bcsb.org.uk) on Wed. 11/04/2007:

"Hi,

I had a quick read of the banking code, and couldn't find any commitment to availability of the internet service of banks. Please can you update the Banking Code to apply suitable standards. E.g. 99.9% 24 hour availability, with 3 days notification of down time.

Many thanks, nnn"

The response is awaited with slight anticipation, especially since the Visa system is collapsing today. I saw staff using carbon slips in a supermarket.

I don't think that's appropriate for the Banking Code - why should banks *have* to offer 24 hour internet service? After all, the Code doesn't impose requirements about, say, opening hours of branches.

David

Maybe I should have made myself clearer. I should have written something like 99.9% of availability during normal service hours. Normal service hours are agreed upon electing to use the internet service and may be changed with 28 days notice.

However how many people would actually have got to the end of such boring prose? It is the job of the Banking Code Standards Bureau to write a standard (in CrystalMark English.)

They will never 'guarantee' availability. Anything that depends on software is by its nature unreliable: because at some stage it was designed by software engineers. Most institutions/insurance Cos have standard get out clauses to take account of the incompetence of software engineers.

Count yourself lucky you are not trading shares: and watching the value of your portolio plummet as the software systems crash due to a spike in demand.

Wow. Do they still exist...