Marks and Spencer has issued an apology following a major technical outage that has left contactless payments and click-and-collect services out of action for at least 48 hours, prompting frustration among customers across the UK.
Calls for Transparency
Many customers criticised the retailer for a lack of official communication about the outage. One user commented:
“Why is there no communication from the team? Your systems are down across multiple stores and people are being turned away.”
Another added:
“Welcome to a world where they will stop you from using facilities whenever they want. Cash is king again.”
Impact and Next Steps
While M&S has not confirmed how many of its locations are affected, reports suggest the issue is nationwide. The chain has yet to provide a timeline for full resolution.
Retail experts say incidents like this can significantly impact customer trust—particularly during busy shopping periods or when services like click-and-collect are a key part of the shopping experience.
M&S is encouraging customers to bring physical payment cards where possible and has pledged to update shoppers once services are fully restored.
Customers are advised to check their local store’s status before visiting and to follow the M&S social media channels for further updates.
