Srinagar, Aug 15: Customers of Jammu and Kashmir Bank are increasingly voicing frustration over the lender’s recurring suspension of digital banking services, which they say disrupts financial transactions and reflects poorly on the bank’s technological capabilities.
The bank routinely sends text alerts to account holders, informing them that internet and mobile banking services will remain unavailable for several hours due to “maintenance activity.”
While occasional upgrades are standard across the banking sector, J&K Bank’s repeated service blackouts, often announced with short notice, have become a source of ridicule among its customer base.
Social media platforms and local discussion forums as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust, are replete with sarcastic remarks, with users accusing the bank of hiding inefficiency behind the term “maintenance.” Some customers have even likened the frequency of these shutdowns to power cuts, quipping that “J&K Bank’s mPay app takes more rest than its customers do.”
The bank’s flagship mobile application, mPay, has also drawn heavy criticism for sluggish performance and frequent glitches. Customers complain that the app often freezes during transactions, fails to load balance details promptly, and struggles to process payments during peak usage hours. For many, this has led to failed bill payments, delayed fund transfers, and repeated log-in errors, experiences that undermine confidence in the institution’s ability to provide reliable digital banking in a rapidly evolving financial ecosystem.
Users say that in the era of real-time payments and 24×7 digital access, persistent downtime and outdated platforms can erode a bank’s competitive edge. Competing banks in the region have made significant strides in upgrading their mobile and internet banking systems, further intensifying comparisons.
Some irate customers have openly urged the Reserve Bank of India to take note of what they describe as “unacceptably frequent interruptions” in J&K Bank’s digital services. Others demand a complete overhaul of the mPay app, calling for a modern, faster, and more user-friendly interface that meets national benchmarks. [KNT]
