Retailers nationwide were unable to process payment and top up services following issues with the Payzone network.

The issues started on 6 August, with retailers reporting ongoing problems throughout the weekend. In a message sent to retailers, Payzone said: “We are working hard to resolve an issue affecting some tablets showing a white screen. Please do not reboot your terminal or call the helpdesk to report.

“We will provide you with another update as soon as possible.”

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In a subsequent message, the firm said: “We are deeply sorry the issue some of our retailers are experiencing is not yet resolved. The problem has been identified and our engineers are working tirelessly to fix.”

Payzone confirmed post office branches were not impacted by the issues. One affected retailer, who asked not to be named, told Better Retailing: “My Payzone services were down the entire weekend. A lot of my customers were distraught because they rely on it so much. One said they had to use candles to light their house.”

A Payzone spokesperon said: “We have been working hard all weekend to rectify the temporary disruption to older Payzone devices, which has now been resolved. We sincerely apologise to any retailers and customers who were affected. Our helpdesk remains open 8am – 7pm  Monday – Friday,  9am – 5pm Saturday and 9am – 1pm Sunday to assist retailers with the system reboot.”

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