Businesses in Bristol city center are unable to accept card payments after a global IT outage

A global IT crash has left some businesses in Bristol unable to accept card payments, leading to a “frustrating experience”. An IT error involving Crowdstrike has affected many businesses and organizations in the UK and beyond.

GP practices cannot access patient records or collect appointment details because patients cannot make reservations. Bristol Airport was also badly affected by the outage, flight delays are expected and some retailers inside the airport cannot accept card payments.

However the impact that also has successful TV channels, football clubs and banking services, felt in Broadmead. While some businesses, such as Campbell’s Café and Greggs, are unaffected, others are feeling the strain of the IT problem.

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The YMCA charity shop, located within the Galleries, has confirmed that its card systems are not. The store, which sells a range of clothing and homeware, told Bristol Live it had been badly affected by this morning’s events.

One staff member said: “It hit us really hard. We had so few sales today because everyone is relying on card usage now. It’s a frustrating experience. It also makes us less safe because we carry more cash, which increases the chance of getting robbed or starting trouble.”

H. Samuel Jewelers saw its card system go down overnight and a member of staff told us that the store has no information on when the card systems will be fixed. Signs have appeared on the doors of the Cabot Circus store explaining the situation.

The member of staff said: “We have had absolutely nothing all day, no word on when the issues will be resolved and no card payments.”

The outage had a mixed impact, as while some companies escaped unscathed, MenKind saw a partial outage. The gadget store said contactless payments don’t work, but regular card payments do.

Waterstones bookshop has also been hit by an IT glitch and is hoping the card machines will be up and running again soon. Staff at the Galleries store expressed their gratitude to their customers during this time.

Staff said: “Luckily we have had very understanding customers and they have been very friendly about the situation. Some of them came back with cash to buy books, we appreciate their patience.”

Crowdstrike statement

Crowdstrike President George Kurtz said: “CrowdStrike is actively working with customers affected by a flaw found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not affected. This is not a security incident or cyber attack.

“The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix implemented. We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide full and continuous updates on our website.

“Furthermore, we recommend that organizations ensure they communicate with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully engaged to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”

How did it affect you today? Let me know at [email protected].