Is Gumtree down? App and website not working
WEBSITES and apps can experience outages leaving customers without access to essential services – and Gumtree is no different.
The company’s website and app went down on June 25 with dozens of users reporting problems.
Issues started at roughly 6.30pm and appeared to be stopping at around 2am on June 26, but started spiking again at 5am.
A message on Gumtree’s website said the issues were due to “essential maintenance” and apologised to users.
If you’re one of the Gumtree customers who was hit with issues, here’s what to do.
How can I check if Gumtree is down?
You can check the status of a website or app via downdetector.co.uk.
The site tells you how many people have been reporting issues and what they relate to.
Bear in mind though the site relies on customer-reported issues so is not always 100% accurate.
Also, companies will often update their social media channels if they are experiencing technical issues.
For example, during Gumtree’s most recent outage, it posted on its Twitter and Facebook pages letting people know the issues were due to maintenance work.
Can I claim compensation if a website or app goes down?
We have approached Gumtree to find out if customers impacted by the latest outage can get compensation and will update this story when we’ve heard back.
But, either way, it’s worth gathering evidence of any of the problems you experienced in case you are entitled to money back.
You can make a note of when you were unable to access the website or app and if you were left out of pocket as a consequence.
For example, if the outage meant you received a late payment fee after you couldn’t make a transaction, you should keep a record of this.
If you spoke to anyone to try and resolve the problem, jot down their name and when you spoke to them, as well as roughly what you discussed and what they advised you do.
You will need to think about how much you expect in compensation, and when you expect to receive it.
What happens if Gumtree refuses to compensate me?
If you go to Gumtree for compensation and they refuse to offer you any, you might be able to get help through the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).
It is an independent body that settles complaints between consumers and businesses providing financial services for free.
The FOS can usually get involved 15 days after you’ve raised concerns with a website like Gumtree.
If it thinks you are entitled to compensation, then it has the power to tell the website to reimburse any fees, charges or fines you were hit with.
If your credit score was affected, it may tell the bank to correct your credit file as well.
The FOS might also tell the website to reimburse you for any extra costs you had to make, such as phone calls or trips to your local branch, as well as a payment for any inconvenience it caused.
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