A lot of people are unhappy about the new app by lender NCBA, Loop. It replaces the NCBA Loop app, which has been a favourite among users for over five years. NCBA announced last week that it would revamp the platform with new features and services, and it has done just that following an exercise that took more than 48 hours to complete.
To see what features have been integrated into the app, you can refer to this story. Now, the dissatisfaction surrounding the app has been echoed on social media channels, and some of the decisions made by the bank, which have found their way into the app, are controversial, to say the least.
- The old NCBA Loop app is not working. Understandably, it makes sense because having two products that do the same thing is counterintuitive, but the merits of having both come to light when users cannot use the new app. This brings us to…
- Some users are unable to log in to the app, including myself. Reportedly, those on Android 13 have been experiencing login issues, which we are yet to establish (which could be a technical issue). Additional issues include being compelled to reset your password and, when that is done, the OTP takes too long to arrive. The code is also sent via email, with a validity of just one minute, and not SMS. Those on iOS, however, have logged in just fine.
- The user experience and interface feel off, and that is the general sentiment of those who have used the new app for the last few hours. As mentioned before, bad UX/UI can negatively impact the overall success of a product, as users may be less likely to continue using it or recommend it to others, which is what’s happening currently. And what’s up with the new orange colour scheme?
- Loop has reintroduced transaction charges. You will have to pay for bank-to-mobile money transfers, even at a time when such fees have been suspended. This is not a technical issue but a business one, and if that happens then I see no incentive of using Loop anymore.
- Loop’s data is not encrypted (the original app had the same issue). As explained before, encryption is important, especially for banking apps, as it helps to protect the sensitive information of customers and prevent unauthorized access and fraud. The whole launch feels rushed because this is not the right manner in which a product launch should be done.
We expected that all things would be running smoothly, including logins and the general experience. This mess also reminds us that the original Loop was never without faults, with weekly outages that inconvenienced customers. Is this going to be the case, bearing in mind that it is a super app now with a ton of new features?
