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Global Microsoft CrowdStrike outage creates issues from Starbucks to schools to hospitals

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5 months ago

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Global Microsoft CrowdStrike outage creates issues from Starbucks to schools to hospitals

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From ordering a frappuccino online to paying a utility bill to calling 911, a tech outage that impacted businesses around the globe also disrupted the day-to-day tasks of many consumers across the U.S.   

“It’s kind of scary, right?” said Catherine Valega, a certified financial planner in Boston, who lost access Friday to “all my client information, accounts, everything. We’re just down.”

Global outage affects Starbucks

Some Starbucks locations were taking only cash, according to multiple media reports. Some consumers complained on social media about not being able to use the Starbucks mobile app.

“This morning’s outage was so annoying. I had to actually place my @Starbucks order in person like a caveman,” Derek Daczewitz posted on X.

Sherrod DeGrippo posted a picture of a hand-written note at her Starbucks drive-up window that read: “Everything is down plz come to walk-up.”

“I am now personally affected by this because I had to order my Starbucks latte verbally and stand in a line. Am I entitled to compensation?” she asked on X.

Another consumer posted that he had to use his Starbucks points to redeem his Double Shot Ice Shaken Espresso, because the credit card point-of-sale system wasn’t working.

Starbucks responded individually to many consumer posts on X.

In a statement to USA TODAY, Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson said, “Starbucks is among those companies experiencing impacts due to a widespread third-party systems outage, resulting in a temporary outage of our mobile order ahead and pay features. We continue to welcome and serve customers in the vast majority of our stores and drive-thrus and are doing everything we can to bring all systems online as quickly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

Medical facilities affected by outage

Mass General Brigham, a healthcare system in Massachusetts, canceled all non-urgent visits Friday, according to its website. Emergency rooms remained open. 

“A major worldwide software outage has affected many of our systems today,” the provider said on its site. “This means we are not able to access our clinical systems, including patient health records and scheduling.”

In Phoenix, Banner-University Medical Center appeared to be diverting ambulances to other facilities because of computer problems, according to the Arizona Republic. An ambulance operator told the paper its system was “completely down.”

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio lost many of its Microsoft-based computer systems, according to its website. Appointments resumed as normal in mid-morning. 

“Also, please note that our phones are very busy. If you had an appointment that was canceled this morning, a member of our team will call you to reschedule,” the website said.

‘Store closed’: Microsoft outage affects checkout, campus websites

The global Microsoft outage impacted point-of-sales systems at U.S. stores. “Store Closed” signs were posted on a Key Foods grocery store on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, The New York Times reported.

McDonald’s suffered cash register malfunctions at locations in Japan, according to its website.  

And in the education world, Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan closed for business Friday, saying that “on-campus PCs cannot be used today,” per its website. 

The University of Michigan also reported scattered technical problems with Windows-based machines. 

The outage hobbled some public safety operations as well. Phoenix police suffered glitches in their 911 dispatch center, but later restored service, according to a post on X. The Arizona town of Queen Creek lost dispatch services, the Arizona Republic reported.

Worldwide outage: Global tech outage hits airlines, banks, healthcare and public transit

The 911 service center in Butler County, Ohio, was temporarily disrupted by the outage, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.  And the police department in Middletown, Ohio, lost its phone lines for a time. 

Georgia’s Department of Driver Services offered fewer services Friday because of the outage, according to its website.

Maryland’s entire state court system shut down for the day, save for “emergency matters,” its website said.

The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles said its office lost the ability to process transactions, according to its website. 

Some utilities lost service. The power company AES Indiana reported customers couldn’t pay bills because of the outage, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Some media outlets struggled to cover the outage, because of their own technical problems. In Kansas City, Missouri, television station KSHB 41 ran news from the Scripps network in place of its own programming overnight.

That didn’t stop KSHB from reporting on many other outages in its region, affecting the local motor vehicle agency, local UPS and FedEx operations, and at least one local school district.

Daniel de Visé covers personal finance for USA TODAY. Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, which will include consumer news on Fridays, here.

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