Thousands of customers across southern Ontario weren't able to withdraw cash or pay for items with plastic for more than three hours on Friday night after terminals went down all across the country.

"We're getting numerous declined transactions, so at that time, if the customer does not have another tender to pay their transaction, we're losing sales," complained John Cosentino of Urban Planet.

"My credit card worked perfectly, but they couldn't accept my debit card," complained one thwarted shopper.

The problem started at Royal Bank at around 4pm. Some cashiers said they had issues with other bankcards, leaving many empty-handed on Friday night

Spokespeople from the major banks were unavailable for comment, but systems that were up and working received extra business.

"It's their problem because others got my business," one Torontonian noted.