| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to Currys PC World's Black Friday purchases being cancelled due to a technical fault has happened before within the same organization. Customers complained about cancelled purchases and missing out on deals, with some receiving confirmation emails but later being informed that their orders had not gone through properly due to a technical glitch [108580].
(b) The software failure incident related to customers being affected by failed gift card payments and cancelled purchases on Black Friday has also occurred at other organizations or with their products and services. The article mentions that customers were left out of pocket after failed gift card payments to Currys PC World, and similar issues have been reported at other companies as well [108580]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article where Currys PC World faced complaints about cancelled Black Friday purchases. The firm blamed a technical fault for causing some orders to fail even though confirmation emails had been sent out [108580]. This indicates that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced during the system development or updates.
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the same article where customers were left out of pocket after failed gift card payments to Currys PC World on Black Friday. The company allowed goods to be repurchased at their discounted prices in these cases, indicating a failure due to contributing factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system [108580]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident at Currys PC World during Black Friday was attributed to a technical fault within the system, causing some orders to fail even though confirmation emails had been sent to customers [108580]. The company mentioned that transactions made by gift cards and some Order & Collect purchases were affected by the internal technical glitch [108580]. The firm acknowledged that their website experienced a temporary outage due to the unprecedented volume of customers shopping online on Black Friday [108580].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident at Currys PC World was not explicitly linked to factors originating from outside the system in the provided article. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
The software failure incident at Currys PC World during Black Friday was attributed to a technical fault causing some orders to fail, despite confirmation emails being sent out to customers. This technical glitch led to orders not going through properly, resulting in customers missing out on discounted purchases like televisions, computers, and speakers [108580].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
There is no specific mention in the articles about the software failure incident at Currys PC World being directly caused by human actions. The primary reason cited for the failure was a technical fault within the system that led to order cancellations and customers being left out of pocket [108580]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The articles do not provide specific information about the software failure incident being caused by hardware-related issues. Hence, there is no mention of the failure originating from hardware components.
(b) The software failure incident reported in the articles was attributed to a technical fault in the software. Currys PC World mentioned that some orders failed even though confirmation emails were sent, leading to complaints about cancelled Black Friday purchases. The firm acknowledged a technical glitch as the cause of the problem, resulting in customers missing out on discounted deals for various products like televisions, computers, and speakers [108580]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles does not indicate any malicious intent or actions by individuals to harm the system. The failure was attributed to a technical fault causing some orders to fail, leading to complaints from customers about cancelled Black Friday purchases [108580]. Customers were affected by the glitch, resulting in orders not going through properly despite receiving confirmation emails. The company, Currys PC World, faced issues with gift card payments and Order & Collect purchases, which were affected by the technical fault [108580].
(b) The software failure incident was non-malicious in nature, as it was primarily caused by technical glitches and faults rather than any deliberate actions to harm the system. Customers expressed frustration and disappointment over missing out on Black Friday deals due to the software failure, highlighting the impact of non-malicious software issues on user experience and satisfaction [108580]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Currys PC World Black Friday purchases can be attributed to poor decisions made by the company. Customers experienced order cancellations and payment issues despite receiving confirmation emails. The firm blamed a technical fault for the problem, leading to customers being left out of pocket and missing out on discounted deals for products like televisions and laptops. The company's handling of the situation, including not honoring the original prices and causing frustration among customers, indicates poor decisions in managing the Black Friday sales ([108580]). |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as Currys PC World faced a growing number of complaints about cancelled Black Friday purchases due to a technical fault causing some orders to fail even though confirmation emails were sent [108580]. Customers expressed frustration over the lack of communication regarding the order cancellations and the failure to honor the originally offered discounts, indicating a lack of professional competence in handling the situation.
(b) The accidental nature of the software failure incident is also highlighted in the article, where customers experienced issues such as failed gift card payments and missing out on discounted deals for products like televisions and laptops due to technical glitches [108580]. The company mentioned that the website experienced a temporary outage during the high volume of Black Friday online shopping, leading to transaction issues for some customers. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in the articles was temporary. The incident was attributed to a technical fault that caused some orders to fail during the Black Friday sales period at Currys PC World. Customers received confirmation emails for their purchases, but due to the glitch, the orders did not go through properly, leading to cancellations and customers being asked to pay full price for items they had purchased at a discounted rate [108580]. The company mentioned that the website experienced a temporary outage due to the unprecedented volume of customers shopping online on Black Friday, affecting transactions made by gift cards and some Order & Collect purchases, but not home delivery [108580]. The issue was being addressed by the company, and affected customers were advised to contact customer services if they still had proof of purchase [108580]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the articles can be categorized as a crash as the system experienced a temporary outage, leading to transactions being affected. The article mentions, "Due to the unprecedented volume of customers shopping online with Currys PC World on Black Friday, our website experienced a temporary outage" [108580].
(b) omission: The software failure incident can also be classified as an omission since some orders failed to go through properly, resulting in customers not receiving their purchased items despite receiving confirmation emails. For example, a customer mentioned, "I had ordered a 65in TV in the Black Friday sale...due to a technical glitch the order hadn't gone through properly, even though I had confirmation of it" [108580].
(c) timing: The timing of the software failure incident is not explicitly mentioned in the articles.
(d) value: The software failure incident can be associated with a value failure as customers were not able to purchase products at the advertised discounted prices due to the system error. One customer stated, "But not offering the goods now at [what was] the advertised price seems wrong" [108580].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure as there is no mention of inconsistent responses or interactions in the system behavior.
(f) other: The other behavior exhibited by the software failure incident is the system allowing some transactions to be affected, specifically those made by gift cards and some Order & Collect purchases, while home delivery transactions were not impacted. The article states, "We can confirm that transactions made by gift cards and some Order & Collect purchases were affected, but home delivery was not" [108580]. |