Bank of Ireland Reviews 

My daughter wanted to register for online banking and order an atm card.
We rang Banking 365, got to speak to Lucie. Sounded like we woke her up.

We told her what we wanted to do. She spoke to me and my daughter giving account number address and last tx on the a/c.
She claimed that the tx had to be in the last 14 days and said go and do tx in a shop etc.
How she expected her to that without a card was unbelievable.
I told her the branch could verify us etc. No joy not interested in helping at all. It was terrible service.

So we rang again got to speak to an Indian guy explained what we wanted and what happened.

He said he was sorry and would transfer us to another section. We spoke to a lady this time of told her what happened and what we wanted she told us to hold.
Then the line goes dead.

So we ring again and explained what happened again. Spoke to Mary who applogised and said she didn't think she would have the patience to ring again.

Anyway she ordered the card etc and was very good efficient but still could not register for Banking 365.

A number of issues it should not take all that hassle to do two very basic requests.

If the bank has a system that is not customer friendly then it's not fit for purpose.

Having to spend a hour to carry out those requests is an out an out disgrace.

Customer personnel should be able to talk to supervisor in order to deal with the situation.

Also I am disgusted that the call was being answered in India.

After all Bank of Ireland has made it's profits mainly in Ireland.

Why are we exporting jobs when there is no need to do so. It is shameful.

Got a call the following today gave all the details again. She asked my daughter for her bank account number and her Dob etc. Ironically 2/11. Went over head that today is her birthday.

But said I she couldn't verify her without a card tx.
Surely in 2023 we should have technology to be Abe to send he a verification code or that she could confirm her mothers maiden etc.

I Explained how disrespectful it was that her Mom and Dad worked in BOI for over fifty years and customers for forty years.
I asked where she was located she said Tallaght.
I said if a guru in the Head office decided to farm out your section to India where would she be? out of a job.
The whole episode is farcical.
Shame on Bank of Ireland.
We are not Bank of India.

But it appears they don't want customers and as for customer service goes they don't know the meaning of the word.

Bank Chief executive Myles O Grady should be ashamed and his board members also for allowing this type of thing go on.

Bank or Ireland and their only real competitor, AIB, have not passed on the higher interest rates to their customers and instead greedily have taken the additional income to boost their earnings.
The Central Bank of Ireland has a duty to fix this as well as getting rid of the duopoly which removes the competition -shameful that the CBI has allowed this to happen. Your managenent should be fired

Let me say, I am banking with BOI since 2019, I wish I switched earlier and waited for so long to write a review. I normally do not write these things but for everyone out there, please stay away from Bank of Ireland and open an account with other banks. This is bank where bunch of jokers handle customers. What a disgrace. And do not even think you would be easily approved for anything such Loans, CCs or overdrafts etc. When you do apply for simple loan, they are making drama of this and it takes forever to decline your application. They are acting like you are asking for millions. I would understand if I would be someone without job or unstable etc, but that is where this bank fails. I am an individual with high pay salary, which goes to my account every month now nearly for 5 years and I cannot believe how this bank can easily decline you for simple applications. Just nothing but big joke this is. Funny how I can easily get car loan with another lenders, CC with another bank etc. but expecting to get something like this with your own bank, well you will get disappointed. Now I am seeing all these bad reviews on this site, which only proves this bank is worst. Bunch of Clowns are running this Bank. Stay away, they will never help you with anything. I will soon switch to another bank to finally got away from these clowns.

Shout out for Shannon in the Bank of Ireland call centre - in a friendly manner, she came up with solutions and where she couldn't help, is finding me someone who can. Good experience and happy it was Shannon that I connected with.

Had applied for a loan in order to sort out roof repairs that had come about from bad weather at the end of 2022. The confirmation emails from BOI seems clear and that unless there was a major issue, I would have the funds within 48 hours. The next day I had a query so contacted BOI.
While I was on the phone with the agent something he said called me to question how long it would take before funds would be in my account. The agent would not give me a straight answer and totally confused the matter when he was trying to fob me off. The agent started getting a bit of an attitude and was clearly annoyed I wouldn't just accept his made up response. I left the call so annoyed. I was so annoyed I had told BOI to cancell the loan application. I had been pre approved a loan at a slightly higher APR and went with that company. Had the money that day and since have fully paid off the loan as I had always planned.
I complained about my experience to BOI and the response was shocking - It was like they listened to a totally different call. I even called them back on getting the FRL letter thinking there had been a mistake. I spoke to a complaint agent called Ben. BOI response was clear they could not care less about the experience their customers have. I took my complaint to the ombudsman and the initial investigator agreed with me. BOI argued this and wanted the ombudsman to look at the complaint; so, due the backlog of work it took months for the case to be reviewed. The ombudsman has also agreed with me and found the customer service poor and quote "Customer kept referring to the wording with in the email, there were many missed opportunities to explain and reassure the customer" Also the Ombudsman did say the agent's frustration was evident in the call.
Mistakes and bad service happen but when a company wont accept any wrong doing and sits there in denial that shows they should give up and just leave the market.
BOI should start paying attention to customer feedback - it screams volumes that they don't even look at or respond to these reviews. Avoid dealing with these clowns.
11/11/23 Just to add BOI have now missed the deadline set by the ombudsman to pay me what they recommneded. You cant get much more incompetent than that.

My son starting a new well paid job but hasn't got the money to pay a deposit of accommodation. Looked for overdraft. There was no way to explain what the money was for, that he'll be paying next to no tax because of his tax credits and that it was short term. Of course it got denied. Thanks for nothing. Shooting themselves in the foot. I told him to remember this when it comes to getting a mortgage etc in the future!

Bank is a joke, problems and problems, no solution just advisors which count only nulbers.. Sad, hopefully AIB will take over as many nice and helpful people there, surly not recommend applying for mortgage as you will be refused because of ppl seating there with no experience...

A dreadful bank to deal with....my mortgage was transferred from KBC Bank but BOI are unable to take the DD because there is a problem with their computer system....Argent people to deal with....9 months later, mortgage payment still sitting in my bank account but its my fault....

Tied to activate my online banking twice, impossible levels of security, its almost as if they actively want to stop me having access to my own money, and for your staff training purposes, when your staff ask a customer a question, let them answer it before speaking again, because if your speaking your not listening.

Tried to close my account as don’t really use it anymore, been told there was still 0.01e balance, I had to clear it to zero,so I did it, second day, they took 0.18e interest, so I had to pay 0.18 e to clear to zero again , then the third day they took 0.15e for no reason, so I did same again, then guess what happened in the fourth day, they paid the 0.15 back, it means I had to remove the 0.15e. I just wanna close my bank account, is it that hard, feel like someone sitting in front of the computer did this to me to slow everything down on purpose. Whoever did this, I wish you and your family the best, karma is a b***h, be careful what you are doing to your customers

The identity and address given for the transaction are confirmed and the fund involved in the transaction are not generated out of or used for any money

Impossible to deal with, have tried to call the helpline multiple times and hangs up on me after a couple of minutes on hold.

Not to mention the app that was designed using Windows 98. Miles behind any other banking app I’ve used or seen.

A good experience in the Bank of Ireland today thanks to Rebekah Lynch. She was very courteous, attentive and efficient.

Stuck with this bank now that KBC has left Ireland and ported my mortgage over to them .My payments have gone up five times and my mortgage has almost doubled and they speak to you like dirt on the phone .I left Ireland a long time ago it was high status to work in the bank .But now they seem incompetent and lazy .
PS,The mortgage hub app is a joke it won’t even accept the eircode of my house so I gave up after half a dozen attempts at registering.

Customer service is shocking been on hold for over 50 minutes this time and when you do get through they are unhelpful don't know the answers and not understanding at all

This is the worst bank ever. They have been blocking my account for 2 years now and wont give me my money!!! Ive paid the necessary fees ages ago and visited the college green campus multiple times, they act like it will be fixed every-time i go in and 2 years NO PROGRESS. Everyone that works here is rude, unprofessional, and seems to have a brain the size of a walnut.

Dreadful experience from start to finish with BOI. Their team was incompetent, unhelpful and tried every last trick in the book in order to delay the drawdown process so that my partner and I would be locked into a higher interest rate. I have lost all faith in the company and after our 4 year fixed term is over we will never use their services again.

App useless ,slow restrictive. Every time I want to transfer money even to them it’s easier to transfer to Monza or Revolut and pay from there!
Getting worse by the day

I'm waiting 2 months for credit card I upload documentation they was asking I even had to go in person to the branch and deliver the same documents and 2 weeks after still no progress on my application. The customer service keep re connecting me to difrent sectors and have to tell storry from beggining. I wont recommend this bank even to my enemy. Worse experience ever. And I'm with the bonk since 2008.

I changed all my banking back to BOI after KBC left the market. I always had a BOI account since I was young so it seemed the easiest option.
I had forgotten the pain it is to deal with this bank. Nothing works as it should, even simple things. Their app and online services are as basic as possible with no extra features. Even their mechanism for approval of purchases is slow and clunky.
I tried to apply for a service from the bank and I received one communication in three weeks, an automated reply to say my application was in progress. Eventually, after calling their support team twice, I was told everything was already approved but I hadn't been informed of this.

Not the only incident but I only moved back to bank with BOI two months ago. I have had more issues in two months than four years with KBC.

Honestly, this bank is a joke that is over 10 years behind on their infrastructure. I am moving my accounts, mortgage etc. as soon as possible.