Bank of Ceylon Reviews 107

Worst experience in banking services. Customer care is so disappointing.

The unlock feature is not working. This bug has existed for many years and still has not been fixed. The interface still shows 2017, even though we are now in 2026.

According to the FAQ, attempting to log in with an incorrect password three times will lock the User ID. However, it is unclear how they count these three attempts.

If the account gets locked, you must visit the bank in person, fill out a form manually, and request the account to be unlocked.

Sometimes, if you have not logged in to the system for many days, you may discover that your account has been locked automatically.

They also have multiple systems for different functionalities, as well as several separate apps for what should be a single banking application, even though those functionalities should ideally be integrated into one app.

Absolutely the worst banking experience at Bank of Ceylon – Matale branch.

I went to change the phone number linked to my bank account. Before going, I even called and confirmed that it could be done. They clearly said it was possible. But after standing in the queue for a long time, they suddenly told me it cannot be done without my ID card.

If an ID card is required, why wasn’t I informed earlier? Why tell customers one thing over the phone and another at the counter?

This happened today, February 28, 2026. The staff member handling this (a woman wearing a pink outfit) was unhelpful and unprofessional.

If your bank cannot provide a service, inform customers properly before wasting their time. We also have busy schedules and important work.

For comparison, I went to Sampath Bank and they changed my number immediately without any issue.

Very disappointing service. Customers deserve better communication and professionalism.

Easily one of the worst online banking experiences I’ve ever had. Password reset doesn’t work, OTPs are never delivered, and even after creating a new password, login still fails. Completely broken system with zero reliability. If you value your time and sanity, avoid opening an account with this bank.

I mistakenly made a cash deposit to a Bank of Ceylon (BOC) account holder, which has now been pending for nearly two months without a proper resolution.

I am an account holder of Commercial Bank, and on [date], I mistakenly deposited LKR 3,000 into a BOC account. Immediately after realizing the error, I informed the relevant parties and took prompt action to block the transaction. I also visited the BOC branch several times and submitted full proof of the transaction, including the cash deposit serial number.

Initially, BOC staff informed me that I must wait 45 days as per bank rules to recover the money from the account holder. I complied with this instruction patiently. However, after the 45-day period, when I visited the bank again, I was then advised to contact Commercial Bank instead, which directly contradicts the earlier guidance given by BOC.

This back-and-forth has been extremely disappointing and unfair. LKR 3,000 is not a small amount for me—it is money earned through hard work. Banks deduct annual fees and card renewal charges from customers without seeking permission, yet in this situation, I am being told that the money cannot be returned without the recipient’s approval, despite clear proof of an incorrect deposit.

This issue reflects very poor customer service and a lack of accountability. I never expected such handling from a reputed institution like Bank of Ceylon. I feel that I am being unnecessarily delayed and inconvenienced, despite following all procedures correctly.

BOC Mirigama is one of the worst banks I have ever experienced. There is no proper system for handling customers, and even though tokens are issued, they are poorly managed and unorganized. I visited the branch to obtain a new debit card and wasted nearly 2 hours, only to be informed that cards were not available. On my second visit, the allocated counter was engaged in other work, and it took more than an hour just to change a token number. Customers’ valuable time is repeatedly wasted. I truly regret opening an account here and would never recommend BOC Mirigama to anyone.

one of the worst customer service and i ever experience this happen i want to check if my foreign Remittance success or i called the boc hotline even the remittance department no know answer the phone it even got delay for more 3 days when someone answer the call truly gaslight me just want close the account open somewhere else

Extremely bad customer service.very unprofessional staff.I am very disappointed with my recent experience at the Bank of Ceylon. The service felt extremely slow, and I had to wait much longer than expected even for simple tasks. Staff members didn’t seem very attentive, and I felt like customers were not a priority. Communication was also not clear, and I had to ask the same questions several times to get proper information.

For such a large bank with a long history, I expected better organisation and more customer-friendly service. I hope they improve their efficiency and customer care in the future.

BOC Bank has useless customer service.specially Padukka branch

I’m extremely disappointed with the Bank of Ceylon’s online banking service. The system is slow, unreliable, and often not working when needed most. Payments and transfers frequently fail, and customer support takes a long time to respond or gives no proper solution.

For a major bank, this level of service is unacceptable. The website and app need urgent improvements, and the staff should be more responsive to customer issues. I expected a smoother and more secure online experience, but this has been very frustrating.

Extremely poor customer service!!!!!!!My sister lost her card and we immediately tried to contact BOC customer care. It took them over 3 hours to answer, and by the time they did, all the cash had already been withdrawn. How is this even possible? For a bank, immediate assistance should be exactly that immediate! Waiting hours while someone’s money is at risk is completely unacceptable. The lack of urgency, professionalism, and proper support is shocking. If this is how BOC handles emergencies, I would strongly reconsider using their services. Totally frustrating and disappointing.

I observed that the service at the Borella Super Grade BOC branch was quite slow, and I wanted to share my experience. Many employees seemed to be engaged in conversations and laughter among themselves. Although there are nine counter numbers, only a limited number of them were operational. I speculated that perhaps the new hires could benefit from additional training. It took an extended period, exceeding 30 minutes, to serve each customer, particularly in the personal banking unit and with the customer service manager.

Today i decided to make my primary bank account is boc. I hate old boc smartpay banking app because sometimes isn't working, fails and get more time for app loading. New flex app comes with fix that all issues and new look. It's really nice. I went to the bank today for make flex app and cardless service. Thanks a lot Mrs. Thisuni ( veyangoda branch ) for gives to me perfect service. during this time i made too much mistakes. but she told me step by step clearly and teach me how to works it. Compared to other banks with BOC Bank, They provides us quickly and friendly service

BOC Torrington has the weirdest women I have met at the customer relations counter. I go to this bank for payment work on behalf of the company I work at. And this particular women (she’s around 28-32), wears glasses and sits at the very beginning when you approach from the door.
She was rude to me the first time, and raised her voice the first time I went to ask her something. I cut her some slavk thinking she’s going through something personal. But, again on the fourth consecutive time, when I asked for some form she used the same tone with me. Did she expect me to stay in line?
I can’t wait in line for 20-30 minutes when the only thing I need is a small form.
What a bad customer service. I have half a mind to pull my funds from the bank ( personal ones are at a different branch). My advice to the manager; grow a pair and get yours and your employees acts together.

I am giving the review 3 stars because other employees are okay, and don’t need to be penalized due to one women

BOC Head office has worst employees ever. Kept us for 2.30 hours without doing the transactions and then said they can't proceed with our payments. Where can I file a complain on this?

This is hands down the worst excuse for a bank I've ever dealt with. Their staff are a bunch of lazy, greedy parasites who sit around doing nothing while collecting paychecks. I called them for a simple debit card issue from overseas. instead, I got a full week of harassment and zero results. Useless doesn’t even begin to describe them. This place is a complete joke. Save yourself the headache and never open an account here unless you enjoy being treated like garbage. Rude employees. Especially those who can't type an e-mail properly by looking at the screen. There is a rude and lazy woman at Biyagama BOC Bank who handles international transactions and debit card transactions. Please fire such people before the bank reputation gets even worse.

One of the worst banks in sri lanka. Never even think about opening a BOC account. Branch managers promote fraudulent promotions which no one would take responsibility in the end. Customer service is utter rubbish. They will hang up calls as their wish. They will never give any solution for any problem and tell you to visit a branch. Even inside the branch they will tell a totally different thing. Absolute waste of time. Never ever join this bank.

Nuwara Eliya and Rikillagaskada branches are beyond redemption. The web portal they have is useless. I won't even keep one rupee more than I have to on this weak bank. It's the worst bank I have ever gone to.

P.S. - Their online system doesn't send confirmation emails, or SMS or sometimes doesn't even update the web interface after 9 pm. I have confirmed this with several bank employees as well. Even if the messages arrive, it takes at least an hour or two, in my case, it took 5 hours. They didn't issue OTPs for the transactions I did. I have moved around 250,000 of my money over Internet banking and got no OTPs. NONE.

Online banking not working. Stupid bank.

BOC thalavakela branch has very poor customer service and side favoritism BOC is a bank that waits long for people's service 😓