Bank of Queensland Reviews 142

Useless, there's not really much else to be said to be honest. I had a pending transaction for over 11 days and I called up - waiting around 2 hours for them to say you should contact the merchant, I contacted them and they said the payment was never captured so it's just BOQ holding it. I then called again - you guessed it... 2 more hours of waiting for them to say "we have to wait for it to process and then file a dispute" what the literal fk are you saying???! It's not meant to be processed it is literally pending. I explained over and over.. but this person who clearly needs training did not understand that the merchant never captured the funds. It is BOQ holding it. Anyways it ended up coming back into my account. I also tried to change my number and what would be a usual 5 minute thing is now going on a week. I had to upload a selfie with my ID and they said it would take 3 days!??? For a phone number change????? Anyways, bank is deadset useless I don't know how they still are operating - probably money laundering like Red rooster zzzz

I have been attempting to assist someone with discharging their mortgage; have attempted to speak with someone this week but have been on hold a total of 8 hours (2 to 2.5 hours per sitting) with no resolution.

Whilst every other bank on the planet processes transfers within minutes, these clowns take several days!!!! So called 'secure messages' via the app never get replies. Absolute joke, I've no Idea how they are still operating. Once my funds are finally transferred out of my account I will be closing it. I also notice that, despite overwhelmingly one star reviews, they never respond to those either, and seem to be completely apathetic about their reputation.

I have been on hold to unlock my account for 50 minutes now

Subject: Formal Complaint: Accessibility barriers for vulnerable clients

I am writing to lodge a complaint regarding the service my client received today. My client is a stroke survivor with memory impairment.

We attempted to update his home address via your phone service, which was diverted to an offshore team in the Philippines. The staff members had a limited command of English, making it very difficult to communicate his needs. They ultimately refused to update the address, insisting on an in-person branch visit. Commonwealth Bank was able to process this exact request over the phone with ease. It is disappointing that BOQ’s current support model creates such a barrier for people with disabilities.

Called to have transactions sorted. Waiting over an hour on hold while listening to an audio that repeatedly directed me to hang up and chat online. No response repeatedly on the online chat. Finally transferred to be told my details didn't match and when asked what how I was meant to sort and if I need to go into the bank. Complete silence. Not even a sorry i can't help. Just silence for 5 mins while I waited for a response and then hanging up. Useless customer service.

I am ashamed to have the great state of Queensland associated with this sad excuse for a 'bank'.
I have had accounts with BOQ for over 10 years but if I could I would have nothing to do with them.
Fees well above average
Customer wait times well (infinitely far) beneath acceptable standards of practice
Convoluted, archaic and often 'buggy' internet and app access
Take forever to respond to 'secure' messaging
Take even longer if you try to call.
Call centres are offshore.
They should be ashamed to publish the obscene profits (which could be said of all banks really) because this money comes from hard-working aussies who pay exorbitantly for the ridiculous salaries paid to the senior 'executives' (can't be the regular worker - they have none) who, more than likely, are out playing golf or swanning around at some swanky 'talk-fest' or pig-swilling soiree.
If I could I'd give negative stars

Absolute joke of a bank holding a second payment of money that has already been paid blaming the merchant, had the merchant check no hold on there end now going to default on payments due because boq refuse to address and correct an issue with there system which they admitted to me has happen before to other people with payments to this merchant some form of conflict with there system and the merchant that they are aware of but havnt done anything to correct

I am most disappointed with the declining service being provided by BOQ. Credit cards payments can no longer be made at a BOQ branch and payments at the Post Office incur a fee. While the BOQ website states you can activate a credit card by one of 3 ways, that is not correct. The only way is via myBOQ. The options of phoning or in-Branch activation are not available. Basically, I was forced into using the internet.

If I could give less than one star I would this is the most incompetent pack of idiots I have ever had to deal with if you want your money held for three days even if it comes from an account that you have had prior transactions with like your employer for example.
They then claim they have a right to hold your money for three days no matter what and if you call them expect to be on hold for an hour because they seem to have no staff as most people are sensible enough to work for an actual bank not this pack of idiots

BOQ have gone seriously downhill over recent years without showing any signs of rehabilitation! They do not even provide a running balance in your account - only showing withdrawals and deposits but no balance !!! Surely it can’t be that hard BOQ?!!
Their 1.2 star average is well deserved - (but I’m sure most would give less than one star if they could ! ).

Very bad contacting the customer service usually 2 hours on phone to be connected to someone.
I lodged a complaint regarding my interest and still waiting for their reply.

I have been with BOQ for almost 20 years. I can forgive online banking issues from time to time. But when I go into your branch (Oxenford - Gold Coast) and ask to open an account for my child, get told to make an appointment, then ask if I can have an appointment now? in AN EMPTY BRANCH WITH TWO STAFF STANDING THERE DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. You wonder why your customers are leaving in droves.

Have to wait on the phone because U can't fix it on the web site. U always have to wait for One half to at least 2 hours before the answer.ALWAYS THE Worst SERVICE I HAVE HAD FROM A BANK. and is saying something.

BOQ is possibly Australia's worst bank and should be shut down. I can't imagine what a worse bank would be like.

I signed up to their Future Savers account in 2023, their terms and conditions didn't say that it was a digital only account or that it is operated from a smartphone app.

A big problem that the app must be installed for you to have access to the account, and that one time passcodes are sent to the very same phone the app is installed on and then the app automatically accepts the OTP and authorises any transfer the OTP is generated for. And no, auto fill in my phone is NOT active, this is controlled by the BOQ app, I've had other banking apps and not one had a similar problem. Also it's not even Internet-only, it's app only, and until recently, they didn't even have online (desktop browser) banking, I am absolutely certain that this move was done because I pointed this out in an AFCA complaint - BOQ changed several things after I pointed them out in my AFCA complaint, while denying then during the actual complaint process.

I have been to BOQ branches in person to ask for help several times, and each time I was told they cannot help me, because my account, the Future Savers account, is an online only account and I cannot get help from a branch staff. I have spoken to several BOQ branch staff and asked them why this is, and the reply was the same: BOQ wants to move to online only and want the customers to do their own banking and the only way to get help is to either call their online service team, or use their in-app chat which hasn't worked lately, and when it does work, it's not live, chat records are not saved, and the staff don't know anything and can't give us account-specific information, so is pointless. Also the staff said they don't even have a direct phone number to call if they need help and need to call the same number the app-account customers need to call

This means 100% of the people who do need help are absolutely guaranteed to use BOQ's phone lines. It's no surprise then that 100% of the time, 100% of their phone lines are busy and their system is overwhelmed. Every time I call to reset my password so I can log in again, something that should and does take 2 minutes with other banks, I give up because the hold is just too long. We have better things to do than hold on the phone all day, that is YOUR job as the call center staff, not ours!

Edit: I want to add that their phone service numbers are 1300 numbers, which means both the customer and the bank gets charged when someone calls them. I don't know why they didn't get a 1800 number which is free to the caller, but it means people like me who are charged a fee per minute to make calls, simply waiting on the phone can cost a lot.

Also.
I was the victim of a scam a few years ago. When I went to the bank's branch well within their opening hours, I was told to wait because the branch manager was on the phone. Fine. I waited about half an hour, then was told I should report my case to the tellers, which I did. After explaining everything, I was told I should email all the evidence to their fraud team OR I can email it to them and they will email it to the fraud team the next day because they are closing now and they tried to get me to leave, several times (there were no other customers). Then their fraud team sent me an upsetting email by mistake. There is so much. The final insult is AFCA sided with the bank.

BOQ has at their disposal anti-fraud and scam technologies, they even state in their terms and conditions that they collect usage data from the use of the app to determine if something unusual is occurring, yet when it happens in the event of a scam, they actually said to me that they don't, cannot, and do not monitor all transfers because there are so many to monitor - this is a direct contradiction of AusTrac's anti money laundering regulations that says all transfers of $10,000 or over must be monitored and reported.

Thank you, BOQ, for putting the onus of banking work on the customers, and then punishing us when things go wrong. Also, thank you, for charging us fees if we require help over the phone for phone banking. Thank you for the long waits on the phone to not get service and thank you, for denying us in-branch service even though all customers should get the same type of service.

They deserve less than 0 stars and should be closed.

ME Bank transferred my credit card with them to BOQ Specialist. Have found it virtually impossible to contact BOQ for assistance with online banking questions. They don't answer online enquiry. Wait times on the phone in excess of one hour with nil answer. Today, phone was answered in approx 25 minutes by a person who sounded ill with the flu, sniffing and coughing, she couldn't find any of my details, and then stated had to be transferred to other department, waited over an hour. No answer. Logging in to account is clunky. The website is very unhelpful. Not able to access any money, unable to add "pay anyone" or transfer to another account. Unable to use ATMs or postoffice - ATM "ate" the card several times, even when changed the PIN number. Certainly do not recommend this product. Useless

BoQ have become a joke. 2 weekends running they have put a stop on all of my internet banking (we have 4 personal accounts, 4 SMSF accounts and 21 business accounts). You call the so call Scam line and after repeating yourself 3 times and verifiying your ID i now get told one of the business account had a suspicious transaction. They tell my scam and fraud department dont work onm the weekends and rather than suspend the one account they suspend my entire internet bank making all of personal accounts inoperatiove. Run a mile and dont look back we will moving our entire banking tomorrow to a new bank.

Have been a customer for over 20 years and am disgusted by the amount of issues that seem to be a reoccurring problem. My partner switched banks and I'll be doing the same.

Rarely have to call the bank. Have found a dodgy transaction made yesterday. I’ve been on hold for 41 minutes. They’re gone for me. Going down to the branch tomorrow to close my account. $133m profit last year and they make you wait on the dodgy transaction phone number no less! Nope.
**Update. All in all I was on hold for 2 hrs and 53 minutes. Got passed around and hung up on randomly. I’ll never bank with them again.