Ulster Bank Reviews 

Just totally awful. Worst customer service I've ever experienced.

Like others struggled with registering my account, but got there eventually.
Resorted to ringing them. The process is extremely difficult. The problem seems to stem from OTT security which baffles customers, new customer in particular.
The initial communication when opening ab account is through what seems to be an ad hoc mixture of letters, emails and text messages making it difficult to keep a track of things and retrieve information.
I have four numbers/passwords to remember. A customer number, a security pin, an internet banking password and an App password. When creating these there are no instructions as to whether numbers or letters are required or minimum/maximum lengths, which again makes life more difficult than it has to be.
Moreover keeping a track of these passwords and pins and which is required for which function is problematic to say the least.

My wife & I tried to open anytime online accounts. What an absolute palava. Received emails etc that don't make any sense including an msg to say the account is open. Still waiting for mamber no, activation code & account number.
Wish I had read the reviews before applying. Needless to say I won't be activating any account with this lot. What a waste of time & effort.

Utterly hopless, might as well not bother advertising decent interest rates if they can't follow up by actually opening an account or employing CS staff who actually want to help resolve problems.

Just echoing others' reviews. A good savings rate looks tempting, but the back office system and customer service is woefully inadequate. Hours spent trying to talk to a real person who can explain why none of the rather excitable communications sent to me via text, email, and post, contain the information promised to be able to manage my account. FAIL!

Terrible experience. Tried to open a saving account with Ulster. Chased to know when I would get my account details. Took me ages to get passed the chatbot and speak to a human being. The human being left me hanging for almost 30minutes despite me asking if they were still there. Never answered. They have the best saving rate right now but also the worst customer service. I will not give them any of my money.

Very poor customer service.
Trying to open a new account.
Usless website – the promised virtual assistant button just isn’t there!
Friendly but hopeless – or poorly trained – staff, repeatedly kept me on hold then called me back at an arranged time just to keep me on hold again. Eventually it turned out that I couldn’t open an account unless I lived in Northern Ireland – not what was promised!

Terrible bank and a nightmare to deal with, extremely poor customer service too

Crap bank that keeps rejecting proof of address from their own parent bank! That meets all their criteria! And they don't tell you why! Wasting my time

Terrible bank and customer services non existent, just this day I spend 1 hr 17 minutes trying to get through to sort out an issue and they didn't seem interested and cut me off, I'm moving as not putting up with this farce

I have recently opened a current account and started an account switch but only had a customer number, debit card and activation code so I called them to find out how to set up online banking. 3 hours later after speaking to 8 different people, being cut off 3 times and lodging a complaint I still cannot access online banking. The staff don't care, the system to set up a pin number does not work and after being cut off now 3 times I'm at my wits end and wish I'd never bothered joint them. I've lodged a complaint and will be contacting FSCS next.

Been a customer for roughly 15 years and should’ve left years ago. I would never recommend this bank to anyone especially as it is clear they will be non existent soon, you only have to look at the south where they have abandoned all of their customers most likely due to their poor management and people skills. I sympathise with anyone having problems with ulster bank as there really is a sense of ‘don’t care’ when dealing with them. It’s unfortunate, as our most local bank we have left, that a large portion of their customers do not believe in them and rarely have much good to say about the bank. gangster bank sounds more fitting.

Unbelievably bad bank, refused to post out my account number or sort code following a switch so left me without any access to my banking.

Not surprised this bank has so many bad reviews, the worst bank I've dealt with in my life.

Absolute Desaster, changed direct debit to new account 4 times and still not sorted! At this point UB you can f... off home. Worst so Irish government is only watching all this mess as usual.

Very helpful service. Rebecca from the belfast team was both patient and understanding. Her assistance was genuine and professional.

Applied for a business account, and was asked the most ridiculous questions.....

"Please indicate the mode of payment that will be used to deposit the funds into the account :

Cash
Transfer from UK Banks
Transfer from a non-UK Bank (the branch is in a country other than UK)"

They then went on to ask what bank!!!!!

How on earth is any business to know where their customers bank, or even what customers they may be dealing with next week?

Then they tell me that a 2nd application for a bank account (that I didn't make) has magically appeared.
No. Just no.

I would like to know how my Ulster Bank mortgage account number, loan term, and rate were changed and how capitalization was approved, all without my acknowledgment, consent, approval, or signature. Also, why were letters sent to my address after I queried these changes, but dated three years before they were received? I believe that malice has been conducted by my ex-husband and Ulster Bank where these changes were made weeks after my finacés death in 2019. I have declined the banks' offer of redress since it does not nearly compensate me for the financial loss and effect this has had on my health. Sincerely, Elle.

Took out an e-savings account which they promoted with a good rate of interest. Problem is their interest rate went down whilst the Bank of England rate went up and it ended at 0.01%! Tried to close the account online, but website stated that a letter to the bank's head office was required. Contacted customer service by online chat to see if they could assist, but was told by the agent that they were only a messaging service & did not have access to my account! So sent a letter by snail mail and a month later received an email (from a no reply address), telling me to go into a branch with proof of identity. My nearest branch is 500 miles away across the Irish Sea! Needless to say, have emptied account and just left it open with a zero balance.

The bank was good for personal usage. I hope they got rid of those token generators in the future. Very annoying to travel with as it's easy to forget to the it and without it their website is not usable.

If the Ulster Bank returns to the Rep of Ireland within the next 100 years, it will be too soon for me! My family operated accounts with this bank (Sligo branch) since 1916 and my three children had accounts with the Ulster. That's 107 years of customer loyalty and what does it count for? Nothing. Absolutely nothing! Customer loyalty went out the window decades ago. Having a rapport with the local branch manager also went out the window. Fools in Dublin (Leopardstown Park) starting making decisions that should have been made at branch level. Try operating an account with this bank since 2010 approx from any country outside the Rep of Ireland and all you would get were obstacles, huge obstacles! The Ulster never moved with technology to exploit the full benefits of online banking so for an expat like myself based in Kenya you couldn't do business from abroad - like check your account status or transfer money to a third party. Fortunately, I had predicted their downfall as far back as 2011 when I took the initiative to write a detailed scathing letter to the CEO of the Ulster pointing out all the Bank's shortcomings. What action was taken? No action. What was the outcome? The bank ceased operations in Ireland. Good riddance. Stay away.