# Is it safe to log into B.O.I online today?



## seriams (18 Oct 2007)

I Just tried to log into Bank of Ireland banking 365, however it's only asking for I.D and Date of birth/contact number. It's not looking for private password.
Does anyone know if this is safe?


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## demoivre (18 Oct 2007)

I've just be in my BOI online accounts - you will be asked for three PIN digits on page two, and they are changing log on procedures which you will be advised about once are in to your account.


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## Dearg Doom (18 Oct 2007)

It's a changed interface, it's OK to use (even if it isn't as user friendly as it was).

(Post crossed)


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## Towger (18 Oct 2007)

It looks for it on the next screen. They closed a long standing loop hole in their security where you could press F5 (refresh the screen) untill you were prompted any combination of PIN numbers you happened to know.

Towger


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## thunder99 (19 Oct 2007)

They've had it on the website for the last month that it was changing.

I like the new interface and you can send money abroad, which is a big plus for them.


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## Perplexed (21 Oct 2007)

Yes, you can now send money abroad. Be aware that to do this you have to set up the beneficiary first & get an activation code posted to you. So if you need to send money abroad be sure to get it set up in good time. 
There's a Currency Calculator too.
You can also Set-up, amend & cancel Standing Orders & cancel D/D's.
It took a while but it's here at last !


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## dfg75 (21 Oct 2007)

When you exchange money overseas say to the States, does it show the transaction cost and exchange rate prior to the send? IS there a flat fee to transfer outside of the EU? IF so, how much? How competitive are the exchange rates? I would be very curious, as I am thinking of opening one of their accounts to fund overseas transactions.


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## Perplexed (22 Oct 2007)

To be honest, I'm not sure what the charge structure is. I'm assuming it's cheaper than going into a branch to do these transfers as you do most of the work yourself.


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## Bubbly Scot (22 Oct 2007)

Towger said:


> It looks for it on the next screen. They closed a long standing loop hole in their security where you could press F5 (refresh the screen) untill you were prompted any combination of PIN numbers you happened to know.
> 
> Towger


 
I got a very brassed off lady in the BOI when I told her I could only remember 3 digits of my PIN so I just refreshed the screen til the right combination was offered..mind you, that was over a year ago.

I know one of the guys that designed it...originally I mean. Those drop downs are driving me nuts!


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## DrMoriarty (22 Oct 2007)

I'd love to know who came up with the mad-looking big-eared pixie girl for the ads. What the heck is that about?  

[broken link removed]

Are we supposed to think our transactions are being magically handled by fairies in the middle of the night or something?


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## Guest124 (22 Oct 2007)

BOI tv ads are terrible - I like the halifax one with the fighting -"what you going to do tell your mammy"!


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## ClubMan (23 Oct 2007)

DrMoriarty said:


> I'd love to know who came up with the mad-looking big-eared pixie girl for the ads. What the heck is that about?
> 
> [broken link removed]
> 
> Are we supposed to think our transactions are being magically handled by fairies in the middle of the night or something?



And why on earth does she say in the ad "you never know - I might go *overdraft*"?


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## Perplexed (23 Oct 2007)

I think the ads are awful. Did you see the Pension ones ? They're even worse!
Maybe I'm showing my age as some of the younger folk think they're very "Lord of the Rings" style..


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## so-crates (23 Oct 2007)

I think those adverts are off-putting quite frankly - I can't fathom how anyone might be encouraged to bank with BOI by them.

Anyway has anyone else noticed that the new site seems to wipe details occassionally or not accept selections from the drop-downs? I have noticed that occassionally as I am filling in details, they are being deleted/my input is not being accepted. It seems fairly random but I think the passcode drop downs are the worst affected.


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## Armada (23 Oct 2007)

So-crates....


Thats happening  to me a lot too... its really frustrating.


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## Bubbly Scot (24 Oct 2007)

The passcode drop down is driving me nuts! I have to keep stopping to think of the numbers whereas before you could rattle it off in your head and thump it in.

The pixie ear adverts are cute but not for a bank...mind you, one of the alternatives is a "mobster"!!


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## failsafe (29 Oct 2007)

Has anyone tried an international transfer yet? It only charged me €1 for a transfer to the states, and at a decent rate ($1.402). The only thing is, I transferred it on the 24th and it still hasn't arrived. Has anyone else had a sucessfull transfer?


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## dfg75 (29 Oct 2007)

Failsafe,

Does it show you the rate prior to the transaction taking place? Do you know what the xe-rate was that day -- just curious what the exchange rates are like. Do the rates change depending if you exchange 1,000 vs 20,000 EUR?

Thanks.


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## failsafe (29 Oct 2007)

dfg75,

It does indeed. Once you get a benificiary added, go to make a transaction, and it will show you a confirmation screen, showing the amount it will deduct from your account (if you set the transfer in a foreign currency) and the transaction fee.

For a feel of the rates, feel free to look up the interbank rate on the 24th ($1.42 afaik) and compare to what I got $1.40. So I typed in (e.g.) $150 and it deducted roughly €107 from my account.


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## dobsdave (30 Oct 2007)

I was under the impression that a foreign transfer would cost me 5euro.
Thought I saw it on their website, obviously I'm wrong.
So how does it work? is it a percentage or a flat fee?

Thanks


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## so-crates (30 Oct 2007)

failsafe said:


> dfg75,
> 
> For a feel of the rates, feel free to look up the interbank rate on the 24th ($1.42 afaik) and compare to what I got $1.40. So I typed in (e.g.) $150 and it deducted roughly €107 from my account.


 
There is also a limited currency calculator on your account management options. When you have selected your account, underneath the "Nickname Change" button you will see "Currency Calculator". It only converts from Euros which is a fat lot of good if your invoice is in a foreign currency! Also it seems to be limited to €5000 for some bizarre reason (given that there is a much higher limit for a transfer that seems strange).

On the details disappearing while logging in, I think it is because the page hasn't fully loaded at that point even if it looks like it is, waiting an extra moment before entering details has paid off for me!


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## TarfHead (31 Oct 2007)

The rates used are from the same source as are displayed in branch.

The charges depend on the currency used. I don't know how they compare to the other banks.

The dropdown lists for PIN validation are, as already noted, in response to a known problem.

The International payment limit is appropriate for retail transactions. The higher limit is for domestic transfers - to criticise the former for not being the same as the latter is like complaining an apple doesn't taste like an orange.


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## dfg75 (31 Oct 2007)

TarfHead,
Do you know what the maximaum foreign exchange transfer is (via online transfer)? Does this differ from what can be done in the branch?
dfg75


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## TarfHead (31 Oct 2007)

dfg75 said:


> TarfHead,
> Do you know what the maximaum foreign exchange transfer is (via online transfer)? Does this differ from what can be done in the branch?
> dfg75


 
Online it's €5000 per day. Don't know what the branch limit is.


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## so-crates (1 Nov 2007)

TarfHead said:


> The dropdown lists for PIN validation are, as already noted, in response to a known problem.


While it is good to hear that it fixed a rather alarming issue I think that most users find it a clunky and awkward solution, especially those of us who prefer not to use the mouse for input. Just because BOI have provded a solution doesn't mean that we should be delighted with it as functionality.



TarfHead said:


> The International payment limit is appropriate for retail transactions. The higher limit is for domestic transfers - to criticise the former for not being the same as the latter is like complaining an apple doesn't taste like an orange.


 
Thank you, that clarifies the limitation, I would like to point out though that they have neglected to indicate on the website (other than by the currency converter limitation) what the actual limit is for a transfer. As you can use the paper form to transfer up to 50,000 euro and in the absence of any information on the website to the contrary, I assumed there was a decimal place glitch or similar fault. 
My "complaint" is really about the way that the converter is presented (the limit was an aside), it would be more usual in my case (and I suspect in general) to know what the value is in the target currency and need to find out what the value is in euros having a conversion from euros I have to make an educated guess at a ball park before extracting any value from this facility.


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## TarfHead (1 Nov 2007)

so-crates said:


> My "complaint" is really about the way that the converter is presented (the limit was an aside), it would be more usual in my case (and I suspect in general) to know what the value is in the target currency and need to find out what the value is in euros having a conversion from euros I have to make an educated guess at a ball park before extracting any value from this facility.


 
I may be wrong here (and can't check it out) but, at payment, you can nominate a base currency other that EUR. The converted amount is shown before you have to confirm payment.


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## JP1234 (19 Nov 2007)

Kind of getting back on topic with this but does anyone else have ongoing issues with this site.

I generally do my online banking early morning  (6.30-7.00am)before work but more often than not find I cannot log on. After putting in my pin I get a message that my details are incorrect ( definitely not). I go back in and try again and get the same message.  It's annoying but more importantly worrying that I seem to have limitless attempts to log on and it is asking me for the same 3 digits each time. ( I have tried 9 times this morning!)

I have tried to use different browsers ( IE and Mozilla) and shut down the browser between attempts. 

I have emailed BOI with my complaint and concerns.


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## Mark_jmc (19 Nov 2007)

Hi JP,
I had the exact same issue last Friday- my details were definitely correct and it said they were incorrect. I rang 365 and they 'unlocked' my code,
Doesn't intill me with a lot of confidence.....


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## xocal (19 Nov 2007)

I have had similar problems logging in, but took this as the security system deliberately double checking, which in a strange way gave me comfort, yet there were these niggling doubts as to whether it was a software blip!
My solution was to hit the refresh button, enter the codes and invariably got through.


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## JP1234 (19 Nov 2007)

I eventually got on at work, ( which I hate to do but I needed to make a transfer today before close of (banking) business)  again after numerous attempts and it still asking me for the same 3 digits.    I understand them being security conscious but after seemingly limitless attempts it did make me wonder if someone determind enough could eventually guess the codes if they knew enough about a person.


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## zag (19 Nov 2007)

The fact that the drop down displays the characters in plain text makes somewhat of a mockery of the recommendations to 'guard your PIN'

To enter using the new interface you must visibly display the elements of your PIN as you select them from a list.  This doesn't make sense at all, at all.

It now takes longer to log in and I can't type in the elements of my PIN as before.  I know people can see what keys I hit when entering my PIN, but it's a whole lot easier to see the numbers when they are displayed on screen.

I'm not sure I would call this progress.

z


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## Joe1234 (19 Nov 2007)

Mark_jmc said:


> Hi JP,
> I had the exact same issue last Friday- my details were definitely correct and it said they were incorrect. I rang 365 and they 'unlocked' my code,
> Doesn't intill me with a lot of confidence.....



Mrs Joe1234 had the same problem over the weekend.  she rang them and was told that her PIN had been blocked and they would re-issue her a Pin number.  Of course that would take 3 to 5 working days.


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## zag (10 Jan 2008)

This new interface is a joke.

1) a few days ago after logging in I got a page saying something like "Your login may not have worked correctly, so please click on this button"  This is a *classic* phishing route - get someone to enter their details twice and capture one then pass them on to the correct site.  This time I didn't have to re-enter the details, but it didn't give me a good feeling.

2) I just noticed that even if you enter incorrect details on the first page (get the phone number wrong for example) you proceed to the next page and are told when that user last logged in - information disclosure

3) worst of all, I also just copped on that *all* elements of the credentials are displayed in clear text during the login process.  This is sooooooooooooo wrong.  I hinted at it above, but I didn't put it together till now.  On the first page you have to enter your user ID and a 'secret' like your phone number or birthday - both are displayed in plain text.  Then on the  second page you have to select elements of your pin from a plain text drop down list.

z


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## John Rambo (22 Jan 2008)

Thankfully, BOI are switching back to the original log in system "in response to feedback from customers". So many of these problems should be consigned to history! I just logged in a couple of minutes ago and there was a message about it.


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## Sue Ellen (22 Jan 2008)

John Rambo said:


> Thankfully, BOI are switching back to the original log in system "in response to feedback from customers". So many of these problems should be consigned to history! I just logged in a couple of minutes ago and there was a message about it.



Just logged in also and something strange going on.  Withdrawal that was made recently and showed up yesterday on the account has now disappeared and the original is back to what it was before   Have their on-line records gone back a day or two?


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## dobsdave (24 Jan 2008)

Sue Ellen said:


> Just logged in also and something strange going on. Withdrawal that was made recently and showed up yesterday on the account has now disappeared and the original is back to what it was before  Have their on-line records gone back a day or two?



Happens from time to time when they are updating their systems.
Balance and transactions go haywire.
Also happens to me(transaction goes missing) when I use my atm card abroad, say I take out 50 euro.The site confirms it that day, and then next day it dissapears for five days!


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## mathepac (24 Jan 2008)

dobsdave said:


> Happens from time to time when they are updating their systems.
> Balance and transactions go haywire.
> Also happens to me(transaction goes missing) when I use my atm card abroad, say I take out 50 euro.The site confirms it that day, and then next day it dissapears for five days!



On 31/12/2007 logged into my account and saw transactions (D/D's) dated 02/01/2008. When I queried this with 365 Telephone Banking, they couldn't explain why and referred me to my branch, who referred me to 365 Online, etc. 

I share the security concerns jez has above as well as these appearing / disappearing transactions that no-one in BoI seems able to explain.

At least the BoI service has more consistent uptime than Vodafone who are constantly off-line displaying meaningless messages like "ERROR xxxx logins disabled".


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## zag (24 Jan 2008)

Their account info seems pretty patchy at times.  I am used to it now, but it used to freak me out when I would check to see what the balance was and despite knowing that the previous days closing balance had been (say) €2,000 and then seeing a cheque presented for (say) €250 and seeing a balance on the account of €1,500 - they seem to have some double counting issue when posting transactions, particularly in the evenings.

I now know that when you go back in an hour later it will show €1,750 so I don't worry about it any more.  Either this only affects withdrawals from the account or else I don't have enough lodgements going in to notice it happening to them.

z


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## dobsdave (25 Jan 2008)

John Rambo said:


> Thankfully, BOI are switching back to the original log in system "in response to feedback from customers". So many of these problems should be consigned to history! I just logged in a couple of minutes ago and there was a message about it.


 
At last, I logged on this afternoon and the drop downs are gone.


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## MOB (25 Jan 2008)

I use the Business on line package and it seems fairly ok.  One thing I have noticed: my password is not case sensitive.  This seems odd.

Would the non-case-sensitivity be regarded as a sufficient departure from best practice to actually constitute a breach of acceptable standards?  Any views?


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## zag (27 Jan 2008)

Yup, I would regard that as a weakness of their security mechanism.

If your password is not case sensitive then the number of possible combinations of passwords is significantly reduced.  It would be very rare for a password not ot be case sensitive these days.

z


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