# ulster bank - stay clear



## laus99 (18 Feb 2008)

i warn anyone to stay well away from ulsterbank. i have had mainly bad experience with them. they often conduct themselves in a very unprofessional manner. they often prove to be unhelpful. simple matters, simple facts they pretend not to comprehend. they have decend, nice and helpful staff among them, but when push comes to shove, they seem the biggest bunch of imbecciles i have come accross at any bank in my life.

(in this particular case, i have last year closed my current account with them, and end of the year my credit card as well. 3 direct debits for the credit card from my new current account went through without problems.
but the final one didnt. they charged me late payment fee and claim the direct debit was rejected by my new bank.
my new bank said they never received an attempt of ulsterbank for this direct debit. they tried to speak to ulsterbank and ulsterbank refused to speak to them! they say they dont speak to other banks!
i wrote to ulsterbank to request evidence of the refused direct debit, today i received a letter off them with no name on it, containing a copy of a note regarding the refused DD - of a totally different bank that i have no business with. they still think i am responsible for the late payment.
i called them to ask if i can now finally have my letter of confirmation of stamp duty payment, and the balance with the late payment fee removed,
but at first they werent willing or able to understand that the direct debit had been requested from the wrong bank..eventually after a long wait on hold, my call was cut off. 
now this todays experience with them is fully in line with my usual experience of ulster bank. they have made a lot of errors in my time (was with them well over 5 years), i would say a lot more errors than should be acceptable, and they have been very reluctant to admitting to them and sorting them out.


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## ney001 (18 Feb 2008)

For every bad story there'll be a good story, my dad is with UB and swears by them! - Every bank will make mistakes and not everybody will be happy but that's life!


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## ClubMan (18 Feb 2008)

If you have complaints against them that they cannot resolve then get a final response letter from them and take the matter to the [broken link removed]. 

For what it's worth I have never had any problems with them in my (admittedly limited to date) dealings with them.


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## bacchus (18 Feb 2008)

I echo Clubman. 
I also never ever had any problem/complain regarding Ulster Bank services. been with then 9 years i think.


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## efm (18 Feb 2008)

Just as further information: my mortgage broker had serious administration problems with them when we took out a tracker mortgage with them 4 years ago - lost documentation, incorrect delivery instructions, no confirmtaion of receipt of documentation or phone calls, amongst others. 

However, since that was sorted, and whenever I dealt with them, I have found them polite and efficient, especially when they dropped my rate to 0.75% above ECB when I complained about my rate last year. I don't have a current account with them, just a mortgage.


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## Marconi2012 (18 Feb 2008)

I would accept that all banks have slip-ups, but I've had more than my fair share with Ulster Bank- applied for loans with them - on off chance that I would need finance- never took up offers etc and they became annoyed! When I complained, they even couldn't find details of my most recent loan on their system... They issued a Final Response Letter- and 2 addendums due to errors on same- appears they have a stock-pile of response and they normally get away with using one from a template- well not in this case!

Complained to Ombudsman and he tried to say he had investigated the complaint (within an usually short 2 week time-frame!). I note elsewhere on this site that up to 6 months or more is common... In any case, he didn't want to know that the original 'Final Response Letter' was not in fact complete- hence the 2 additional letters. 

Is it all a 'game'????????

P.s. I have all the relevant letters and will be happy to send copies to anyone interested.


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## BadSanta (18 Feb 2008)

i used to work for a bank and i must admit, bank staff sometimes make mistakes, but not on purpose! i did notice, a lot of people have it in for their bank, nothing seems to satisfy them at the end before the switch. but since iv left the bank and met some people who gave me 'grief' over the counter (one of the reasons you would leave a job!) they have said the other bank was just as bad! i think bank bashing is a big pastime in ireland... and sometimes i would agree with some if it, but some of it is uncalled for... and to cut a long story short, to say, stay away from ulster bank... its a big genaralisation to make for one or two errors.


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## Marconi2012 (18 Feb 2008)

Hi BadSanta

I agree fully that it is bad to generalise in such scenarios- but when i actually had such a frequency of errors with Ulster Bank- i had to step back and take stock. I complained and rather that receive an immediate apology- when it was 'black and white' that errors had occurred- the bank simply put up all their barriers! And the Complaints Manager in Dublin simply wrote 'i apologise' and that was it- surely if a true custome focus was taken, more than 'i apologise' would be given- for example, she refused to take calls or return my calls- maybe she is particularly busy with similar customers!! So no generalisation intended- just my story...

I'm sure you know what the correct way to handle such complaints is?


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## Banking2006 (18 Feb 2008)

Laus99

I would make an access request under the Data Protection Acts from Ulster Bank and get copies of all data/ documentation held by them (including telephone calls). It'll cost 6.35 euro and they have 40 days (i think) to send on the data.
www.dataprotection.ie

Send request with fee and details of accounts (ref. numbers/ names/ addresses/ etc and state any unknown so they can trace) to:
*Data Protection Manager*
*Group Regulatory Risk*
*Group Head Office*
*Ulster Bank*
*11-16 Donegall Square East*
*Belfast BT1 5UB*
Tel.: 028 90275879/ fax 028-90276387
www.ulsterbank.com

or if you don't want to pay for a stamp...
*Data Protection Manager*
*Group Regulatory Risk*
*Ulster Bank*
*FREEPOST*
*PO Box 145*
*Dublin 2*
Tel.: 01 7025351/ Email: customerrelations@ulsterbank.com

_(Make sure you send by registered post, or at least get a cert. of posting- in case it gets mislaid- 2 of my friends had that problem)_

Even if it doesn't help your cause, it'll be an interesting read/ listen- Better than some of the Sunday papers!

I note even the Data Protection Commissioner had difficulties in corresponding with the same bank over a semi-unrelated matter as noted here [broken link removed] (*Ulster Bank: Excessive information sought from new customers*)

On a lighter note check here for IBOA news re. problems at the same bank- even the staff have problems, so if you're not a happy customer, remember you might end up complaining to someone who is equally unhappy unfortunately...
[broken link removed]


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## mercman (18 Feb 2008)

Below a previous post which I made. Guess which Bank ??? Have written again and still no reply. So don't anybody tell me that its rare for institutions to make a mistake and then continue making the same mistake.

'Took out a Sterling Loan in 2000. Made my annual repayments as was called for in Years 1 and 2. No further call in Year 3 and files placed in storage. No statements ever received. Received telephone call at end of Year 4 demanding full repayment, which I was caught on the hop as I had genuinely forgot. I referred to my past correspondence as I never had a statement or an account number for the Loan. Called to a meeting with the Bank and they agreed the Bank made an error. They then agreed to freeze the interest as long as I made the payments. I did this and each time I made a payment, sent a cheque and a letter requesting the correct account number and statements as per the Banking Code of Practice. Started receiving statements for 6 months showing a Credit balance. Wrote again requesting up to date statement - received nothing. A further two years has gone and I am now awaiting for a further verbal showdown with the Bank as frankly I do not know the balance at the moment. Problem is that they took a first charge on a Life Insurance Policy at the start of Loan. They agreed to lift this charge at the meeting (and put in writing with new facility letter) and I have written to the Head Office (registered Post) a number of times, but the charge still in place. Unless I receive all the Statements I refuse to make further payments. However now want to have charge on Life Policy lifted. Any suggestions from anybody.'


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## ClubMan (19 Feb 2008)

BrianDublin said:


> Complained to Ombudsman and he tried to say he had investigated the complaint (within an usually short 2 week time-frame!). I note elsewhere on this site that up to 6 months or more is common... In any case, he didn't want to know that the original 'Final Response Letter' was not in fact complete- hence the 2 additional letters.


The _FSO's _complaints process is crystal clear on this matter - *they will not deal with any complaint until you have received this letter from the institution involved. *Not their fault if some people don't bother reading their rules. I have my doubts about them asserting that they had investigated a complaint when this letter was not initially presented to them.


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## Towger (19 Feb 2008)

That is all very good Clubman. But I have sent letters of complaint to both Ulster Bank’s Dublin and Belfast HQs. I am still waiting for a reply 4 years later.  They spent a lot of money in advertising to win by personal custom, which they have now lost and I have seem them spend a hell of a lot more time and money trying to get companies to change over to them. It’s their own loss, if they don’t look after their personal customers, word of mouth will stop them winning new business.


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## sam h (19 Feb 2008)

While is is unreasonable to expect that banks will never make a mistake, it is how they resolve the problem and IMO, Ulster Bank are particluarly bad at dealling with issues when they arise.   We had had a number of small issues and then a biggie - basically they lost a sizable foreign cheque.  They tried everything to put the blame on me, my foreign bank etc.  We had to do all the running, numberous phone calls, letters etc.  Finally got the chq cashed (and it was their error) but as the rate had changed significantly there was a loss on the rate of exchange (oh, and a very sizable fee for handling the chq!).  Once again, had to start on phone calls, letters.  Got it sorted in the end but it took close to 3 months and endless hassle for what should have been a very straight forward transaction.  Went into the bank the next day and siad I wanted to close my account....suddenly they wanted to know what the problem was and could they help!


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## soy (19 Feb 2008)

Over the years I have had dealings with most of the various banks and my experience with Ulster was by far the worst. All small stuff but very frustrating, lost documentation, cards not working, couldn't get pin #, no statements. This was all compounded by a useless online banking system which meant I had to interact with them more than I would have wished. 
Finally I gave up and moved my business to NIB and have no regrets. 

Best of luck in sorting out your problems. Keep records of everything.


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## Miles (19 Feb 2008)

I have been a customer of UB for around 15 years. Had none of the problems listed throughout this thread. Find them very efficient.


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## Alex (19 Feb 2008)

i too have been with ulster bank a long time. i have never had any problems with them. tbo, i wouldn't be with anyone else.


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## Banking2006 (19 Feb 2008)

It's good to read good comments too about Ulster Bank. When problems arise in any financial services provider, the aim should be to resolve same within the shortest time- obviously when delays occur, the problem often becomes more complicated/ confused (i.e. complaints about the 'complaints procedure' etc). It is regrettable that any customer would need to make sustained complaints over 4 years- 

Anyone need advice- PM me- I am not working for the bank! or any others...


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## hope4711 (20 Feb 2008)

I've been with UB for almost 18 years and you couldn't pay me to change.  I find them very good - if there's any issues i usually get a phone call.  I've applied for short terms loans (one month) and no difficulties.  I once had an account in BofI and they practically drove me to drink so I'm very happy with my current service


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## ClubMan (20 Feb 2008)

hope4711 said:


> I've been with UB for almost 18 years and you couldn't pay me to change.


Funny - _UB _paid *me *(€150) to open a current account with them which is now only used intermittently (this was the offer before they required you to commit to using the account as your "normal" current account for c. 18 months).


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## NavanMan1 (20 Feb 2008)

efm said:


> Just as further information: my mortgage broker had serious administration problems with them when we took out a tracker mortgage with them 4 years ago - lost documentation, incorrect delivery instructions, no confirmtaion of receipt of documentation or phone calls, amongst others.
> 
> However, since that was sorted, and whenever I dealt with them, I have found them polite and efficient, especially when they dropped my rate to 0.75% above ECB when I complained about my rate last year. I don't have a current account with them, just a mortgage.


 
Hi efm,
Interested when you mentioned your getting 0.75%, they charge me 0.95%. What's your LTV ? Might have a go trying to get down to your rate.


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## efm (20 Feb 2008)

NavanMan1 said:


> Hi efm,
> Interested when you mentioned your getting 0.75%, they charge me 0.95%. What's your LTV ? Might have a go trying to get down to your rate.


 
PM sent


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## Banking2006 (20 Feb 2008)

As i said earlier, it's great to hear about the good experiences- but when things go wrong, it's worth letting others know (and you would expect the bank to listen!)


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## Luckycharm (21 Feb 2008)

I am with them 14 years and in general have them good. Did have probs with the Visa card people but that is seperate. Toward NIB who I have only bad experiences I think they are great!!


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## Luna (29 Feb 2008)

I know there will always be a certain level of mistakes with all banks and I've had various types of accounts with most of them....but I've had major,major issues with Ulster Bank. They made serious blunders with my mortgage a/c over an 18 month period. Debiting the wrong amount from my a/c, no statements, sending legal letters stating I was in arrears (when I was not), issuing me with no receipt when handing over a cheque to clear my mortgage, hidden charges etc etc etc. I've been through the mill and back trying to get these issues sorted, all to no avail....with the result I'm now in the process of making a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman. The main issue I have found with Ulster Bank is that nobody is prepared to take ownership for resolving an issue...you get passed from Billy to Jack and back & forth & end up repeating your complaints so many times that you just have to give up. The other major issue I have with Ulster Bank is that if you want to call your local branch, you get routed to a call center in Belfast & they then try to connect you to the branch. Needless to say, in all my times trying to get through to the branch, I've probably been sucessful less than 20% of the time...and when you do get put through you've been waiting on the line for long periods. The one real learning I've made from my dealings with Ulster Bank is check your statements inside out and query anything that looks unusual (although don't hold your breath awaiting answers). In my experience Ulster Bank are really really poor in relation to dealing & resolving customer issues. As far as I'm concerned stay well clear...


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## NC6000 (3 Mar 2008)

***


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## irishpancake (3 Mar 2008)

efm said:


> PM sent



Hey efm

Just like NavanMan1, I too have a UB Mortgage with a very low LTV (about 25-30%). I am on the ecb +0.95% tracker.

I also have an on-going case against UB with the FSO, regarding DD not being taken after bank account switch, and then getting nasty threatening arrears letter from UB, even though it was their mistake, and they did not stick to the agreement we reached. 

They(UB) are very nasty people to deal with, and customer relations is almost non-existant, and definitely centered around what they can manage to get away with.

Perhaps I have burnt my bridges with them, but I would be most interested in seeing how you managed to get the ecb +0.75%.

Maybe you can PM me also with the secret formula


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## MichaelDes (4 Mar 2008)

irishpancake said:


> Hey efm.Just like NavanMan1, I too have a UB Mortgage with a very low LTV (about 25-30%). I am on the ecb +0.95% tracker.


 
A tracker on such a small LTV should be 50bps above base - see your branch asap. I completed a self build mortgage in the last week or so and the service was very poor. The mortgage approvals department in Leopardstown kept sending out new legal packs for the smallest of details, meaning having to get a partner to witness and make repeated appointments with the solicitor [what should have taken a week took eight].

The point of contact for mortgages in my branch mentioned that RBoS took over Nat West/UBL, and has been making a lot of pointless changes in the banking structure over the last number of years. Prior to 2005 that bank was left to its own devices AFAIK as RBoS was concentrating solely on dealing with Nat West.

Overall I still rank UBL amongst the best - hopefully my problem is a glitch that will be resolved for future users...


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## irishpancake (4 Mar 2008)

MichaelDes said:


> A tracker on such a small LTV should be 50bps above base - see your branch asap.



Thanks MichaelDes

If you mean ECB +0.5%, I agree wholeheartedly with you. But I think only NIB offer this at present.

My Mortgage is around €58k (after 3+ years on 10-year €80k Tracker Mortgage).

At the time ECB +0.95% was a relatively good deal, and UB were to the forefront with brokers etc. 

House is valued at €350k, so even my LTV figures are totally conservative.

I think calling into my local UB Branch is going to be problematic, as I have an on-going Ombudsman case against them, as outlined above.

Switching to NIB would probably be the right thing to do, especially as I am seriously pee'd off with UB, and particularly their Customer Relations, which seems an awful lot of trouble, for very little gain.

Having said that, I will be switching as soon as the FSOB case is finished, if only to show UB that they cannot treat customers in such a cavalier fashion.

The FSOB settlement should easily cover the costs involved, such as an up-to-date  Valuation Report.

AFAIK, the minimum loan amount with NIB is only €20k, so this will suit me just fine.

Also, on checking the NIB site:



> The minimum requirement to avail of our LTV pricing is the current account within the Easy package. All elements of the Easy current account are optional and, if you wish, you can choose to use your Easy current account solely as an account for servicing your loan repayments. You are not required to transfer your banking business or mandate your salary to your Easy current account.



[broken link removed]


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## gorgonzola (26 Jul 2009)

ClubMan said:


> The _FSO's _complaints process is crystal clear on this matter - *they will not deal with any complaint until you have received this letter from the institution involved. *Not their fault if some people don't bother reading their rules. I have my doubts about them asserting that they had investigated a complaint when this letter was not initially presented to them.


 
If you go to any kind of ombudsman in the Republic of Ireland, bear in mind that they are prohibited by law from investigating complaints unless the internal complaints process of the company in question has been exhausted.

This holds true for any kind of industry, not just financial institutions.  If you ever have need to contact the Commission for Energy Regulation with regard to irregularites in your energy bills, for example, they will tell you the same thing.

It is not unheard of for companies to tell an ombudsman one thing, and tell the customer another.  I was recently in a situation where I had to contact an ombudsman and ask them to investigate a series of complaints I had with a particular comany.  The company told me that as far as they were concerned, the complaints procedure had been exhausted, and that was the end of it.  However, they told the ombudsman that the internal investigation was still ongoing.  Thus, my complaint was dropped, and I didn't know it until I phoned the ombudsman two weeks later (I eventually sorted it out by threatening the offending company with Joe Duffy).

This is not to say that Ulster Bank is guilty of this, but it's worth noting that this happens all the time.  Companies can use an ombudsman's procedures to delay or even kill a customer's complaint.


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## mercman (26 Jul 2009)

It is for this reason that I have repeatedly mentioned that all matters require to be documented in writing. Therefore this being done, no entity can tell a parcel of spoof.


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## tutturus (13 Sep 2010)

*Ulster Bank nightmare*

Sadly, I have to join people on this forum who have negative experiences with ulster Bank. 
I went to UB in Cork in April to set up a standing order to pay an outstanding balance on a bill. The girl at the costumer desk said that she will do it for me, so I left assured that everything is ok. Last month I got an unexpected visit from a dept collector who informed me that I have unpaid bill. 
I went back to the bank and have been informed that there is no evidence whatsoever that I came to the bank and requested standing order. 
I have been however assured that they will review the CCTV footage and get back to me. Needless to say I haven't hear from them since.
It is clear to me that Ulster Bank allows their employees to be negligent without any consequences. their transparency in respect to customers is highly questionable. 
In general I advise to all who read this post to avoid Ulster Bank.


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## Phoenicia (13 Sep 2010)

Tutturus, was this standing order to go out of a current account?  If so, how did you not know the standing order did not go into operation?  Do you not get statements?  CCTV footage confirms only that you visited the bank, not what you did there.  The responsibility to pay your bills rests with you, not the bank.  It is up to you to check that they have done what you asked.  Human error occurs.  Why would you not check your own account to ensure the standing order was in effect?


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