PTSB rant

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ClubMan

Registered User
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49,701
I've been with PTSB for many years and generally find them and their online/app banking fine - but today I need to rant!

The PTSB app was working fine on my phone for ages.
Today it gives me a different login screen and says that it has to register my device.
I did this ages ago.
(I'm not being scammed).
I follow the instructions and it gives an error (really useful "2FC").
It tells me to contact them and select 0 to talk to an agent.
I call the number - 0 just instructs the whole phone menu to repeat.
So that instruction is wrong.
I listen to the usual long winded phone menu,
It's unclear what I should select.
So I try "Open24 registration".
It says dial 2 to talk to somebody.
I do so and the line goes silent but the call is still active.
I give up.
I try to find an email address - there is none.
I don't use social media so can't use those routes.
I find the complaint page.
I describe the issue but the page doesn't like characters like '/' but only gives an error when I try to submit.
And the fields are restricted to 500 characters but it doesn't tell me while I'm typing that I have exceeded that.
I eventually restrict myself to 500 characters and submit the form.
It goes back to the top of the page and says that the form cannot be used for queries.
Has the complaint been submitted? I have no idea.
So I try again and this time it looks like it has been submitted.

Ridiculous!
 
I think you need version 6.5 or 6.6 of the app but I think there problems anyway forcing people to get password resets. And then they are having problems with their phone lines lines so people can't use the automated reset functionality and then can't get through to an actual person. Basically a bad day...
 
Thanks.
I have version 6.5 of the app.
There is no later version available from the Play Store.
Giving incorrect instructions (dial 0 or 2 for an agent in different contexts simply not doing that) is ridiculous.
I must post my other (VHI) customer service disaster rant when I calm down.
I guess that the race to the bottom on prices/charges/cost leads to stuff like this... :-(
 
ClubMan said:
Thanks.
I have version 6.5 of the app.
There is no later version available from the Play Store.
Giving incorrect instructions (dial 0 or 2 for an agent in different contexts simply not doing that) is ridiculous.
I must post my other (VHI) customer service disaster rant when I calm down.
I guess that the race to the bottom on prices/charges/cost leads to stuff like this... :-(
Click to expand...

Well going by social media, you are not alone....

Scary thing is that when it comes to digital banking, it is the one area where banks are pouring millions into often at the expense of other areas.....If you want money for a feature on digital banking. No problem, how many million do you need??? You need a new server to host all these fancy features?? Well now, I am not sure we can sell that in the marketing brochures....
 
ClubMan said:
I've been with PTSB for many years and generally find them and their online/app banking fine - but today I need to rant!

The PTSB app was working fine on my phone for ages.
Today it gives me a different login screen and says that it has to register my device.
I did this ages ago.
(I'm not being scammed).
I follow the instructions and it gives an error (really useful "2FC").
It tells me to contact them and select 0 to talk to an agent.
I call the number - 0 just instructs the whole phone menu to repeat.
So that instruction is wrong.
I listen to the usual long winded phone menu,
It's unclear what I should select.
So I try "Open24 registration".
It says dial 2 to talk to somebody.
I do so and the line goes silent but the call is still active.
I give up.
I try to find an email address - there is none.
I don't use social media so can't use those routes.
I find the complaint page.
I describe the issue but the page doesn't like characters like '/' but only gives an error when I try to submit.
And the fields are restricted to 500 characters but it doesn't tell me while I'm typing that I have exceeded that.
I eventually restrict myself to 500 characters and submit the form.
It goes back to the top of the page and says that the form cannot be used for queries.
Has the complaint been submitted? I have no idea.
So I try again and this time it looks like it has been submitted.

Ridiculous!
Click to expand...
Silly question but did you try again? Failed for me the first time and worked the second time.
 
PGF2016 said:
Silly question but did you try again? Failed for me the first time and worked the second time.
Click to expand...
I had tried several times earlier and kept getting the error "2FC".
I tried again just now and the registration of the device worked!
As I said before I had registered this device before and was using it regularly for ages so I have no idea why it insists on registering it again.
And banks really shouldn't push people to do such unnecessary stuff blindly as it could be a security risk (like the way that we all blindly click "OK" to GDPR mandated cookie warnings).
 
Had to re-register my phone earlier. Thought it was a bit odd but after I did so I had no problem with the App. I find this stuff disconcerting though given that I have received so many scam texts purported to be from PTSB .

I also had some issues recently in not getting push notifications and, separately, my daughter wasn't getting some confirmation codes in her text messages. If single use virtual cards used by Revolut are secure enough for them why are they not used by all the banks?
 
ClubMan said:
I had tried several times earlier and kept getting the error "2FC".
I tried again just now and the registration of the device worked!
As I said before I had registered this device before and was using it regularly for ages so I have no idea why it insists on registering it again.
And banks really shouldn't push people to do such unnecessary stuff blindly as it could be a security risk (like the way that we all blindly click "OK" to GDPR mandated cookie warnings).
Click to expand...
User issue. ;)
 
PGF2016 said:
User issue. ;)
Click to expand...
Huh? No - there was definitely a problem at the PTSB end and, as another poster mentioned, I was forced to re-register my device for no good/obvious reason. And stuff like this happening like this unannounced or unexplained is detrimental to security. I'm a former software engineer and know a bit about technology but this was ridiculous. And, of course, now that my complaint/report is in the system but seems moot there is no way for me to retrieve it and mark it redundant. Maybe if I was willing to pay charges the customer experience would be better?
 
PGF2016 said:
User issue. ;)
Click to expand...
I can write the same issues about eir, PANDA, AIB (their card verification system took a dump on itself the other night when I was trying to tax my car online), the HSE and any of the hospital systems in the country. I too was a software developer and can differentiate between my mistakes and those embedded in the "solutions" being set upon the public these days.
 
ClubMan said:
I was forced to re-register my device for no good/obvious reason. And stuff like this happening like this unannounced or unexplained is detrimental to security. I'm a former software engineer and know a bit about technology but this was ridiculous.
Click to expand...
There is a message on the app that suggests that the app was upgraded and users will need to re enter password and re register their phone.
 
ClubMan said:
Huh? No - there was definitely a problem at the PTSB end and, as another poster mentioned, I was forced to re-register my device for no good/obvious reason. And stuff like this happening like this unannounced or unexplained is detrimental to security. I'm a former software engineer and know a bit about technology but this was ridiculous. And, of course, now that my complaint/report is in the system but seems moot there is no way for me to retrieve it and mark it redundant. Maybe if I was willing to pay charges the customer experience would be better?
Click to expand...

mathepac said:
I can write the same issues about eir, PANDA, AIB (their card verification system took a dump on itself the other night when I was trying to tax my car online), the HSE and any of the hospital systems in the country. I too was a software developer and can differentiate between my mistakes and those embedded in the "solutions" being set upon the public these days.
Click to expand...
I thought it was obvious that I wasn't being serious hence the emoji.
 
From the front of the open24.ie website:

"Customers, we’re aware of an app issue impacting Android device customers which may require a password reset through our Automated Self Service. Due to high call volumes, you may experience delays in getting through, we apologise for any inconvenience caused and will update you as soon as possible."
 
TLO said:
From the front of the open24.ie website:

"Customers, we’re aware of an app issue impacting Android device customers which may require a password reset through our Automated Self Service. Due to high call volumes, you may experience delays in getting through, we apologise for any inconvenience caused and will update you as soon as possible."
Click to expand...
Why don't they present that message on the app so affected people will see it? Not everybody is going to check the website when the app doesn't work. And, as I mentioned originally, some of their instructions on what to do (e.g. phone menu options to use) are plainly incorrect. And they should have an email address instead of the confusing complaints form in order to contact them. Not everybody wants to use social media.
 
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I'm locked out now because I couldn't remember my password, so tried a few likely ones, to no avail. Now I have to ring the number to reset the password but I'm out of the country at the moment so it'll have to wait!
 
I have been disappointed by the quality of training that the branch staff seem to receive. The Open24 people seemed to be good on the few occasions that I had to call them, though.
 
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