Bad attitude at Ulster Bank

no none of this, we were just advised to come back once we got into house, yes it was a 90% ltv mortgage, but since then we had enough funds for windows doors, gas etc, house was undervalued for quick sale, bought for £140k now worth £160k, valuation from a well known estate agent
 
I have switched around a few fixed accounts between banks. The Ulster Bank experience is the worst. Every time you open/close a fixed account, they transfer your funds through a holding account in your name, effectively a demand savings account. I end up getting statements for these accounts showing a nil balance but accrued interest of 1 cent interest every so often. Paper, paper and more paper.
 
Mind you this information could be got by reading the UB section of IBOA website.
 
Had a great experience at Ashbourne branch.
Received current account and decent overdraft within 3 days. No problems at all.
Doing the switch myself however.
 
Opened a current account with UB recently. So far very painless. Advisor was pleasant and sought clarification on a number of questions I had. Still have a bit to go to reach the standard of customer care at Halifax though.
 
Article in todays Sunday Business Post.

Ulster bank plans Saturday Openings....

This year.
 
I went in to an Ulster Bank where I have a savings account to pay a utility bill that was in my name. I was debiting my account that was in another Ulster Bank to pay it. I had all my account details with me. The cashier refused to do the transaction because I had no ID with me.
Are there many con artists out there paying other people's utility bills?
 

Xmas spirit maybe!
 

Yes

It's a known fraud where fraudsters copy your utility bill in it's entirety but change the bank account details on the codeline to an account they control. It's usually backed by a cheque which will bounce leaving the bank potentially at a loss if the criminals have been able to access the funds before the unpaid cheque works it's way back through the system.
 
Used Ulster bank recenty in Galway for the first time after my first active savings account was transferred to them. Nothing but very pleasant, security conscious..which I like and good customer services.
 
My personal opinion is that the ulsterbank staff at my local branch and any other I have used have always been very pleasant and helpful whether in the branch itself or speaking with them on anytime telephone lines.
The fact that I don't have any bank charges for having accounts with them is an added bonus.
 

My payment was coming from my current account with them and at the same time I was also paying my Ulster Bank Visa bill. So I had my current account details, I had a savings account in the branch, I was paying a utility bill in my name and I was paying my visa bill in my name and I have been in the branch on several occasions.
 
The staff never put the proper codes on the in branch transactions so when you get your statement from them you only get a sorting code. It would be very helpful if they input a code for ESB, Gas, Telephone, Sterling cheque etc, as they are supposed to do. It would make reconciling my monthly statement that much easier.
 
I found this thread after searching AAM for bad experiences with banks and bank staff. My experiences with banks over the years have been generally negative and I would say that AIB and Ulster Bank have been the worst. I'm talking about front office staff here. From rudeness (sighing and obvious irritation at being asked a question) to the interrogation/sales pitch I receive anytime I ask for a draft from my UB current account. It generally goes something like this:

"it's such a pity to take it out"
"do you want to talk to our advisor"
"what do you want the money for"
"are you sure you don't want to talk to our advisor"
"we have some great investment products"
"what do you want the money for"
etc.

It seems to me that they talk down to their customers and regard them as a soft touch for a sales pitch. I could well see how someone who is not confident or financially literate could get bamboozled by this.

From what I've observed, this seems to increase if you look under 30 years old or over 60 years old. My own mother - a retired business studies teacher, qualified accountant and B.Comm. has had bad experiences with UB. Eg giving her wrong information on DIRT payable by pensioners that made the net interest rate of one of the accounts they were pushing her towards look better than it was. Also, amazingly, refusing to take an An Post/NTMA cheque from a matured savings cert. She has noticed the rudeness too.

Anytime I've been in UB recently there has been someone arguing with a cashier ahead of me and from overhearing probably 50% of the conversation, it did sound like the customer had a point.

As for AIB, I haven't dealt much with them since my college days and I well remember the sighing and irritation of the staff, leaving customers queuing while they chatted and flirted with each other or some lad leaning over the counter etc. On one occasion I made the major error of using the wrong terminology when I asked the cashier to "put" the money I had with me into my account, the response was an irritated:
"you mean you want to LODGE the money do you"
 
I have asked for drafts from banks quite often and I have never had this kind of questioning from UB or any other bank. Was your opening pitch something in the line of ' I have had enough of your bank. I want to withdraw all my money and close the account. Make me out a draft this instance' ?
 
The interrogation/sales pitch as you call it cannot be blamed on the front line staff, they are all on targets for leads and in a lot of branches the manager is sitting at a desk behind their banks and you can be sure if they are not heard trying to get leads it will come up at their monthly one to one reviews. They will be interrogated if they don't interrogate the customer!
 
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