RaboDirect Savings Account and their Digipass.

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Funny you should mention it but about three years ago the Cirrus aspect of my Bank of Ireland card expired, making the ATM card invalid. I was issued a new card and asked them to courier it to me. It wasn't as if I'd lost the card, I figured. This was refused so I arranged to have it delivered to my nearest Bank of Ireland branch for collection. As I'd just started working in Clonskeagh I'd a quick look at their website for the nearest branch... Clonkseagh... and then arranged to have it delivered there. A day later I phoned and phoned and phoned the Clonskeagh branch to find out where exactly it was. After so many efforts and not being able to get thru', I phoned the Donnybrook branch to find out where the Clonskeagh branch was. It was closed down! No mention of that on the website... no redirection of the phone call... and delivery of my ATM card to a branch that no longer existed!

Incidentally, RaboDirect don't have branches so it's not as if I can call in anywhere to collect the DodgiPass.

No sign of it in today's post either.
But I do have an e-mail from Northern Rock: "Your new account has been opened".

I've had a spate of bad customer service lately (restaurants/furniture delivery/etc). Hopefully RaboDirect's the end of that for the time being. Looks like my luck has changed with Northern Rock.
 
To provide some clarity on a number of issues raised re the Digipass:

1. Why can't it be smaller, it's too chunky etc.
The company that supplies the Digipass, Vasco, do have a credit card size device, a bit like a slimline calculator. Unfortunately it is not robust enough and gets damaged leading to a high replacement rate. Vasco are also trialling incorporating the Digipass functionality into mobile phones but this isn't as straightforward a solution and needs to be tested a lot more before we would consider using it.

2. Digipass died/dead battery.
We did have a problem with a small batch of Digipasses in the early days. All Digipasses are tested before they are sent to customers but some of the faulty Digipasses worked initially and then died. This was out of our control but we endeavoured to replace them as quickly as we could.

3. Process
If you forget your PIN code your Digipass we cannot issue a replacement PIN over the phone as this represents a potential security risk. For example, you would not expect your main bank to give you a new PIN code for your ATM card over the phone. We require a fax/written copy with your signature.

4. Security risk
Ireland has one of the highest levels of phishing attacks and spam in Europe. Fraudsters will always seek to attack the weakest point in the system. Static PIN codes and passwords are absolutely vulnerable hence the reason that Irish banks receive a large number of phishing attacks. Because the Digipass generates one time codes for logging on and also for transactions (and cannot be used without your unique Customer Number and PIN) this makes phishing practically impossible. RaboDirect will not compromise our security in this respect. Whilst you may not have fallen victim to electronic fraud and identity theft in the past, if it happens to you at some point in the future, one of the first questions you could rightly ask is "why didn't my bank have better security measures".

Regards,
RaboDirect
 
Personally - and I have criticised Rabo in the past for other issues - I think that's all pretty reasonable myself. I do find aspects of the Rabo accounts a bit awkward/confusing but I would not necessarily criticise them for attempting to make sure that accounts are safe/secure at the cost of some reduction in convenience.
 


This time last year I had BOI courier me a new ATM card after their machine rebooted mid use. I phone their number to report machine and cancel card. The following morning (8am) I faxed a strongly worded letter into branch detailing what had happened and requesting a new card be couriered to me. Got a phone call telling me a courier would be sent the next day when new card was printed. Next day, card arrived at work and got a phone call checking that I had received card and everything OK.

How’s that for service. I won't go into how long it took the previous time I looked for a card for an account......

Towger


 
The saga continues...

I'm now in a game of e-mail tennis trying to get my problems sorted out. I've been e-mailing one e-mail address, but am getting responses from two different people. Both of them are giving incomplete and contradictory instructions.

e-mail me this, fax me that, sign it... date it... include the account details...

Security? Safety? Convienence?

Conjob!

If I wasn't worried about the money in the account, and the fact that RaboDirect are not, to the best of my knowledge, regualted by the Irish Financial Regulator (nee IFSRA), I'd be enjoying this.
 
ClubMan said:
That is a bit OTT!
Click to expand...

Apologies for that. I should say that I feel like I am being conned.
Does anyone know if RaboDirect are authorised by the Irish Financial Regulator (nee IFSRA)? I don't think they are.

It so happens that I forgot my mobile phone today and RaboDirect have been trying to contact me. This has turned out to be a fortunate piece of forgetfulness on my behalf. If I had been on the phone with them, I wouldn't have the e-mail tennis to back me up.
 
williamburke said:
If I wasn't worried about the money in the account, and the fact that RaboDirect are not, to the best of my knowledge, regualted by the Irish Financial Regulator (nee IFSRA), I'd be enjoying this.
Click to expand...

Rabobank, like many other Irish and European banks, operates branches across Europe, including Ireland, under the bank passport procedures set out in the EU Banking Directives. These Directives are implemented in Ireland by the European Communities (Licensing and Supervision of Credit Institutions) Regulations 1992.

RaboDirect is the brand name of the internet bank operated by the Irish branch of Rabobank. The Irish branch of Rabobank is a constituent part of the same Dutch legal entity, Rabobank. Under the EU Banking Directives the primary regulator of Rabobank, including its Irish branch, is the Dutch Central Bank. Under this legislation the Netherlands is the primary regulator, the "home state" and Ireland is the "host state". Ireland as host state has through the Financial Regulator acknowledged the establishment of the Irish branch, as it is obliged to do under the EU Banking Directives.

Thus Rabobank's Irish branch is regulated by the Dutch Central Bank. In addition, the conduct of the business of Rabobank's Irish branch is supervised in Ireland on a secondary basis by the Financial Regulator because Rabobank's Irish branch must comply with Irish law when carrying on business in Ireland, including in such areas as advertising.

So in other words, RaboDirect customers are offered no less consumer protection due to the fact that we are regulated by the Dutch Central Bank. Rabobank is AAA rated and was again voted "The World's Safest Privately Owned Bank" in 2006 (we are a cooperative bank).

Regards,
RaboDirect
 
I've closed this thread as the original question has been answered. This is not a support forum for Rabo and I think it's unreasonable to expect an ongoing dialogue here to resolve an isolated customer support problem.

Rabo are regulated here in a simliar way to Northern Rock, who the OP is happy with (so far), so that's a bit of red herring.
 
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