Bank of Ireland Reviews 

502
TrustScore 1.5 out of 5

1.5

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Considering 118 reviews, most reviewers were let down by their experience overall. Consumers frequently complain about extremely poor customer service, noting that getting through to a knowledgeable representative via telephone calls is nearly impossible. People state that there are massive delays when attempting to complete standard banking transactions, process online payments, or access their personal accounts securely from home. Users often experience endless automated loops and unexpected card blocks without prior notice when attempting to complete routine online digital purchases. Though some customers faced significant challenges with the institution, a few people described receiving helpful assistance and positive support during their in-person branch visits.

What people talk about most

Customer service

Consumers find customer service to be overwhelmingly disappointing, citing prolonged wait times and repeated... See more

Service

People report negative experiences with service, describing it as slow, outdated, and unhelpful. Reviewers... See more

Staff

Customers consistently note ambiguous experiences with staff, reflecting high disagreement regarding service... See more

Payment

Users describe negative interactions with payment services, citing frequent issues such as unrequested... See more

Customer communications

Reviewers mention negative feedback about contact, consistently reporting frustration with long wait times... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

My 365 pin was blocked because of problems with the app. i have tried twice to unblock my pin. Failed both times due to the bank's system problems. I was transferred on both attempts to a call cen... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Incompetent company. Every thing they could do wrong in the application process, they did. Not a single email from them, random solicitors office contacts and starts harassing for details my advisor h... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

The worst banking experience ever . I actually think that the staff at The Abbeyleix branch don't really want Customers to go there ! As someone who has a business account with this bank I would... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I can only echo other reviews: stay well away for business banking. Needed to change the bank mandate; it took them 15 months! Raised 2 complaints along the way. The complaints were upheld but no solu... See more


Company details

  1. Bank
  2. Financial Institution
  3. Money transfer service

Information provided by various external sources

Bank of Ireland Group plc is a commercial bank operation in Ireland and one of the traditional 'Big Four' Irish banks.


Contact info

1.5

Bad

TrustScore 1.5 out of 5

502 reviews

5-star
4-star
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2-star
1-star

No history of asking for reviews

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1.5

All reviews

(502)

115 reviews in the last 12 months

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Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great staff!

Staff were very helpful and friendly in the clifden branch! Couldn't have been happier with the assistance and advice I received!

19 June 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Having used this service recently and…

Having used this service recently and got put through to Indian staff, today I got through to Elise, who spoke extremely clearly and precisely and answered my query quickly and efficiently (she was not Indian). This is how customer service should be

18 June 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Fluent English Speakers Req'd

Went to the bank to open account. Hard to park there. Took forever.

They got my email wrong. No way to contact them. Rang the central number. Got a 'muhammed/sukdeep' who struggled with English. After 20min phone call and after giving him bank sort code (which uniquely identifies the branch) I got my call back from a branch at the opposite end of the country. And that is that.

Hopeless.

17 June 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great staff.

I would just like to give a very positive review here regarding the kindness I received from 2 staff members, one called Dennis in the branch in Nenagh, Tipperary and the other called Luke Plunkett in the branch in Birr, Co Offaly. Both of these staff were super helpful in the aftermath of a scam attempt on my finances involving my Amazon account and their 'fraud dept'.
So lovely to see that in our machine age such great human beings are still there, for the present at least, to give help and reassurance at really stressful times. Thank you lads.

16 June 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Credit Card application delays with Bank of Ireland

My complaint relates to the handling of my credit card application by Bank of Ireland.

Bank of Ireland advertises a 1-day turnaround for credit card applications from existing BOI customers. In reality, my application process extended to 20 days before I finally cancelled it due to repeated delays and poor communication.

The process was extremely inefficient from the outset. Initially, I was asked to provide photo ID verification for myself. Six days later, I was then asked to provide the exact same verification for my wife, who was to be an additional cardholder. It is difficult to understand why both requests were not made at the same time, particularly given that we have been Bank of Ireland customers for approximately 45 years.

After submitting the requested documentation, there was a further seven-day delay before being informed that the utility bill could not be accepted because all four corners were not visible. This issue could have been identified and communicated much sooner.

Overall, the experience demonstrated poor process management, unnecessary delays, and a lack of customer consideration. This was not an isolated issue — a quick online search shows numerous customers reporting similar delays and frustrations over several years.

As long-standing customers, this experience has seriously damaged our confidence in Bank of Ireland. We are now reviewing our day-to-day banking arrangements, as we no longer believe BOI is the best fit for our needs.

Customers should not accept poor service standards. If companies continue to provide inadequate service without consequence, nothing will improve. Consumers ultimately need to vote with their feet and move their business elsewhere if they are not treated properly.

15 June 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

been a "customer" for 30 years and I…

been a "customer" for 30 years and I simply wanted to increase my overdraft by 1000 euros to deal with a family emergency. I had already paid off a loan early in the previous month, putting in a lumpsump of 5000 to clear the loan. They could see that i would get paid at the end of the month and the overdraft would be cleared too. The customer reps when you call the number are extremely lazy, especially the irish females.

11 June 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

would give zero stars if I could

would give zero stars if I could. Cannot help with simple request. I asked about linking my BOI Credit Card Commercial to XERO they told me to call Xero. Sent around the houses this morning for over an hour now. The message is clear on the screen - the third party has not been given access to your account by your bank - yet they push me back to XERO each time. Rubbish !! TIme to change bank

11 June 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Poor service

The service at my local branch of BOI used to be courteous and efficient. The staff has now been cut back to a bare minimum and one has to queue in a public place where one’s personal business can be overheard. It took three visits to this branch recently just to close out two savings schemes which had matured and to set up a new one. On my last visit the young staff member dealing with me informed me that I now had to produce a letter to prove my address which meant another trip home and back. I’m very elderly and when I raised my voice to complain on the basis that I have been with this branch since 1972 she told that I was shouting at her and refused to deal with me further. Fortunately another staff member overheard and came to my rescue.
The telephone service is a joke. You first get a string of recorded messages delivered at a speed which is utterly confusing to an older person. Finally you are asked to wait because they are experiencing a large number of calls - and wait you do, while being told at intervals that “your call is important to us”. One must conclude that the telephone answering service has also been cut to an inadequate minimum.
I notice that the BOI rating on Trustpilot for BOI is 1.3 out of 5 - BAD! The equivalent for Barclays Bank in the UK is 4.1 out of 5 -GOOD!

1 June 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Fraudulent online purchase

I made an online purchase from a site that turned out to be fraudulent. The goods arrived but were counterfeit. I phoned Bank of Ireland fraud department immediately in a panic and tried to explain my concern around my card details being used illegally by this company. The staff member kept interrupting me and he was dismissive arrogant and rude and I asked to speak to someone else. He appeared to transfer me to a girl with whom I spoke for 30 to 45 minutes without getting any help. I have no doubt that she was being directed by someone else listening into the call. She informed me that I would have to wait until Monday when the credit card unit was open before anything could be done. On numerous occasions I asked her to confirm that she was telling me that my card could be used fraudulently Saturday and Sunday and the bank didn’t want to know. She refused to confirm that. My husband heard the full conversation and intervened on a number of occasions. Eventually with both our blood pressures going through the roof with extreme frustration and annoyance I gave up. I rang back shortly afterwards and spoke with a different staff member and he sorted the matter within 5 minutes. He was extremely courteous and helpful. Words do not fully portray the behaviour of these 2 people.
I have never experienced anything like this in my long life, it was an absolute disgrace and inexplicable.

30 May 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Extreme frustration

You couldn’t script it! The level of frustration using the banking 365 app is laughable.
Yesterday I tried to send a small payment to a friend. Not only was the payment blocked but my entire device was locked out of using the app. In order to unlock it, I’d have to download the app on another device (luckily I have an iPad but I’m sure others may not) and so proceeded to download the app. As part of setting it up a code had to be sent to my phone, the code never materialised. So I call them. And after a few seconds waiting, the call drops out. Wtf. I know they’re trying understandably to protect themselves from fraud but they go too far, again and again. What’s the point of having a banking app if it gets locked at a moments notice and for legitimate payments. Their security controls are far too tight.

4 June 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Do Not Use Bank Of Ireland

Do Not Use Bank Of Ireland
It is just an online bank with no way of getting anyone on the phone. You just get an Indian call center . Its a waste of time as an a bank. The fact it has Ireland on the name is an embarrassment to Ireland.. I can not stress it saty away from bank of Ireland absolutely no costumer service

3 June 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

If I could give a ZERO for online…

If I could give a ZERO for online customer service I most certainly would!. Very unhelpful , dismissive and have the Brass neck to inform you when you can transfer your money or make purchases online. Also shocking issues with using a new up to date android tablet , bank of Ireland banking app cannot be downloaded. Useless & unhelpful! Unacceptable Bank of Ireland 👎..

29 May 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I am considering changed banks due to…

I am considering changed banks due to BOI being so awkward and behind in technology. I wanted a statement from particular dates, had to try and ring them which took a solid 30 mins to even get through to a human being, eventually got it ordered. Then I wanted to go back in my own transactions on the app to screenshot for an application only to find out it only goes a few weeks back and you cannot scroll any further?
What even is this system, every other bank user I have spoken to that isn't BOI does not have these issues.
So infuriating, will be changing banks in the near future.

29 May 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I am still getting letters from Bank of…

I am still getting letters from Bank of Ireland's contractor Docusign(who are based in San Francisco). When did this company stop responding to complaints in the normal fashion(how hard is it to email an apology?). A simple request, at the beginning of March, to cancel a clearly incorrect ''coin handling charge"'(a social welfare payment of 1067 was recorded as a coin deposit), has generated reams and reams of paperwork(and incredibly patronising emails from a bank manager(these charges are correct as you did lodge 1067 euros in coins on the 18th of December 2025. I truly give up

29 May 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

BOI Skerries excellent service

Recently my wife and I needed help with our banking
Our account is in the
Bank of Ireland, Skerries
On both occasions that we were in the bank,both Joanne and Jill went the extra mile to help us.
They were both very friendly but also very professional.
For all the assistance that they give us, we couldn’t thank them enough.

27 May 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Worst bank in Ireland

Worst bank in Ireland. Stay well clear . Outdated , slow services , slow transactions , just everything is slow . Closed account after 9 years for Revolut and couldn’t be happier

26 May 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Dreadful service

Dreadful service . Could not log in online because my phone suddenly was not compatible with their app . No warning. Told 1 week I would get a device still none 4 weeks on. Staff in bank not much better . Cannot acsess my acount or see a statement.

27 April 2026
Unprompted review

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