Ulster Bank Reviews 

278
•
TrustScore 1.5 out of 5

1.3

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Looking at 81 reviews, most reviewers were let down by their overall banking experience. Many customers frequently complained about dreadful customer service, noting that staff members were completely unhelpful and reaching a real person was extremely difficult. Consumers frequently struggled with both payment processing and mobile application systems, facing unexpected daily transaction limits alongside frustrating identity verification errors. Some reviewers were not happy with the virtual digital assistant, describing the online chatbot as completely useless and stuck in repetitive loops. Other customers additionally mentioned that successfully closing an active bank account was exceptionally difficult, often requiring multiple phone calls and unanswered online submissions.

What people talk about most

Customer service

Users describe negative interactions with customer service, highlighting long wait times and unhelpful... See more

Payment

Customers consistently note negative experiences with payment processes, expressing deep frustration over... See more

Website

Customers had negative experiences with website, frequently describing the online setup as clunky and noting... See more

User experience

Reviewers highlight negative aspects of user experience, expressing widespread frustration with the clunky... See more

Application

Reviewers mention negative feedback about application processes and features, describing the software as... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Shocking customer service both on the telephone and online. I tried online chat and waited over an hour for a reply. Unfortunately the reply did not answer my question so I had to rephrase it and was... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

After 4 days of trying we are still unable to remove a significant sum of money to pay for the completion of a house purchase. This is terrifyingly bad banking and may cost a fortune to put right. At... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Absolutely hopeless. Do not bank with this company. The Cora chatbot is beyond useless. 6 hours for a reply to some basic questions about depositing £50K. Don’t even think about trying to get a debit... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Dreadful customer service. Useless Bot Cora, then sent to WhatsApp to help with activation code which I'm still waiting for after a week. Got a message to tell me that someone will discuss with me sho... See more


Company details

  1. Bank
  2. Financial Institution
  3. Savings Bank

Information provided by various external sources

Ulster Bank is a large commercial bank, and one of the traditional Big Four Irish banks.


Contact info

1.3

Bad

TrustScore 1.5 out of 5

278 reviews

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1-star

No history of asking for reviews

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1.3

All reviews

(278)

81 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Like many others have said trying to…

Like many others have said trying to close a savings account online and then claiming the interest owed .
I opened a loyalty savings account oct 23 solely as their rates were good 5.2% . Interest payed the end of each year . As I have now moved my money into an Isa Away from Ulster bank I was under the impression I could just close the account online and the interest owed would be payed directly in to my linked FD account. If only they put up wall after wall to not allow this to happen . Ive removed all my monies and I’m going to wait until the interest automatically gets payed in at then end of 2024 . Il then move this money out to my linked account and then they can shove their account where the sun don’t shine . It can just sit there dormant I couldn’t care less. STAY AWAY FROM THIS BANK AT ALL COSTS . All these negative reviews can’t be wrong.

1 November 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Just beyond awful

Just beyond awful. I’m begging everyone not to bank with Ulster. Every review on here is true - great to see I’m not the only person who has been treated badly so I’m with you all. Vile complaints team - and they are there to decide whether to uphold Complaints or not. It makes no sense, particularly when my complaint over a month on is still in a queue. Bank elsewhere please please please

30 October 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Absolutely worst banking experience ever

Ulster bank..wake up!!!! Are you reading these reviews? Like all the others a zero rating more appropriate. Just tried to move some of MY money from my Ulster bank account to another account. They stopped the payment. I'm now locked out of my account. Stopped by fraud dept trying to move my own money. Called them, unclear whether talking to bank or scammer as the man I spoke to interrogated me SAS style. EXTREMELY rude and aggressive. 'J from Manchester', you need to pipe down! Very stressful and spent the night not knowing whether or not my account had been cleared out. Utter shambles. Tried to make a complaint online but surprise surprise after going through it all the system mysteriously failed to generate a reference number. Logging a complaint with a robot (Cora) total nonsense. Carry on as you are Ulster bank you will have no new customers. Bigger companies than you have demised due to not caring about customer service.

29 October 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Complete shambles

Complete shambles. I have been trying to close the savings account for weeks now and it's a black hole. You fill in the 1990s style form on the web and it gives you no info on how long it will take etc or whether you can transfer to another group bank like NatWest. A week later I get a content free email saying to call in. They say there's an issue with the account to transfer out to and I need to go into a branch or write a letter. Well I'm not in Northern Ireland and it's a bit of a trek from Dorset just to close a savings acocunt! I tried the form again and still have heard nothing after a week. I just called customer service who can only read out standard info from their screens and were no use at all! Would never ever use again.

29 October 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I'd give 0 if I could

I'd give 0 if I could. Hopeless customer service. Simply trying to withdraw money from my account They contradict each and are all wrong in what they advise (e.g. that I can just "pop in" to my local RBS who will handle the transaction - not so said the shocked RBS manager). Now I can't get into the app and they insist it's a problem with my wifi -which it clearly isn't as I'm writing this.

26 October 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

No customer service, no clue what they are doing

Simply awful! I tried to open a bank account. Despite they are saying on their webpage the identification can be done digitally it wasn't possible. They sent me via post an application for which I needed to drive 40 minutes to the nearest Natwest branch to certify my passport. I sent off the application, the certified copy of the passport and a proof of residence and got the feedback that I need to bring the original document for the proof of residence to the next Natwest branch. They would take care of it and submit it to Ulster. Unfortunately nobody at Natwest knew what to do as the computer systems are different. They needed an address for which I asked for at Ulster. I spent today over an hour with an AI generated Help chat bot, which is annoying, with a real person on the telephone and then finally with a real person on a chat. I explained what happened and asked her for an address that we can proceed. Nothing! Apparently they gave me the wrong reference number but they were not able to tell me the correct one. The aimed solution of Ulster was that they would send me again the application form and that I would need again to travel to the next Natwest branch to do it. I asked for a simpler solution as everything is already there and we just need an address, nothing! No help, no support. I'm glad that this happened before I opened a bank account. It will save me time, energy and money in the future because I certainly will not open a bank account at Ulster anymore!

15 October 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Unbelievably poor app

Unbelievably poor app. Incredibly difficult to transfer money, abysmal customer service. Every other banking app - especially Chase and First Direct - make banking a doddle. Ulster need to seriously get their act together.

14 October 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Absolute Shambles

I have a cash ISA and lost my cash card for the account.When I requested another one the customer service advisor who could barely speak English told me the account doesn't have a cash card. Yes it does I replied,I had it yesterday and now I have lost it.He then just cut me off . Absolutely shambles of a bank.Then another advisor told me yes I have found the card that came with the account, cancelled it then told me I won't be getting another one as they don't issue cards on the ISA Absolute shambles!!

12 October 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

No interest paid

No interest paid. Been trying to get the interest they owe me for 3 months now. Multiple calls and nothing. Trying to make a complaint online is impossible and they have no email address. This is theft, plain and simple.

20 September 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Can't close account / cant transfer money / interest not paid

As with many of these reviews, awful experience. Account set up was okay. But getting money out of loyalty saver? Dreadful. I needed out in a hurry. Was advised to write a letter, and also a fax (you try finding a fax machine these days!), to close the account, rather than transfer. Neither of which actually arrived / allowed me to access my money. In the end someone was able to close the account electronically after all. But no interest paid. Now they are saying it was paid, but are unable to provide statements for a closed account. Every time I call up - which is quite painful itself- I am given different advice. TBH, the staff are really polite, and seem to be trying hard, but they seem powerless to actually help you. Utterly useless

16 September 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

This bank is a sham

This bank is a sham. No customer service. Don't expect to be able to close your account once you've fallen in, and certainly do not expect to be sent any interest due to you.

27 August 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Megan-contacted ulster bank as they…

Megan-contacted ulster bank as they stole £392 from me. Spoke to a girl who actually knew what she was talking about and she put me through to the correct dept who didnt answer the phone I then phoned back and Megan answered and she was extremely rude and said there was nothing anyone could do and i wasn't getting my money back. I explained I had proof that ulster bank had taken my money but she said it didn't matter and that the letter from the complaints team about it was not correct at all l. She wa rude,didnt know what she was talking about and hung up the phone on me

15 August 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Tried to close my savings account to…

Tried to close my savings account to receive my interest. That's ONLY possible apparently if you have a current account with them. I don't, never have. They said I can visit a branch instead. I am based in Hertfordshire and they are in Belfast, so how does that work? Now I have to send them a letter to close the account because they need my signature apparently. What are they going to compare it against given the account opening doesn't require a signature.

Why can you just not close online and they send your interest to the linked non-Ulster Bank account you fund the account from?

This bank is living in the dark ages. Don't bother.

14 August 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Utterly useless

An absolutely infuriating web of madness and misinformation. Utterly hopeless at solving any issue. It took me three hours to sort a problem because they they repeatedly gave me solutions that were completely wrong. Avoid at all costs it’s not worth the extra % interest.

13 August 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Online to Ulster bank -what a pathetic experience

I have been round and round the houses trying to setup an account attracted by the 5.2% interest promised. The web pages don't work, the terminology randomly changes from one bit of information to another. You go round an endless loop trying to get it to work and there is no help line - only Cora - chat - another waste of time. Don't expend any effort applying - find something better to do and a company that has a working online presence!

9 August 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

How do they survive?

Ulster Bank's attractive Loyalty Saver interest rate of 5.2% lured me in. Fool that I was. I negotiated a labyrinth of telephone numbers yesterday to reach an operative who, after 30 minutes of inconsequential information, made the telephone appointment for me with an advisor which I wanted. it's now 5 hours after the appointment time and I'm still waiting for her to call.
I've withdrawn all my investment and will try Yorkshire BS, offering an interest rate of 4.8%. That''s an upcoming £1m investment Ulster Bank just lost. I should have checked their reviews on TrustPilot before I opened the account. I never would have opened it!

18 June 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

What a waste of my time applying for an…

What a waste of my time applying for an account was!
Nothing recieved via email after 2 days, contacted them and told a snail mail paper application must be done (when eventually recieved) and my passport posted to them.
Not gonna happen.
Online applications exist but "the system" chose a paper application.
Lucky me.
Nothing can be done by anyone at the bank as its "an automated system" course it is 🙄
I'll be away on a trip 2 months and the snail mail paper application expires after 28 days so complete waste of my time.
I'll but my 250k elsewhere.
Who knew a bank would make it sooooooo hard to give them money.
Ridiculous.
Now I see why their rating is 1.6 here!

13 June 2024
Unprompted review

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