Ulster Bank: Easy Access Savings Account at 1.25% pa

RG2015

I initially applied for my account on Sunday 6th Aug but after going through the online process a screen appeared saying that the system was not available. I assumed that here was a problem with it being Sunday.

I applied again on Monday 7th Aug and had online access and paid money in on 8th Aug. I received my app activation code on 11th Aug and successfully transferred £1 out as a test.

On 14th Aug I realised that the anytime card was only sent out when a card reader was requested. I requested the reader on 14th Aug and it arrived on 17th Aug. I received my PIN on 4th Sept with a letter dated 15th Aug!

I am now just awaiting my anytime card which must have been produced as my letter and online banking quote the last 4 digits of the card number.

The question is how long do I wait before contacting Ulster Bank? I have heard here that if people complain they are locking them out and sending out new cards and PINs and generally making things even worse.

RG2015

I have just noticed on Clearscore/Experian that Ulster Bank carried out two ID AML checks. The first on Sun 6th Aug on the online application that was aborted by Ulster Bank and another on Mon 7th August.

They also carried out a check with Experian on 7th August but there is no record of an Experian search on 6th Aug.

I really do hope that Ulster Bank don't reduce the 1.25% pa rate for at least a year after all the hassle everyone has had with them. Twenty-one pages on one thread for a savings account must be some sort of record!

soulsaver

RG2015 wrote: »

I am now just awaiting my anytime card which must have been produced as my letter and online banking quote the last 4 digits of the card number.

The question is how long do I wait before contacting Ulster Bank? I have heard here that if people complain they are locking them out and sending out new cards and PINs and generally making things even worse.

As I understand it, if they believe the AT card has been lost they have no choice but to order both card & pin because the pin is tied to the AT card, not stored centrally like a debit card pin is.

Edit: PS I'd give it a few more days, mine was more than a week apart.

Eboracum

I applied to open this account on 1st August and I although I have received the card reader and PIN number I still haven't received a card. When I phoned them up today to ask if it had been sent I was told the long delay was because they had run out of cards. Meanwhile the money I deposited is trapped in the account apart from £250 a day withdrawal on the app. Their customer service department say there is nothing they can do about it they are unhelpful to say the least.

RG2015

Eboracum wrote: »

I applied to open this account on 1st August and I although I have received the card reader and PIN number I still haven't received a card. When I phoned them up today to ask if it had been sent I was told the long delay was because they had run out of cards. Meanwhile the money I deposited is trapped in the account apart from £250 a day withdrawal on the app. Their customer service department say there is nothing they can do about it they are unhelpful to say the least.

This is actually quite helpful to me as I too am just awaiting my card. At least I know now that they have run out of cards.

Clare911

tg99 wrote: »

Got mine 3-4 working days after opening.

I've been waiting since mid July. After numerous calls to them, (they don't send anything automatically) I am now the proud possessor of a card reader and a PIN number but no card. You need all three to access your money for an amount above £250.

So I'm finally giving up and closing my 'instant access' account today by writing a letter to them, the only way to do so, so they told me. I deposited all my savings and have been unable to access them. Sending the letter recorded delivery as have no confidence whatsoever with this Bank.

My advice is STAY AWAY IF YOU VALUE YOUR PEACE OF MIND!!

Tawny_Owl_2

Just received my 2nd card & PIN.
Pleased to say that it works this time !!!:j
Managed to transfer some money out of UB, then received a text message stating "I've set up a new payee".

If they can manage to send automated text messages OK, then surely they can send One Time Access codes and do away with card readers etc ???

Probably cheaper as well. But since UB/RBS are owned by the taxpayer, I don't suppose they've got any motivation to reduce operating costs. How cynical I am !!:p

Gingerdiana

It also took me almost 2 months to open the account - again started in mid July. Eventually received all the bits and pieces required to use it and then couldn't make sense of it. Been going round in circles for ages. I too will write a letter to close it. I was too afraid to put anything in just in case I couldn't get it out again!

RG2015

Gingerdiana wrote: »

It also took me almost 2 months to open the account - again started in mid July. Eventually received all the bits and pieces required to use it and then couldn't make sense of it. Been going round in circles for ages. I too will write a letter to close it. I was too afraid to put anything in just in case I couldn't get it out again!

OMG After waiting two months you've got your ID verified, received your account number, sort code, card reader, anytime card, PIN, activation code, online banking, mobile app and now you're going to write them a letter to close the account!

eskbanker

Tawny_Owl wrote: »

Probably cheaper as well. But since UB/RBS are owned by the taxpayer, I don't suppose they've got any motivation to reduce operating costs. How cynical I am !!:p

Sounds more like cliched lazy tabloid-style muddled thinking than cynicism to me - while it's undeniably true that a large stake in RBS is held by UK Financial Investments, a semi-autonomous company set up by the government to manage its stake in banks, there is nothing to suggest that the bank is run as anything other than a commercial operation* rather than a genuinely nationalised entity.

If they weren't interested in reducing costs, why do you think they're outsourcing jobs to India (and consequently attracting plenty of understandable criticism for doing so) when a nationalised industry would be somewhat unlikely to do this?


* Apart from continuing losses of course, but that's a different issue....