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THE SERIOUS ‘GLITCH’ that has impacted on hundreds of thousands of Ulster Bank customers across the country enters into its fourth working week on Monday.
Although the group claims that next week will be the final one during which clients will experience any significant delays, full and normal service will not resume until the week starting 16 July – and that will still not be for every customer.
Gradual and significant improvements are being reported by Ulster Bank management but have you noticed? On Monday, we published some of personal experiences that had been related in our comments section and across social media. The following is an updated selection from Thursday and just before close-of-business Friday.
If you want to update us on progress – or not – or if you have tips to help others in your situation, please leave us a comment with your advice/experience.
Wendy, a reader of TheJournal.ie and Ulster Bank customer, emailed us from an English airport after an ATM “ate her card” on Friday morning. After calling the helpline, staff told her they could not send her emergency money because of insufficient funds in her account. Eventually, another branch agreed to transfer funds through Western Union. After three hours of waiting she finally received her money but was unsure if she would be charged fees for the transfers. She also added:
Dreading how long it will take them to send me a new bank card!
Teemu Tempura Kankkunen is having a similarly stressful experience out of the country: I’m abroad and my current acc is full w double transactions eating my balance that is soon down to zero because of this..really nice…and yesterday 400 EUR disappeared aswell without any explanation..
Even though the financial services ombudsman has said he has only received a “handful” of complaints as of yesterday, many seem set to contact the regulator. Matt Donovan writes: I will be first in line, no money since June 14th, only found out when I went to pay for groceries but card was declined, had thought that my account was skimmed, having to take time off work to queue to get money (not an easy to get time off in my job this time of year), landlord not so patient, my wife is heavily pregnant & out of her mind with worry. Yes, I will be in touch with the regulator amongst others as this debacle is unacceptable & has tried my patience in oh so many ways!
Chuck Eastwood responds to Ulster Bank’s decision to lower its interest rates in line with the ECB rate cut: Waiting to see what will happen with my mortgage which is due out today. Haven’t been paid in three weeks and have had to dip into credit union saving to get food as my bank cards are bring refused. My local bank is not staying open late and I am not in a position to take time off work. The only reason they are passing on the interest rate cut to variable mortgages is because there would be murder if they didn’t. A self imposed penalty I suppose.
Mike Thornton has yet to see normal service resume: Have not received four weeks of pay into my Ulster bank account. Lodgements are not available. Any ATM withdrawals are immediately debited and to top it all I have been double debited for purchases to the tune of €500.
John Banks is an AIB customer but has still had problems: This is going on too long! How are they going to compensate credit cards and other missed payments via other banks? AIB said on the phone yesterday I will be charged late fees etc ! ulster bank need to tell us what their plan is for all concerned! Horrible that customers are receiving letters from the same bank about late fees!!!
Laura O’Sullivan was one of many to receive letters about overdrafts, missed direct debits and overdue loan repayments: So how nice of ulster bank to write to me and tell me that they are very concerned about the overdrawn amount on my account….im now gunna write a letter back tell them im concerned that they have applied for every transaction twice since this happened and can they pleaase ring me and make an arrangement to pay me what they owe me!!!!!!
Becs Nicholson reminds people to keep all correspondence relating to the issue: I have a loan with ub and that hadn’t been taken out even though it was due two weeks ago! Also beware if you have loans/mortgages with other financial institutions! Rang ebs today about our mortgage that is due to come out on the 7th. Ebs said it will show on my account as a returned direct debit (and I will be charged) then they will try again on the 15th (I will be charged again) and if it isn’t paid, unless I have a letter from ub saying its their fault it will show up as arrears on my account. Not happy at all
Leah Burgess notes the difference attitudes of various other companies affected by the so-called glitch: Yesterday Vodafone DD had not gone through thankfully when I phoned them they were very understanding and put a note on my account to say I was with the ulster and to take the money next month. My mums Sky subscription DD has not gone through either but they say if they don’t get their payment they will cut the service off. I contacted Ulsterbank on twitter and got a tweet back directing me to a site ref dd that they are working with other banks and this is what it says “We would like to reassure our customers, and those of other banks, that we are working with other banks, service providers, insurance and utility companies to ensure that, as a result of this issue, customers will not be without their services, will not be permanently out of pocket and will not have their credit record affected.”
The bank’s handling of the situation has also frustrated some people in the media. Yesterday, BBC correspondent seemed baffled at the group’s resistance to being interviewed:
Also, on Twitter yesterday, customers vented their frustrations and highlighted other, newly-discovered problems such as setting up PayPal accounts and cancelled direct debits being mistakenly honoured:
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Shouldn’t Brady be charged for withholding evidence?
Was rape a crime back then? Yes it was. Was the rape of a child a crime? YES. Cardinal Brady withheld evidence of serious crimes, and ENABLED this rapist to continue raping children for many more years after Brady became aware of Smyths crimes. Brady should be arrested and charged and jailed when found guilty.
Or is there a new category of criminal, blue collar, white collar and now dog collar. It seems the last two categories are beyond the reach of the law in this state. Remember priests jailed previously in Ireland were defrocked beforehand. Heaven help us.
Late but welcomed input from Gilmore… I set up a facebook campaign 3 years ago, looking for Brady to resign, when his involvement in cover-ups broke in the media …. Call me cynical, but, now that this has been broadcast on BBC, and not RTE and TV3 (like it was 3 years ago), now, people think he should resign…. Why do we need to wait for a foreign TV station to broadcast to 100′s of millions what an absolute sham we have in this country, when we were told all these same facts 3 years ago… I can’t figure this part out… GRRRRRRRRRR
I think its because RTE and TV3 are not seen as very credible when it comes to documentary alot of the time when compared to say Channel 4 or BBC, they also air to a smaller audience then the likes of the BBC.
I know many people who just don’t watch RTE anymore and as such would not be aware of the shows they air.
Cal
I agree that it is a dis grace that an English tv channel has highlighted Brady’s involvement with Smiths cover up and his protection … I am getting more and more angry at all that is happening . Is he like so many people in ”powerful ministries” be it banking or politics or the church that he believes he is beyond retribution? e is so far removed from reality that he is not affected by the damage and reality of child rape in a victims life and the lives of family and friends . He must leave or be removed .
There are many people in Ireland unworthy of positions of authority, political opportunists and senior clerics alike.
Well, you have to start weeding them out sooner or later, or they’ll weed you out.
About time a leading politician made a clear unambiguous statement on this.
Three days ago, his backbencher TDs were on thejournal.ie arguing at length that we couldn’t just chuck the religious orders out of primary education, that we have to work with them to achieve some sort of consensus.
Now Gilmore’s saying that anyone who knew what Brady knew shouldn’t be in a position of authority.
Is it me, or do those two things seem to be mutually exclusive philosophies?
Those backbencher TD comments are here btw:
http://www.thejournal.ie/poll-indicates-three-quarters-of-parents-want-change-in-primary-school-patronage-434184-Apr2012/#comments
The sad thing is whomever would replace Brady would share the same mindset.The Vaticans defense of Brady shows nothing has changed.No one it seems to me in the church feels any wrong was done Brady therfore i feel in its present form it is doomed.
To have known and not reported this to the police and the result is this fowl human beast to continue raping innocent children is unforgivable. Brady is as guilty as if he raped these poor children himself, he should face criminal charges
Is Gilmore implying that Brady STILL has authority? Why isn’t Gilmore insisting on the complete dismantling of Brady’s architecture of child abuse concealment? In the new Ireland that Gilmore’s government is busy building, ordinary people, who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, or who need help from the social welfare, are going to be harassed, bullied and intimidated yet those who are known to have facilitated the coverup of child abuse are just going to be subject to a bit of finger-wagging!
Not good enough Gilmore. It’s time we treated criminals for what they are and afford dignity to those who deserve it.
Martin McGuinness has also called on Cardinal Brady to “consider his position” because of wrongs committed in the 70s… Ehhh… Mr Pot, this is Mr Kettle…
Paul,
actually related to the subject….Remember Michael Woods and the “deal” with the Religious?
Pot, Kettle etc.
Paul, Gerry Adams advised his own Niece to go to the Police about the fact that his niece was being abused. I think your comment is a pretty desperate attempt to slag off SF on a topic like this. Pretty sad really. If i understand your position, you are implying Martin McGuinness shouldn’t have made any requests for Brady to stand down???
Child abuse is a very very serious matter. Dragging it into party political slagging matches is totally inappropriate.
Paul, i just read your twitter account header .. You are a proud FF member … If you consider slagging off Martin McGuinness for criticizing Brady on this issue as one of FF’s prouder moments, you are just demonstrating how little FF have learned in the last few years. I am sick to the pit of my stomach with you and your ilk. You know no bounds or depths to lower yourselves to.
Brady said he didn’t realise the damage that was caused to the children !!! He also maintains that he reported to his bishop who in his turn reported it to the norbertine order (Smith’s order) BUT Why wasa it not reported to the police .These were educated men ! Why did Sean Brady not walk into his local police / garda station and report it . He was a teacher , he was with kids , he should have known the damage smith caused.
Of course he should resign . Exercise some decorum and put his hands up and leave . He is after all only one man and should not be so proud to believe he is any thing more.
Resign? Decorum? I don’t want him to resign with decorum.
I want to see him arrested by the Gardai for failing to report a series of serious crimes against children and perverting the course of justice, and then I want to see him prosecuted for that in court by the DPP and then I want to see him in jail to send a message to the other priests and members of the RCC that Ireland is a hostile place to anyone who rapes a child.
Mark Dennehy
Apologies ! I do not mean he should resign with decorum . Obviously I have not made my self clear . He should resign if he had any dignity and leave. Failing that he should be removed. The problem here is that these guys think they are above all of us . I personally know what I would like to see happen …… However! I did not mean to give the impression that i have any sympathy for him . He is the one lacking dignity and he lacks humility.
Captain Blowhard,more hot air and no action,as usual.The Labour party way!!!
After using opinions to steal from Social Welfare Recipients for over a decade politicians display that no one could be trusted in positions of responsibility until all of the victims are found.
Eh?
All this new information about Cardinal Brady merely having the responsibility of “taking notes” during the 1975 investigation really annoys me.
The TRUTH of the matter, ironically, can be found in a Church statement from 2010 and reads as follows:
A statement from the Church in March 2010 said: “Cardinal Brady had been drafted in to CONDUCT THE INVESTIGATION because he held a doctorate in canon law”.
He says things that court popularity and he fooled a lot of people coming up to the last election.
His pronouncements on this issue have to be taken in that context.
For he knows words are cheap and easy.
What action is he prepared to demonstrate.
For action is warranted in this case.
I have no interest in what the tanaiste says.
Hah Gilmore out of his box again. And flogging a dead horse! Yet silence on the flogging of live horses…. the Irish people. Why don’t you resign Gilmore because as far as I can see you are far more dangerous than some old fop trying to hold onto his career……. oh wait……. And yes I am a disgruntled labour voter.
He should be defrocked,and expelled from ireland.He covered up for too long.
Auld Gil must have been reading the journal.ie poll…
This man Cared more fore his career than the care of children, just as guilty than Smyth.
Credit where it’s due, not often have we seen a politician come out and call it as it is. Thought I’d wait a lifetime to hear the likes of it.
What’s the difference between stating something and suggesting it ?
have your say