Bank of Ireland Service Disruption: Employers Struggle to Pay Staff, Customers Express Anger over App and Online Banking Outage

Bank of Ireland Service Disruption: Some employers reported that they were unable to pay their employees before the weekend because Bank of Ireland’s app and online banking services had stopped functioning. BoI branches remained open later this evening as the bank addressed the issue.

Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 91 of the bank’s branches will be open to assist customers.

This evening, the bank issued the following statement: “We are exceedingly sorry that customers continue to experience difficulties accessing Banking 365 and mobile banking services.

We continue to make this a primary priority. We have extended the hours of operation at as many branches as feasible until 6 p.m. today, and we have increased the number of employees available to assist customers via phone.

“All other Bank of Ireland services, including ATMs, debit and credit cards, and Business Online, are operating normally.” We apologise for this inconvenience once more and will provide an update as soon as possible.”

The bank apologised for the IT failure and stated that it was working diligently to resolve the issue.

However, consumers were enraged by the disruption in services, with some demanding compensation from the bank for being unable to use their app or online banking.

Bank of Ireland Service Disruption: Employers Struggle to Pay Staff, Customers Express Anger over App and Online Banking Outage

Customers of the bank took to social media to vent their anger over the issue and to criticise the institution’s communication strategy.

One customer stated on Twitter, “The Bank of Ireland app has been down all morning, and I expect many customers to attempt logins and transactions on the last Friday of the month.”

Another inquired, “I suppose Bank of Ireland will compensate those who are unable to log in and conduct transactions today? Will BOI’s approach to this matter be professional or amateurish?”

One person quipped, “I’m seriously considering transferring my extensive overdraft to Ulster Bank. Oh God! Oh wait!”

Customers have been instructed to monitor the bank’s official communications to learn when the issue will be resolved.

Myles O’Grady, chief executive officer of the Bank of Ireland, stated in an interview with the ‘Sunday Independent’ last week that the institution was investing significantly in technology.

He stated that the bank will invest €1 billion in the business over the next three years, particularly in technology.

“Over the past few years, we have made significant investments in core systems, data, robotics, and cyber protection, the majority of which are unseen by consumers but which unquestionably enhance the resiliency of our technology platform. We have also made significant strides with our customer-facing technology.”

The Central Bank fined the bank €24.5 million in 2021 due to its failure to resolve issues with its technology platforms between 2008 and 2015.

The bank announced its intention to hire 100 new technology employees in March of last year.

This was in addition to the 130 technology appointments made in 2021.

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