Bank issueing me with a Laser card I never requested

daheff

Deleted User wrote: »

I don't see the problem here? if you don't want a laser card, don't use it as a laser card, then you won't be charged for it, you will therefor just have an atm card with an extra little pink logo on it....


Anyway, why in gods name would anyone be with a bank who has transaction charges in this bloody day and age... move banks.

Dont have an issue with laser per se...just dont see it being of any benefit to me...i have an ATM card (which takes money from my account at ATM machines) and a credit card which can be used at POS...

why would i need a laser card??

My original point is that I NEVER requested the card...bank shouldnt have sent it to me. If it was just an issue that CIRRUS is no longer being used by BOI they should have sent me a letter asking if I wanted a new card with Maestro, LASER & Maestro, Laser on top of a new ATM card.

My bank dont charge me banking fees for everyday banking, but in the letter with the laser card I was informed that there would be charges attached...

HPT

daheff wrote: »

Just wondering if I'm the only person who was issued a lasercard by BOI without requesting one?

If you don't want the card, send it my way!

Only if there's money in the account...

MysticalSoul

I don't get charged any transaction fees, as I use either online banking or 365 phone service at least 3 times a month. I pay my credit card bill of via online banking, my gas bill the same, so is easily done, and if my credit card was clear I could just transfer €10 to keep the no fees, and take it out as atm, as no fees once cash on credit card.

Laser is the best thing ever, atm card, cirrus card, and cheque card.

Corruptedmorals

seamus wrote: »

With Laser, there's no buffer - if the till dude makes a mistake or I get charged twice, then I'm down real money until it gets sorted out.

It's really hard to make a mistake with credit card/laser transactions, other than giving the wrong amount of cashback, which will always be recitified immediately. It's also impossible to charge someone twice in a normal till transaction, because the stuff would need to be scanned again and you'd need to enter your pin again. The only danger is if the till freezes in the middle of the transaction after you enter your pin (does happen), in which case, really hard to know if it went through or not until you ring your bank.

penexpers

daheff wrote: »

Dont have an issue with laser per se...just dont see it being of any benefit to me...i have an ATM card (which takes money from my account at ATM machines) and a credit card which can be used at POS...

why would i need a laser card??

My original point is that I NEVER requested the card...bank shouldnt have sent it to me. If it was just an issue that CIRRUS is no longer being used by BOI they should have sent me a letter asking if I wanted a new card with Maestro, LASER & Maestro, Laser on top of a new ATM card.

My bank dont charge me banking fees for everyday banking, but in the letter with the laser card I was informed that there would be charges attached...

The letter is probably just a generic laser card letter - there should be no laser fees as it counts as day to day banking.

Is it possible that BOI don't issue non-Laser cards anymore? I know this happened with AIB a while back.

daheff

daheff wrote: »

My original point is that I NEVER requested the card...bank shouldnt have sent it to me. If it was just an issue that CIRRUS is no longer being used by BOI they should have sent me a letter asking if I wanted a new card with Maestro, LASER & Maestro, Laser on top of a new ATM card.

My bank dont charge me banking fees for everyday banking, but in the letter with the laser card I was informed that there would be charges attached...

Had your bank decided to send letters out asking every customer was it ok to send them a laser card, they would have had to process each and every letter returned to them, this makes no sense. As far as your concerned, they just sent you a new ATM card, it just so happens that it's also a laser, again, it is your choice whether or not you use the laser, they are only giving you an extra option, it makes absolutely no difference to your life having this new and improved card, unless you choose to use the laser facility, I bet you didn't even have to get a new pin number!! so it means NOTHING that they sent you a new and improved card.

seamus

Corruptedmorals wrote: »

It's really hard to make a mistake with credit card/laser transactions, other than giving the wrong amount of cashback, which will always be recitified immediately. It's also impossible to charge someone twice in a normal till transaction, because the stuff would need to be scanned again and you'd need to enter your pin again. The only danger is if the till freezes in the middle of the transaction after you enter your pin (does happen), in which case, really hard to know if it went through or not until you ring your bank.

From the operator's point of view, you're perfectly right.
From a technical POV, everything can appear to go smoothly at the till but something at the backend screws up.

As you say yourself, it does happen that the POS till or the card terminal crashes or freezes. What if I was making a purchase for €600? I wouldn't like to have that taken from my personal account twice. Yes, I'd get it back, but for a certain period of time I'm down by €600.

shellyboo

TheDriver wrote: »

Then I asked what if the person used it in a country that accepted it at POS which required signature to which there was a long uncomfortable silence and they said "shure that never would happen". I felt so secure with my money then...........

More an issue with the person you were talking to being an idiot, then. The only place you can use your Laser at POS (which is a Laser with Maestro, and so isn't accepted everywhere that Maestro is) is the UK. Where chip and pin has been introduced. So you have the same chance of someone letting you sign for it as you would here... except, not the same chance, since not everywhere will even accept it at POS in the first place. Some places are only set up for Switch, similarly, some Irish outlets will not accept a UK Switch with Maestro card.

A Laser card will, however, work as an ATM card everywhere.

Anyhoo... the bank shouldn't be forcing a Laser card on you if you don't want one. I have one, I use it, I think it's useful but also dangerous. You really have no idea how much money you're spending; and sometimes the amounts take SO LONG to come out of your account that you forget about them and then end up screwed because the payment for that dress you bought in that little boutique three weeks ago has only just come out of your account.

There's also no way to get a DEFINITE balance on your current account when you have a laser unless you go into the actual bank - what shows on an ATM or even in your online banking isn't the true amount because they won't let you take out money that's pending for laser payments. It's happened to me on more than one occasion that my account has been showing over 100e in funds, but won't give me any money because it's all tied up with Laser payments that haven't come out yet. Which is a pain in the hole, frankly.

It also annoys me that it can't be used on all sites which accept Maestro. Like, is it a Maestro card or is it not?! This can often be the website's issue though.

/rant.

shellyboo

shellyboo wrote: »

It's happened to me on more than one occasion that my account has been showing over 100e in funds, but won't give me any money because it's all tied up with Laser payments that haven't come out yet.

Wow yeah it's tough keeping up with your transactions when you're dealing with such huge amounts of money alright.


I think it's a shame that the banks try and make things easier for all concerned(how many times have you gone to the only local atm and it's out of order etc) and moronic people respond with a big huge 'DURRR that's different, me no like"

shellyboo

Rojomcdojo wrote: »

Wow yeah it's tough keeping up with your transactions when you're dealing with such huge amounts of money alright.

Saracsm? 100e is a lot of money to me, thanks.

neacy69

daheff wrote: »

had one previously...didnt find it anymore useful than an atm card..i prefer to have cold hard cash in my sweaty hands...only use the credit card for large purchases/online purchases



In the letter i got from the bank they said there were charges for it.



I take your point...but shouldnt send new cards without requesting them.



Pay Credit card by direct debit...as long as i have cash in my account (like with laser) then payment is no problem


Fees go to the bank...gov tax goes to the government...everybody wins except the consumer!:mad:

THERE ARE NO EXTRA FEES FOR LASER TRANACTIONS...............


if you do not want to pay for the laser facility then don't use it....

why oh why is this a 3 page discussion...!!!!

shellyboo

shellyboo wrote: »

Saracsm? 100e is a lot of money to me, thanks.

Really? You find it hard to remember 100 euro worth of transactions?
What do you buy with it? Penny sweets?

shellyboo

Rojomcdojo wrote: »

Really? You find it hard to remember 100 euro worth of transactions?
What do you buy with it? Penny sweets?

Lunches and coffees mostly, especially work expenses since if I lose the receipt I will always still have a record. I might have upwards of ten coffee/lunch meetings that I'd pay for a month, is that ok with you?

Jip

shellyboo wrote: »

There's also no way to get a DEFINITE balance on your current account when you have a laser unless you go into the actual bank - what shows on an ATM or even in your online banking isn't the true amount because they won't let you take out money that's pending for laser payments. It's happened to me on more than one occasion that my account has been showing over 100e in funds, but won't give me any money because it's all tied up with Laser payments that haven't come out yet. Which is a pain in the hole, frankly.

That's not a limitation of laser, it's the bank you use. For example Permanent TSB gives you 2 balances when you check online, 1 is the amount available to you and the other is the balance where there are currently outstanding transactions that haven't completed yet. So if you had €200 this morning, made a laser transaction of €100, the balance available to you will be €100 whereas the total balance will remain at €200 until the transaction is complete.

shellyboo

Jip wrote: »

That's not a limitation of laser, it's the bank you use. For example Permanent TSB gives you 2 balances when you check online, 1 is the amount available to you and the other is the balance where there are currently outstanding transactions that haven't completed yet. So if you had €200 this morning, made a laser transaction of €100, the balance available to you will be €100 whereas the total balance will remain at €200 until the transaction is complete.

Oooh, good to know, thanks Jip. Just another point to add to my "Why AIB are incompetent" list

penexpers

shellyboo wrote: »

Oooh, good to know, thanks Jip. Just another point to add to my "Why AIB are incompetent" list

I have had a long and protracted argument about this with AIB. They say there is no way of knowing what laser transactions are coming in until they get the receipt, but IPSO say that AIB are able to see the auths coming in and should be able to list the transactions before they are applied to the account.

craichoe

seamus wrote: »

I haven't heard anything about this "not accepting cirrus", and I don't understand the link - cirrus allows me to take out cash almost anywhere in the world. Laser allows me to use my ATM card like a credit card, in Ireland.

If you do not have Cirrus on your card you cannot use it at another banks atm, i.e. you have a BOI ATM card, cannot be used at AIB, TSB etc.

In this case it would be processed through the Maestro system (Laser)

Lollipops23

craichoe wrote: »

If you do not have Cirrus on your card you cannot use it at another banks atm, i.e. you have a BOI ATM card, cannot be used at AIB, TSB etc.

In this case it would be processed through the Maestro system (Laser)

my old BOI ATM card could be used in any atm(except,weirdly, certain BOI ATMs that decided my card was broken!).

is there really something wrong with the Cirrus cards?i love my Laser card, hope i don't have to go back to my atm card...

shellyboo

penexpers wrote: »

I have had a long and protracted argument about this with AIB. They say there is no way of knowing what laser transactions are coming in until they get the receipt, but IPSO say that AIB are able to see the auths coming in and should be able to list the transactions before they are applied to the account.

Well, what gets me is that they obviously know enough to not let me take the money, why can't my balance reflect that?! It makes very, very little sense to me.

dragonfly!

Hi OP a family member of mine received a laser card in the post today as well without requesting it from BOI.....

Jip

Sounds like AIB are waffling. I had to ring my bank once as there was an outstanding transaction that I wasn't sure of, I knew there was a potential one but I had cancelled it but it still showed up on my account. Rang the bank and they could tell me who it was from and for how much, this was before the cancelled transaction was finalised.

neacy69

Someone better give Joe Duffy a call looks like we have an epidemic on our hands

krudler

Why would anyone NOT want a laser card ffs? and OP like Sam said, if you're complaining about a fiver a year maybe you should just cancel your bank account and stuff all your money in a mattress, if its a choice of 5 quid a year and being able to pay for something in pretty much any shop or spend ages queueing at atms on a busy Saturday it didnt take much to persuade me to get one

tony1kenobi

Sam Vimes wrote: »

what actually happens:

hi...do you do cash back?

no..sorry

"ok i'll pay with my laser card and get cash back at some other convenient time"



i get cash back whenever i don't have money in my wallet so i always have €50 or so for the very rare occasions that i go somewhere that doesn't take laser or credit cards

Alternatively.....

Punter: Can I pay you with an ATM card?

Me: Only if you are paying for a punch in the mouth.

dotsman

Yup, have to also disagree with anyone complaining about this move.

Firstly (and most importantly) |. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE IT.
Secondly, if you do not use it.|. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING FOR IT.
Thirdly, if you do use it |. You get free banking - so it works out much cheaper than if you didn't have one
Fourthly |. They're bloody convenient. ATMS are for emergencies. I would never voluntarily queue at one with all the other rejects.

Corruptedmorals

I usually still go to ATM's for food money and drink money, very wary of asking for cashback unless they ask me, probably because it's an absolute head-wrecker from working in retail. I use the ATM's everyone forgets about though.

foggy_lad

honestly all this over something so trivial when all the op has to do is send it back to the bank with a request that no more unauthorised cards be sent to them!

fluffysierra

I find it strange that a couple of years ago I asked BOI for a laser card and was refused stating I didn't earn enough money (no problem getting a laser from AIB), all of a sudden I get a laser card in the post this week from BOI!! I stopped using that account for my salary last year so there's no money in it!

Sam Vimes

foggy_lad wrote: »

honestly all this over something so trivial when all the op has to do is send it back to the bank with a request that no more unauthorised cards be sent to them!

you seem to have missed the point of the thread here, that laser cards are better in every way than atm cards except for a €5 charge that doesn't go to the bank (so no it's not a scam) and sending it back would be inconveniencing himself for three reasons:

1. to waste his time posting it back to the bank
2. to make a point with the bank, although what that point is i'm not quite sure (don't make life easier for me possibly?)
3. to allow himself to be further inconvenienced in the future when he regularly finds himself in situations that the laser card he sent back for no apparent reason would have come in quite handy, e.g. shopping in lidl or when an atm is broken

JohnC.

foggy_lad wrote: »

honestly all this over something so trivial when all the op has to do is send it back to the bank with a request that no more unauthorised cards be sent to them!

The card has an extra Laser facility. The user does not have to use it. If the user doesn't use it, the government levy will not be charged. There is no downside, just a potential extra use for the user. If they don't use the laser facility, it is exactly the same as their old ATM card, just with an additional Laser logo printed on it.

I have to wonder how well BOI explained all this. AIB clearly explained everything and I don't recall people throwing their toys out of the pram in a thread like this for absolutely no reason when they replaced all the cards.