HOLYOKE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – A systemwide upgrade at a local bank is causing some issues for its customers. Holyoke-based PeoplesBank recently implemented a new online system that, it said, will make transactions faster, easier, and more secure, but the roll-out has been anything but easy.
Some customers are expressing their frustration towards the bank after the upgrade its technology. The changes were meant to improve the bank’s online experience but, for some, it’s actually accomplished the exact opposite. One person emailed Western Mass News and said, “I have called every branch and no one answers. My sister-in-law’s debit card doesn’t work, bill pays haven’t been transferred. My money is basically held hostage.”
We brought those concerns to PeoplesBank Senior Vice President Matthew Bannister. He confirmed that some of their 90,000 customers had a challenge getting into the new system, but they shouldn’t have a problem getting their cash or paying their bills as the bill pay option, which was down for a few days, is now back up and running. “They have access to their money. You can go to an ATM and get cash out. You can buy something at a store using your debit card, etc. but you can’t actually see your online banking account until you re-enroll in our new system,” he explained.
Even so, PeoplesBank has been inundated with calls and emails from people looking for tech support. Their Facebook page was also hit with angry users who were frustrated with the re-enrollment process. “In order to re-enroll, we need to have an accurate cell phone number and an accurate email address, so we’ve been asking customers for months now to please make sure your information is accurate and a good majority of them did, but some either didn’t get the message or didn’t get around to it and those are the people who are having challenges,” he added.
For those who are “having challenges,” Bannister told Western Mass News that PeoplesBank understands and wants to help. Customers are welcome to visit any branch for in-person service or direct message them though their Facebook page. For those trying to call and wait on the help line, there will be a new option as of Tuesday night. “Some of our customer assistance lines have been very busy and so we’ve opened up a brand new number to address this – (877) 888-1388 – as well as on Facebook direct messenger and so we have operators standing by, as the saying goes,” he said.
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