Butterfield Bank has introduced a new online platform that is causing some customers headaches.

The new version of Butterfield Online was launched last Saturday evening and is accessed through a new web address, www.butterfieldonline.com.

Customers are e-mailed a verification code in order to access the new platform the first time they log in.

Several customers contacted The Royal Gazette to say they were having various problems accessing the new platform, or that they could not get through to the bank on the telephone to seek assistance.

More people voiced their thoughts on the upgrade through the consumer-oriented Facebook page Maj’s List. Some said they were having difficulties logging into the new platform. Others said they were struggling to transfer money. One poster said they waited for 47 minutes to get through to the bank’s call centre.

Asked about the issues, a spokesman for Butterfield said: “A majority of customers who have attempted to login to the new Butterfield Online have been successful.

“Others, for whom the bank did not have current e-mail contact information, have had to contact our call centre to provide or update their e-mail address.

“As one would expect with a significant change to the online banking platform, our call centre is currently dealing with a high volume of queries, which has resulted in longer-than-usual wait times. We thank our customers for their patience.”

Some claimed that they had been given no notice of the changes before the weekend switchover.

The spokesman said: “Customer notices were provided via all social media channels, online banking messaging and in-branch signage in advance of Saturday’s migration of accounts.

“Those notices included requests for customers to confirm their e-mail addresses with our call centre, as the new system relies on a one-time verification code sent by e-mail for first-time login.”

The switch to the .com web address applies to personal banking customers, while corporate accounts have not yet been migrated from the former .bm URL.

Some customers have complained that their beneficiary and bill payment templates were lost in the switchover. Butterfield said this was not the case.

“The new Butterfield Online features new tools and information to enhance users’ online banking experience,” the Butterfield spokesman said. “Although Butterfield Online has a new look, users’ payment/beneficiary templates and standing order information have automatically been loaded to the new system.”

Butterfield has also launched a new version of the Butterfield Mobile Banking app, which is available from the App Store and Google Play.

It is identified by the icon with a white background under the name “Butterfield Mobile Banking”. The previous version of the app also continues to be available to meet the needs of corporate banking customers.

• Butterfield has posted a user guide and answers to frequently asked questions have been posted to the bank’s website at www.butterfieldgroup.com. Navigate to Bermuda > Personal > Everyday Banking > Internet Banking