Citizensadvice Avis 

I met a lovely young man called Ash. He was calm and kind and gave me really useful information.
Thank you so much :)

In the past you could speak to trading standards and get somebody could understood the problem. Now we get somebody who tries to fob you off to an organisation that you have told them you have already contacted.
I fully agree with an earlier comment:
Absolute shambles of a service. They act as gatekeepers to trading standards, making it impossible to contact TS direct. I get the feeling CAB are just kids sat behind a screen googling your question/complaint.
Trading standard starved of money are unlikely to have a lot concerns about our petty complaints. They can't even stop drugs being sold in high street shops. Such a good idea to hand over their customer services to the an organisation that makes you give up.

I telephoned Camden citizens advice seeking legal information. Having been kept on hold twice the advisor Yvonne came back to me with scripted useless information. I tried to press her that I sought to know the actual law I could use against my landlord (rather than her waffle) and she said I had to listen to her “advice” which was basically no advice! She also said - don’t bother going to the Housing Ombudsman they’ll only side with your Landlord! That may or may not be true but it’s opinion not advice! Even if she’s said “we can’t establish the housing law I suggest you try x or y” would have been something instead of her arrogant useless waffle! In the interim she also sent me - without permission - no reply junk emails to issues on CABs website! Time the Citizens Advice was shut down for good since they clearly don’t care about actually listening to people!

Peas off shit

Had a call from citizen advice bureau Paignton Devon. Explained the situation as father flat is going through probate. I live at the address and needed help with online Devon housing form. Not able to do it myself have health issues. All they said they would is send information no mention of getting the help and what documents needed. Trying to phone is impossible to get through and live chat near impossible as well only have a android phone and takes ages to type anything out. Have found another charity who are going to help with online housing form and any more advice and help they can give me!! Tried live chat online have disability and more before I could type it she said we assume you don't want any help and ended the chat. How unprofessional is that. All the stuff sent in the post could check out for myself.

Absolute shambles of a service. They act as gatekeepers to trading standards, making it impossible to contact TS direct. I get the feeling CAB are just kids sat behind a screen googling your question/complaint, the

Can't even get through to them by phone or by chat. Spent over 9 minutes this morning on the phone and listened to the loop machine and only got, several times sorry no-one is available. This afternoon went on chat, and again no-one available. Phoned and was on phone 10 minutes and still heard same old recording 4 times and then 'sorry no-one is available', so tried chat again and got the 'sorry no-one is available'

Get rid of this I say. When i learnt it is also locally funded what a waste of money. The only time I ever tried to use the service in my life they do not even bother to respond. What a waste of local money. 100 percent failure rate. Close it down and save money.

Absolutely useless service, they have their own set of rules. I needed a third party to contact my wife which legally they can. They advised me that policies they have in place wouldn’t allow them too as they class it as cold calling!

absolute waste of time. stuck in a robot talking loop for over 20 minutes, couldn't actually talk to anyone, absolute joke

Waited in a que for an hour to get a recorded msg saying "we are too busy to take your call goodbye" what a 💩service

Gone to the Dogs. This used to be a really valuable service for people at really stressful times. Now it simply adds to the stress. No-one answers the phone! If it can't be funded and staffed properly then it should surely be withdrawn altogether and stop wasting peoples' time.

Great for advice when it comes to benefits. Sadly, when it comes to anything else, they dismiss your concerns and fob people off with other services who obviously won't help.

I sought help regarding a complaint involving Oxford City Council and was deeply disappointed by the experience.

The adviser assisting me was a former Oxford City Council employee, which already raised concerns about impartiality given the nature of my complaint. What made matters worse was that while completing the paperwork, she repeatedly entered information that I explicitly told her was incorrect and did not reflect my actual circumstances.

When I corrected her, explaining that the details she was entering applied to people on benefits and not to my situation, she continued regardless rather than accurately recording the facts. I was then told to simply amend the printed paperwork by hand in blue pen, which felt highly unprofessional.

I was also asked who had been helping me with information, which in the context of the interaction felt inappropriate and uncomfortable.

People seek advice services expecting accurate, impartial support, especially when dealing with stressful disputes with public bodies. Unfortunately, this experience left me feeling unheard, undermined, and with little confidence in the quality or neutrality of the advice provided.

My boiler has been condemned and when I rang citizens advice they were fantastic, they arranged for a oil filled radiator for me, a heated electric throw, £150 payment, and I carbon monoxide detector, this is all to ensure I am warm and safe whilst I arrange for a new heating system

Not worth 1 star
40 + minute wait to get through then told they couldn't accept my call and cut me off - problem unsolved
Also not available every day, just Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Absolutely uwful the advisor for gas & electric was awful she did not have a clue what she was doing had no information from the last three years from 2 other advisors information had been lost then i was surrounded by security cos she pressed a button on her laptop then her citzens advice manager came down and basically ****** me off i apologise to the advisor but walked off with no answers to by questions all i kept getting from the advisor yes yes yes im my view they need new advisors who as vast expertise in gas & electricity this advisor at Doncaster was not interested one little bit and did not have a clue i am thankful that the ombudsman as now stepping in as this now been going on for three years with citizens advise with three different advisors these 3 managers was not at all interested in my case they had no thought whatsoever for me mental heath in my view these three advisors & manger’s should be suspended best wishes gary mclelland

I am waiting on the line more than an hour to book an appointment also when they answered they didn’t understand what I am saying so I asked them to transferred me to another college they refused and they made my life harder because the specific person answers to me whatever she wants and when I asked her name she told me Teresa. Teresa what ??? Unprofessional , don’t want to book an appointment to guide me on the specific matter that I asked already on the citizen advice and they told me that they can do it. That Teresa that I don’t think that is her real name didn’t want to corporate or at least to try. I was waiting more in the phone for her to ask that to sort it out the appointment that it will take 5 minutes to book it. I understand that maybe she was in training but even If it was like this her manager doesn’t want to help a single mother that spend on the house home one hour to wait on the line and after with someone that didnt want to do his job.

*** Utterly useless ***

The person/bot on the phone will give you their opinion, but will not provide any actual legal or regulatory advice/reason as to why a business/service is either conducting itself lawfully or not.

You are better off using google.com or an AI to give you better advice.