BRIGHTON AND HOVE CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU Review

That is not a helpful phone service. Local landline - who has or knows one of them?

You get through if your patient, the funding to this service, has been cut to the bone, they are struggling,

I got through first time on both attempts, and at different times. You just have to be patient.

They helped me on both occasions, and were efficient, helpful, and patient.

Please give them a chance. They do not deserve all the negative reviews. Just hang on the phone.

Called the Brighton number, then got asked to provide a local telephone number to verify where I live, then couldn't even get through. Waste of time.

Very bad phone service. I have called every single day for the past week and nobody has managed to answer the phone. I have called at least every hour or so, and yet still not answer. Very annoyed

I called promptly at 9.30am and my call was answered straight away by a very patient and professional man called Nick. He spent about 40 mins going through everything with me and arranged a phone interview for me in two days to discuss my queries at greater length. My experience was a very positive one and I am very grateful for this free service.

Terrible service, can never speak to a human and get this ever-so-posh speaking bloke's voice on automated answering service who sounds like he is answering the phone at Buckingham Palce, who tells you to enter a local landline telephone number with area code so the CAB can identify where you live and can then put you through to your local branch. Erm hello, not everyone HAS a landline phone for goodness sake. I understand they are limited with funding now but come on, it isn't rocket science to ask for more volunteers to man the phones. This plummy voiced bloke on the answer machine then waffles on and on about going online and looking for the answers to my query. Again not everyone owns a computer, I know you can use them at internet cafes and the library but I am disabled and cannot always get there. Why don't they take this into consideration?

Was told I'd hear from them in 5 working days for something of which is very important to me.
That was 3 weeks ago.
No answer on the phone.
Went to Hove town hall only to be told by (what I thought was) the receptionist they didn't do walk-ins. I proceeded to tell her that they do as I read it one the website and I was there at the correct time. She remarked 'Oh right well we are really busy today'. I accepted this and asked to book an appointment. She said she couldn't. I asked why and she replied 'I'm not actually the receptionist, I'm a volunteer so I don't really know how to' then told me to come back on Monday when the 'Real' receptionist is there. I asked if she could help at all, she simply replied 'No, sorry'.
You couldn't write it. Absolutely shockingly unreal.

Really upset that the very moment the public are maybe entitled to something we are given a service that's impossible to work.
If we owe anything, different story.

Total shambles

Waiting on the phone for 30mins no answer
So hung up

Phoned 50 times still no answer just want to make an appointment. Online same experience can not make an appointment what is wrong. Need help can't get it waste of time so upset.

One can call from the first point of opening to close constantly and never get through. Going to the office is hopeless too. I am sure once you get there you may get a good service the problem is trying to get an appointment with them in the first instance.

25 phone calls per day at any given time over a 3 week period and not once did they pick up.

For when you don't have access to Queora or Yahoo Answers

Citizens Advice were a complete waste of time. Offered me no real help. I came out feeling worse than when I went in. Need help? Don't bother coming here.

Find another source of advice if you can! I went to the drop in at Hove town hall and waited an hour. After the assessment I was told that an adviser would call one week later. I have just had the phone call and the adviser was not only poorly informed, but reduced me to tears. I strongly advise finding another source of advice especially if you have to make serious financial decisions. Absolutely terrible service.

Went to see if I could speak to someone but there was no one there at all not even a security guard to give information joke

I don't normally review. Although I'm extremely unhappy and frustrated with Citizens Advice in Brighton. Waited almost an hour to get through, an extra 40minutes for everything needed for dept advice. To never received anything I was meant to. I called back, and apparently I never called. So I basically got called lier and said they couldn't help me. They insisted I definitely didn't call, although all the proof is on my phone. I'd recommend people use a different business/company...don't waste your valuable time.

No response from telephone maybe there off getting help themselves .

42 minutes on phone,,,,,, and nobody answer!!!!! Lol

Consistently offer consumers poor advice. Do not understand the Sales of Good Act / Consumer Rights Act clearly or how it applies to the used car trade. We run a reputable business and look after our customers well,. Unfortunately CAB mislead people about there rights and just tell everyone "you have a case for a refund"no matter how small their issue. Example: I had a customer kicking off for a refund stating " he knows his rights" (because CAB told him his supposed rights).......Why? because his wiper blades juddered! Easy for us to sort, but he now wanted a refund. If CAB managed expectations we would have had a happy customer, instead we have an unhappy one because we "refused his rights to a refund". I would be more than happy to visit your office to discuss these problems further as i'm not alone in this and you're doing neither consumers nor businesses any favours with your misleading info.

Utter waste of time. If you need help the issue will have resolved itself by the time you manage to see or speak to anyone. Allow 21 working days to contact them by phone. (may be longer I gave up after then). No chance of actually speaking to someone face to face. Had to give one star or you can't post review.

Terrible, no'one to speak to,
More stressed after I phnd due to
rambling recorded voice.
One human to direct me was all I wanted

I was made to wait a bery long time for not much help offered as there wasn't anyone at reception

Very bad don't ring they don't want to listen never mind help they should All be sacked DONT WAST TIME GOING OR RINGING

Waste of time!... id rather pay, " if I had the money"
Inane and depricating advice I could have obtained from the local know it all.. that knows nothing!
Think these people volunteer cos they revel in other people's suffering ?

Only time I have been here was when my grandmother got scammed, got all the money back with no hassle and were polite, will always recommend

Average service and average advise. They told me to check the internet for my problem

I wish I'd gone sooner. Incredibly kind and helpful people.

Its a charity, run by volunteers. And they have no more money from the gov....so on their shoe string budget, they are doing their best. Its for the knowledge I have gone. Sure you have to wait- trick is to get their a good 1/2hr before they open. Would go in, and not phone- as its more likely that someone will speak to you.

Impossible contact them by phone and by office. I tried 50 times but never one answer. Useless service.

very bad experience... bad service and idler peoples

Trash 'advice' - zero stars if I could... waste of time and space really

Similarly to the other posts on here, I have called numerous times everyday and there was no answer. I went down in person today at 9:30 (as it's apparently open 8:45-10:30) but was turned away because they only see 9 people a day! Poor service.

no service or advice available for disabled people other to offer an appointment that l cannot afford to get to. Did not even know the basics regarding the Disability Discrimination Act very disappointing

waited an hour on the phone! no one answered still. For an organisation there is not much organisation going on there. You answer the reviews that promote you and ignore ones that do not. Please fix up or let others get the opportunity to do the jobs you are meant to do.You are here for everyone and to help make life easier. This is no longer about one single person or review but we all as one. I guess this review would be totally ignored as well. I do not know how to write a bad review but i know how to use words. Some form of a call-back option would go a long way in changing things around in my opinion.

Nice people but wrong advice. They made me feel good but they created an expectation that turnout to be not real making me waste more time and energy therefore my worries and mood got worse after. Maybe you can find better answers on-line.