Citizens Advice Scotland Reviews 17

💩 just so upset by one person

I was training to be an advisor with CAS, to be fair their in-house training is OK.
Having studied Law & psychology I thought a good fit for their service, however after 6 weeks I walked, their level of advice is basic, even if you as an advisor have in-depth knowledge you can not give it, you must stick with the very basic advise within their advise Bible!!.
As many other organisations they have become consumed with political correctness, and in some ways facilitating illegal migrants ways to stay in the country, language is policed, thoughts are policed, opinions are policed.
And I would say many not all are ill equipped to be given advice

I had waited for 45 minutes before an advisor picked up my call. The advisor was friendly, helpful and patient. The call gave me a peace of mind. I am not sure how many clients they have been advising each day, but a wait of 45 minutes is far too long, quite demoralising for those seeking help.

It would be great if they hire more staff to streamline their service given that it is hard for them to know the urgency of a client’s case until they speak to the client. Another issue is that they do not have an email address via which I could give them further information. There is no guarantee that they would contact me to follow up, somehow leaving me in limbo.

Issues regard finance with goverment good .advice regarding housing disputes pure rubbish .send you all the home work to do and stress anxiety to carry it out go here write their try this try that and so on and so forth what a joke .2.6 what does that tell you .they need student lawyers in their tackling issue they might learn stuff thats usefull .

The advisor I spoke with was patient, empathetic, and took nearly an hour to listen to the details of my case. They demonstrated a clear and immediate grasp of the technical aspects of my problem. This was incredibly validating and made me feel that I had a knowledgeable ally.

The service also provided some useful general guidance which helped confirm the procedural steps I needed to follow. However, as the case progressed to its final stage, the support became less effective. The main issue was that the final advice was based on a superficial reading of an email. It failed to engage with the core, evidence-based points of my problem.

The advice I received seemed to accept a defensive narrative at face value and suggested a path forward that was, in our opinion, strategically flawed and did not reflect the true nature of my case, which is now about systemic maladministration, not just the original issue.

While I believe Citizens Advice Scotland provides a vital and well-intentioned service, and my initial experience was very positive, their support is perhaps best suited for more straightforward cases. For a deeply complex, evidence-heavy case like mine, the final advice lacked the necessary depth and forensic analysis, ultimately leaving me to navigate the most critical strategic decisions on my own. A helpful service, but one with limitations.

Extremely sad to say, that my visit to the Hawick bureau for help was just so depressing & unbearable that it makes you feel like it's hard to breathe!
I went here desperate for help last week with one of many incredibly stressful problems. After arriving inside & not finding any notices or instructions what to do on arrival, i stood & waited patiently at the closed reception window, where I could see one lady sitting with her back turned, staring at a computer screen & enjoying a nice big apple!
I must have waited around 15 minutes before the lady turned around to look & see me, (but only because she was distracted by another colleague appearing), she then came over to the reception window & proceeded to try to have have an almost impossible conversation with me through the closed window, while music was playing from a player hanging on the wall directly behind my head! I couldn't even hear myself think! never mind trying to hear the lady.
I was already beginning to feel a little more stressed, & after explaining to the lady that i couldn't hear her, she finally came out the office & into the reception area to speak to me face to face, only to be told that "they didn't cover people from my area", Despite the fact that i live in Roxburghshire! & that Hawick is in Roxburghshire! & that their own web page clearly states they cover Roxburghshire! This was so ridiculous, frustrating and the let down just too much to take.
While being in a state of disbelief about being told this, & emphasising that i lived in Roxburghshire, the lady just kept referring me to another bureau out with Roxburghshire & saying that "we cant help", so that was that!
This is all the more unbelievable because i recall years ago walking into their Dundas Street Bureau, all the way up in Edinburgh, (35 miles away), and receiving help with another similar issue without any problem whatsoever regarding not living in the Lothian area!
After walking out in a bewildered, confused, upset & even more depressed state than when i went in, and as this just felt so very wrong, & after starting to wonder about this lack of help for others from this local Bureau, who people in Roxburghshire would no doubt expect support from, i wondered into MP john Lamont office to raise this & see if our local MP had a view, or would be at all concerned to here about this lack of help & support for potentially vulnerable people in the Roxburgh area. Waiting to see if i get any reply on that one, but not so sure it will make much difference even if i do.
I'm incredibly slow at typing & my concentrations very poor at best, so it's taken me all day just to put this review together, time i certainly shouldn't have to feel the need to waste on this, but as instances like this are ridiculously far to common & just add to people's stress unnecessarily, it has to be said & judging by the incredibly low rating this bureau seems to have, it looks like there are many other potentially desperate people also feeling let down by this! Bureau.
I've only just discovered by chance that apparently every one of Scotland's Citizens Advice Bureaus recently received large amounts of funding, apparently being described by them as "a game changer", so surely funding can't be a reason for this sudden restriction of help to the chosen few.
I'm just wondering if citizens advice Hawick rely only wants people from Hawick town walking into their bureau, & maybe everyone else in the Roxburgh area is expected to just go elsewhere for help! Maybe the rest of us are just not deserving or good enough! or maybe the real reason I was refused help was because i just didn't bring them a "nice big red juicy apple to chew on"!
"Unbearable"!

Had great help off them special with there help line and in person meetings

Contacted citizens advice 6 weeks ago about a problem I had with my gas meter was told they would be in touch within two weeks still waiting to hear from them

Terrible service provided all the information as requested and keep getting emails back saying I have not provided enough information. 💩💩💩💩 all in cahoots with the retailers that rip us off probably don’t waste your time or effort with this lot.

Drop in session timings are given but once you go there they don’t entertain by saying sorry we are very busy. Useless service

Carf glenrothes, I can't begin to tell you how good they are, past 3 years they have helped me through the most difficult time of my life, felt at times I have the world on my shoulders and the weight was to much, I will always be eternity greatful to carf and all they have done to get me the best outcome, having an Angel on your shoulder in time of need gave me hope for the future ❤️

i wish i could say they are helpful but unfortunately not now this is two occasions i have received rather a bad experience last year and this year, i contacted the east kilbride branch like over a week ago i was a tad disposed at the time going into a dental check up when the phone went so my thinking they would have contacted, they have not, i kindly sent them a return e-mail expressing my sincere apologies for missing the call and could they kindly contact me back, they have not this is the similar reception from last year i had a serious complaint to raise and i must say their conduct is that of a bunch of spoilt self entitled petulant teenagers, quite spiteful and down right insulting if you aske me

Have not moved long to Denny Scotland and have had to call CAS Denny a few times for help and advice.
Firstly each and every time I've made contact have found their staff helpful, knowledgeable and polite. Easy to access over the phone, free parking across the road in a public car park and above all friendly and welcoming staff.
Their advice is free, impartial and helpful. Remember these are volunteers mostly who are giving up their time to help others.
Saved me hours of frustration of going round in circles with HMRC.
Cheers guys.

I called Turriff CAB to ask advice on the legal term/jargon of the will provider being a trustee as unsure of the legal implementations before signing this. I got a young lass telling of not giving advice about this as to being a legal issue?? Then she tells me to google it! 🤯.. what has happened to CAB? 🤪

Shocking service!!
I just spent 45 minutes on a telephone queue to then get to number 1 in the queue and put to an answer service which requested my details and advised that someone will be in touch in next 5 working days!?? Why did it not do this at the beginning of the call rather than put me into a 45 minute queue countdown? CAB have no dedication these days.

Scotland's Citizens Advice Helpline. 0800 028 1456 😱 🙆‍♂️ Don't call this number no one cares answering

Been on the phone waiting for the last 4 and a half hours so I can get a hold of an advisor from Citizens Advice Scotland to help and support me, apparently the people who are there can't be bothered answer calls , they keep me waiting on cue number 1 until there working hours closed at 5 pm.
Is this the service that soul purpose is to help desperate and vulnerable people in need ?

If anyone has the contact details from Derek Mitchell - Chief Executive Officer who is in charge please I will be grateful if he can get informed what's happening

CAS is entirely dependent upon the attitude and competence of individuals working its helpline. So the service varies considerably depending upon who you end up speaking to. Lengthy, tedious menus to wade through, followed by phone queues that can be anywhere between 5 and 30 minutes.

I'm gicing CAS one star because of the time they wasted engaging ina process that I assumed would have an end. I followed all the steps week after week as advised by their staff only to arrive at a dead end that was utterly useless in resolving an issue I had with a builder who ripped us off.

CAS is a potentially great service to the public wasted by a few twits who CAS employ and who evidently do not give a toss about the public they are employed to serve. The last guy I spoke to was arrogant and dismissive and absolutely no help at all. This in contrast to the first person I spoke with who did actually seem to have a genuine concern for the problems described to her.