Friends1st Reviews 

Seriously this site is the worst ever. I've been a member of Friends1st since May 2020 for 7-8 months, but now I feel like it wasn't for me. Bad experience for many reasons. We hear about people meeting their soul mates through Friends1st. But honestly, how many people have met their soul mates by joining Friends1st? Because at that time, I have not found my soul mate. I paid for Silver membership, and I never received any support. I would not recommend Friends1st. I am writing a review with my experience; Please stay away from FF.

Thanks to Friends1st. My husband and I met and are happily married. We think it is wonderful way of meeting someone and, for us our Christian faith is so much an essential part of our relationship.

Joining Friends1st has been a positive experience overall.
For some of us out there, confidence is an issue and it can be intimidating trying to find "the one" or be introduced to other like minded people. This was me, but honestly, I was put at ease by the team who were friendly, supportive at every step of the way and didn't pressure me into spending more money than I wanted to at any point.
Yes it may be considered expensive, but in my mind is completely worth every penny.
Like anything worth having, you get out what you put in. I've met a long term partner of 6 months now, and haven't looked back since.

A 5* Review
As a Member of Friends First for the past 9 months, I would like to share some of my experiences to date.
First of all, I was very impressed by the
Information pack I received on joining.
It was very informative and well layed out.

The weekly video talks were full of wisdom, guidance and advise which helped me gain confidence as I journey
to find a long term companion.

Whenever I shared how I was getting on,
words of encouragement and support
were always offered to me by a member of The Friends First Team.

Finally I would like to express how much
I valued their Christian ethos.

Helen

Do you know something, I can honestly say you have friends in Friends1st!!

Please allow me to explain, what is the best definition of a friend? It's someone who is there for you through the good and bad times and who really cares.

There you have it.

Friends1st are so much your true friends when you are taking those tentative steps to find that special someone.

It can be daunting for some of us, but with Katharine and her team you have that real and genuine sense that finding happiness and friendships and hopefully more for members is a real passion for them and they truly want it to happen for all their members.

The girls I have spoken to in the office are so friendly, genuinely caring and knowledgeable, bless them as I came armed with lot's of questions!

When you join up to Friends1st you receive regular support and guidance even videos. By watching one of these videos in particular, I found the sound advice to be so true and took the advice on board.

Please allow me to explain, by listening to Katharine's positive can do attitude on the video changed my thinking and I, who would normally lack confidence, found myself saying to myself, "hey I'll do it, I'll give it a go, sure no harm done!"

It's Katharine's genuine interest and belief in every person, gave me the confidence I needed. She may as well have been standing in front of me giving me a pat on the back and the thumbs up

Speaking of videos, there was no way in this wild world that I was going to put up a picture of myself in case I'd chase all the men away!! Only joking. I would be quite a private person and felt somehow I would leave me open to be identified. But this was soon to change.

By listening to one of Katharine's video's a sentence similar to this jumped out at me, "would you be as interested in someone who hadn't a photo up of themselves." My honest answer to myself was "NO" So why should I expect any man to show an interest in my profile if I didn't attach a photo. The penny dropped!!
It's the simple things that help you change and sometimes it's just to hear a word that resonates with you.

Katharine's pep talk worked and needless to say I organised a photo of myself.

Where where else would you get it, the personal touch!! The owner Katharine makes herself available to help. I had a reason to email Katharine to see could she answer a query regarding for me, the dreaded subject of technology!!!.

Katharine answered me promptly by email encouraging me. I was delighted and very impressed. I felt the owner just does not stay in the background she is so much involved also.

You get so much from Friends1st for a very fair price . I am so thrilled I have recently joined up.

Take it from me as my caption reads, "Never be afraid of the unknown, do sign up to Friends1st and they'll help you to become known!!"

Signed
God loves a tryer and I'm signed up so why don't you.
Ann. Dublin, Ireland.

I joined after seeing an advert in farmers weekly, when I contacted f first the staff were very helpful with mountains of advice a photo shoot was organised my them and after filling in my profile the first ladies profiles arrived. There was travelling to do but I thought hey ho let's get talking to see what people are like, Life and meeting people is like making a sandwich you only get of it what you put into it. There was one or two technical problems but sarah soon sorted them out .The help and advice I have been given was second to none and I have now met a very nice lady and we are in a very strong relationship al down to friends first. Keep trying I can assure you there is somebody out there for you have faith and Keep going don't worry about the cost you are very looky if you get something for nothing. Best wishes Trevor

For someone quiet and a little timid of men, i have found FF [ Friends First ] to be a safe, nigh-nurturing place to meet men. Getting profiles once a quarter is a good pace, and the support [ emails, calls, the coaching process, etc ] buoyed me up too. Unlike internet dating, FF feels civilised and i was seldom made to feel any profilees were bothering me. And now i have found the love of my life. Job done and done well, FF!

After many years procrastinating, I’ve finally taken the plunge and joined Friends1st. Swiping left or right to choose a partner has not worked for me and I know I needed more help! I feel confident that the team at Friends1st will guide me through the process of potentially finding the right partner and subsequently offer dating advice that will help me where I have previously failed!! I’m still new to membership, but have already had some of the support and even counsel I know I need to make a possible relationship work.

Joined Friends First in 2017 but at that time didn't meet anyone, it's all about God's timing and when the 2 people He's bringing together are both ready. Joined Friends First again in 2021 and after a not so good relationship of a few months with someone from a different agency, in October I met M through Friends First.

We are from completely different church backgrounds! I'm primarily Pentecostal and M is C of E but we both believe in all the fundemental Christian truths and pray to God the Father in Jesus' Name!
Initially I thought oh no he's C of E and he thought oh no she's so far away and evangelical, but we both made the extra effort to meet. To date we have always seen each other within 10 days. We both have a lot of interests in common, including music and walking, and our personalities seem to compliment one another. From the beginning there's been a strong physical attraction on both sides but obviously it's not all about that. When joining an introduction agency after lots prayer, patience and the right timing God will answer eventually those prayers. We have both been praying for quite a few years.

An important advantage of Friends1st agency is the security of it being an 'off line' introductory service. When meeting members who are often some distance away, my suggestion and experience is the individuals wishing to meet each other, agree to meet half way. This would probably be using using public transport, having made a private arrangement by email or 'phone beforehand. When contacting staff at Friends1st, I found they always 'phone me back the next day having me left a message. My experience is they always seek to be understanding and helpful where possible.

When I pushed to know how many men were in my area and age bracket, before I would sign up, I was told hundreds, which is clearly untrue. In the 10 months I have been a member, I have had just 1 profile in my county, Surrey and have been offered so many profiles in Southern Ireland and Scotland over 250 miles away!
I feel I have been totally misold and the company in my experience have not even replied to emails. Does Katherine even exist? I have asked to speak with her several times and sent emails she hasn’t even acknowledged.
Their business profile is to prey on people’s insecurities, by offering costly products to improve your chances of finding love, when in fact I joined to be introduced to members, that they clearly do not have on their books.
In any other arena, when a service is substandard, the service provider acknowledges they have areas to improve and offers customers recompense. Unfortunately Friends first will not have a single word said against their performance.
A very disappointing experience

Friends1st is a trusted Christian off line dating agency that has a passion to support and offer guidance to individuals looking to meet new friends with a possibility of finding a soul mate. Support and guidance is available for all members whenever required, which makes Friends1st a unique and reliable company that values every member holistically. As a current member,I highly recommend Friends1st.

Not a 'Christian' agency at all. I don't know about the men but the staff, they have no conscience. They sent me to a rubbish 'professional' photographer that took photos that were not good quality. They will charge you £49 monthly and send you the same profiles quarterly of people that are 20 miles away and complete opposite of what you requested for age bracket etc. They continue taking your money after you cancel even after the contracted 12 months and then offer zero services. They charge extra for everything, zoom events etc, they keep sending you emails to pay for this and that outside the monthly fee. They don't reply complaint emails and then get very nasty on phone. Very clear difference in their tone from when they were luring you in. When you complain their usual lines are 'this is not Christian like'. Wow! Using the name of Christ to commit fraud and don't want to be called out? There is a special place in hell for these people. Check the reviews, everyone can't be lying. You will notice their passive aggressive replies. They even claim not to recognise the reviewers but they can recognise the fake reviewers. Google Christian dating agencies and thoroughly check reviews. Don't fall a victim of this agency that take advantage of people they think are vulnerable.

The team at Friends First really want to help people, and put all their efforts into doing just that! I didn't have the best attitude to dating, but through the grace of God, the kindness of the team at Friends First, and through the wonderful man I met through the programme, I am now very happily in a relationship. Thank you! x

Friendsfirst dating agency set up by Katherine Gray .
I meet my husband through her team during lockdown. Anyone wishing to explore and make new friendships or more with this christian agency should give it a go..please be proactive, open minded. The team are available to encourage, support But its up to you . You know the saying.." take a horse to water but you cant make it drink." Yes their is a financial cost for their various services, some members may need these inputs more then others. Also depending on your level of membership. Likewise you must be prepared to pay the cost be it financial, time and energy to make friendsfirst work for you . Its all about getting involved.. and there is so much you can get involved in with other members. The old sayings is true you don't get everything for free and it's not a bad thing when you get results ..truly for me the saying rings true God help those who help themselves. He helped me.
But I suggest you be open minded,try not to take offence at the team sending you profiles to contact. Yes if you are contacted by someone who is a bit different... more then once don't despair. Stay calm and be patient. You might have found a genuine person to be friends with. Or more like me a life partner, husband and in his case a wife. It took me several months but their are genuine people on the site many from various cultures..but with a common christian faith .
I just want to say Thankyou so much to friends first. This chatty inner city girl would never have found her husband a quite country boy had you not sent me his profile.

I joined Friends 1st just over a year ago. Before joining I spoke to a member of staff ,as I wanted to know if there were members in locally to me in the South West . I was told there were so I decided to pay my just over £500 pounds membership fee. During my membership I received a total of 3 profiles of people in the South West . The majority of the online type profiles I received ( not all with pictures) were of people in the North and Ireland . I appreciate that matches are not always local but feel disappointed and slightly mislead .Also only matching criteria seems to be age. Have given two stars for polite staff and literature received. I could have accessed similar profiles on other Christian based sites without spending hundreds of pounds .

I am now free of friends first Thank God but when my membership finally came to an end( and believe me I was counting the days) they still took the next months payment!! They refunded it once I contacted them however I was not at all surprised- a long long list of negative and unpleasant experiences from them with rude and defensive dealings with customers- use your common sense don't be a victim like I was. Amanda from Bham.

If you are anything like me when starting out on this exciting journey I was full of questions I longed to have answered, ideally by someone who had gone before. In writing a review, if I have any objective at all, it would be to provide readers with some sort of insight, albeit my experience, and the sort of information which might have helped me in making an informed decision about joining Friends 1st.
I received my membership package by post, dated 16 July 2020. I make mention of these two facts if only to highlight timescales. Payment would have been taken earlier in July.
I pause here to give you fact about my experience with the payment process. I had opted to make payment by monthly instalment. Whilst checking my account, not specifically with regard to my monthly payment, I discovered the entire year's sum had been taken. I made contact with Friends 1st to have the error put right. As the conversation progressed it became apparent an apology was not going to be forthcoming. Pressing the matter slightly I made sure to give every opportunity possible. After all this is a Christian organisation, anything less would have been remiss. Had I received that simple apology I may not have come away from that interaction with the unfavourable perception I did.
I received my much anticipated first set of profiles on the 18 August '20, approximately a five/six week wait. Do be prepared, as I had not expected it to take so long to receive them having taken payment several weeks earlier.
How many profiles would I receive each month, roughly. I have just come to the end of a year/12 months, in which I received a total of 63 profiles. In the first three months I received 8, 7 and 7 profiles respectively. Out of the nine remaining months there were two moths where I received 6 profiles, three months where I received 5 profiles, in two months 4 profiles and in the other two 3 profiles. When I asked the question as to how many I might expect to receive, as I imagine many do, it was met with a vague, woolly response.
The mistake with payment was but one of a number. On 20 August '20 I received an email request for my personal profile form. This had been sent. On th 5th and again on the 14th September '20 I emailed the team to advise that I had been unable to access my account due to a technical failure on their part. I did receive an apology but my request for a refund for those two weeks was declined. Somewhat incredulously on 23 July '21 I received an email requesting my ID.
From November '20 it was already blatantly clear how my experience with Friends 1st might pan out. These were but some of the mistakes. That my name could have been mistaken, if that is what was going on, did not fill me with confidence.
There remains but one fact of which I will pass on. With each profile received it tells you whether or not the person has received my profile details. In the first two months of the 15 profiles I received the majority had not received my profile. As age is the only thing on which you are matched why I was sent profiles for people who had not received mine was a question I put to the team.
For my own interest I have just gone back through each month of profiles received, beginning in August last year. The information regarding who has received my profile has been changed to read as if my profile was sent to more people than it actually was at the time. Of all my experience with Friends 1st I find this action reprehensible. As a Christisn myself of over 30 years on this I have no words. I am not aware that it is acceptable to falsify information or, effectively, lie.
I was asked to write a testimonial as early as 20 July '20. There is a reason. At that early stage in my journey my dealings with the staff had been efficient and pleasant; I had been somewhat unsure about joining at all. This side of my year with Friends1st I can only wonder why 'Christian' members of staff would not speak out about aspects if the business which are clearly wrong?
I do not have anything to lose or gain in writing this review. What I have proffered here is for the reader's information. I have absolutely no confidence that it will impact the business function of Friends 1st. Regrettably, I ponder that those with whom my review resonates will mostly be those who have also had a poor experience.

A waste of money and time unfortunately and very disappointing service lacking of Christian values as they refused to refund any of the fees I paid after my complaint about requested additional payments and despite a few nice members of staff it doesn't make up for the backlash I got and time wasted to no longer be associated with them after signing up. The added blow that I should accept their poor service and implication that I was to blame for the membership level they had to offer which didn't resolve anything and I saw no willingness to provide a win-win outcome as you would expect from a Christian organisation. There was no support when I raised any issues about their service or lack of care for me as a 'member', only backlash and persistence about paying their money. In essence the message I got was that it's tough that I joined and I have to pay what I was sold regardless of dissatisfaction and not even using any of their services or connecting with a single member. It is a breach of contract when you don’t get the service you were sold and as I asserted on many occasions they didn’t hold up their end of the service and expect the members to remain in the payment cycle for their own gain. This is deeply disappointing approach and a policy with a parroted response that perhaps has been going on for a while. There is no response to this from FF that can negate the truth of what I am sharing as I gain nothing from sharing it and my motivation of sharing this review is to protect the resources and time of other Christians seeking to find a meaningful relationship. I hope FF seriously consider and review their approach and policy as a result.

Friends1st present themselves as a Christian company that genuinely care but are all about the money. I joined friends1st last June and I will not recommend friends1st. Paid for silver membership and I never got any support in terms of calls and checking up on me and finding out how I was getting on. The profiles were very limited; sometimes getting just 4 and being a silver member, I only got profiles after every 3 months. I signed up for some of the online activities and when I found out I could no longer attend due to work, I requested for a refund but they refused saying they don’t give refunds despite letting them know 2 weeks ahead. What company doesn’t give refunds especially if you give long notice and most importatantly, they did not include 'non refundable" clause during the sign up process. All the things promised in the package was never delivered even Photoshoot. I called the photographer numerous times, he never picked the calls. There was no social whatsoever despite paying for it in the package. No concern, no care whatsoever, only money and more money. If your business is struggling, find ways to get it back on its feet rather than scamming people with failed promises. Trust me I was very hopeful when I signed up to the extent of telling 2 friends who joined and have similar complaints to me. You are better off with Christain connection. Worse £588 I have ever wasted. I wish I had donated that money to a deserving charity. Very unhappy client.

Update: I got a message today 27/04/23 from trustpilot that the company are requesting for more information from me and if I don't provide it, my review would be taken down I wonder where this is coming from? Katherine called me after i posted my review in 2021and I told her everything I have posted in this review, why asking again after two years even threatening to take it down. This is my experience and no one should take it from me.