Federation of Small Businesses Reviews 716

During a long conversation today, Justin was absolutely brilliant. He led me through all the information that will be useful to me, and he gave some thought to missing out what is irrelevant. His product knowledge is unbelievable and he was helpful in the extreme. He has already emailed me his contact details and told me I can contact him with any questions. All in all, I could not have asked for more.

Very helpful and always there for the members, whatever the size of the business.

Having been a member for a few years now, we recently had the misfortune to need their debt recovery template. It's a simple letter template backed by the legal team and is always up to date. For the small effort and time spent editing to our needs, it was a no brainer and we actually got the debt paid the very next day!

In fact all the forms, employment contracts and such are thoroughly worth the membership as most of us cannot afford private law firms. It's reassuring knowing the FSB legal team have your back and are always prompt and easy to deal with on the phone.

I attended an online networking event hosted by FSB and I can honestly say it was by far the best event of this type I have ever attended. The host was excellent..it was smooth, seamless and I connected with some great people. I generally don't like doing these type of events as they can sometimes make me cringe, but this one was truly excellent. Thanks FSB!

Very helpful staff and services - good value for money.

The FSB provides a wide range of benefits for small businesses and their introductory call was a great way of getting up to speed with the benefits on offer.

Thank you Sarah, Rachel and Mia yesterday for facilitating yet another online meeting yesterday. It was rich in content, insightful and gave us all space to share and hear from others. That little extra time at the end means alot and makes one feel heard and cared for in what at times can be a porridge of uncertainty in business.
I was very honoured to be selected as a suitable person to carry out the Santa role that was required by a fellow member in Walthamstowe.This wouldnt have happened had it not been for the sharp eye of Mia who is always looking out for the members in her reach to see where she can help.Thank you all for reminding us all about the FSB products and services and for encouraging us to share our thoughts.
For anyone wondering whether they should become a member, do get in touch with these guys and tell them what you think.
I remember someone from a chamber of commerce network telling me once when I was considering membership he said 'It's all about putting something in and getting something out.'

I like the fact that even on the less than 5 star reviews for FSB they at least try and get things resolved with their little message after the comment.

It's all about communication!

Joined July 2023. Requested the Representative for information on funding. No communication since my last message in Sept 2023. I complaint on 14 Nov 2023 & received a call from Martin Customer service sounded convincing & gave them another chance. I followed their suggestion and provided all information for speakers slot 1 Dec 2023. Chased them up on 12 Jan 2024. Since then Mia, Martin and now Juliette have each written to me separately without copying the others and Re-routing my request to another department. I not receiving clear concise information to date 16 Jan 2024. I have emailed them all again and asking for full refund of my membership.

Update as at 31 Jan 2024: Martin customer service replied after consulting with "Our Membership Director has investigated this, *& it has been decided on this occasion we will not be making any refund for the reasons set out in the T&C. “For paid subscriptions refunds (either in whole or in part) will only be made if resignation is received up to a maximum of 28 days after the due subscription has been paid".
I will not be renewing my membership.
Good news: I have managed to get a 10 min speaking slot with the East London Online networking for 22 Feb 2024.

Good call with Martin today following our recent membership of the FSB, lots of benefits and great walk through the website resources.
Many thanks
Greg

I recently had the pleasure of receiving a telephone walkthrough of my membership benefits package from Justin, which was brilliant.

Justin was amazing and took the time to ensure that I not only understood my membership benefits but also felt confident in navigating through the various features of my membership portal.

I'm still very new to FSB but already feel more confident starting my business knowing I have access to professional advisors who can help mitigate certain business issues should anything arise.

There are lots and lots of useful resources included with the membership, and knowing how to access these was very helpful - as well as saving me time and money sourcing these same resources elsewhere.

Excellent customer service
Only joined this week but the onboarding service has been excellent. I had a call to talk me through all the services on their website. Requested an insurance quote that came through within about 24 hours and a meeting with local advisor is being arranged. Very pleased with my decision to join.

Justin arranged a convenient time to go through the FSB website and services. Was clear and knowledgeable. Call was very helpful signposting where to find useful documents etc.

I have recently joined the FSB and have been blown away by the outstanding customer service and the quality of the services included within the membership. I can't recommend joining them enough - I've just had a super comprehensive phone call with Justin, who ran through many of the services in detail. In all honesty, their website doesn't do the membership justice. If you're a small business and want peace of mind, join the FSB. Your membership fee will pay for itself in no time.

You could never be off in better hands... I have all the guidance and support all under one membership. The step by step phone call guide was a service you will get no where in a world we live in that promotes us doing the research and self serve ourselves.

Great introduction call with Martin and lots of benefits for my business. I'm excited to use the platform more

When I made my first call a while ago, the "advisor" started talking without asking me what my problem was. After she finished, I wanted to explain my situation in detail, but they responded that it was unnecessary as they were giving me "general advice." It was disappointing to realise over the phone that these "advisors" don't seem to care much.

I have reached out a second time recently, but unfortunately, the service provided was highly unsatisfactory (again). The advice given was poor and superficial. It was evident that the person I spoke with was unprepared and inexperienced; they didn't give me any confidence at all.

Considering how bad this service has been on two occasions, I have decided not to renew my membership. Their service feels almost like not having anything at all. It's one of those subscriptions you forget you have because you don't use it at all, and then when you use it is incredibly disappointing.

Great introduction call with so many benefits I didn't even know about.

I joined the FSB because I needed some business support and some online virtual networking.

Along with the fee for joining, you also get legal support. I don't require this at the moment, but who knows what will be needed in the future? It's good to know that the FSB is there to help and support you.

I wanted to thank Alison Turner and Gary Salters, who gave me quite a lot of information to digest but didn't sell to me, which was refreshing to see.

The only downside that I can see so far is that the FSB does not offer a monthly payment service to help and support small businesses to scale.

Most other associations that I am with as a business know that small businesses need to be able to manage their cash flow. I personally think that the FSB needs to offer this to businesses that require it.

(I can only assume that the reason they have not offered it is down to people potentially cancelling six months in, but this should still be offered to help and support members even if it's a not-for-profit entity, as times are tough out there and every pound counts.)

The overall professional service offered by the FSB has been great so far, and the virtual meetings are also well attended by people across the country.

It was great to have a call today with Justin after I'd encouraged my new employer to sign up to FSB. I needed a refresher on the FSB website and Justin provided great guidance with his knowledge and expertise. He explained clearly how to navigate the membership benefits and access all of the professional help offered by FSB. Thank you Justin for your time today.

We had a great experience with Justin giving us information regarding the content of the FSB website.
He was knowledgeable, and efficient. This made the entire process smooth and stress-free. We have definitely gained valuable information on what the FSB has to offer our business.