Shepherds Friendly Reviews 954

TrustScore 4 out of 5

4.1

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Evaluating 152 reviews, reviewers had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently highlight the ease and speed of setting up accounts and plans, often describing the process as straightforward and simple. Many people appreciate the helpful and professional staff, noting excellent customer service and clear explanations that make them feel confident in their decisions. The overall user experience is consistently praised, with consumers finding the website easy to use for managing accounts and making deposits. However, some people were dissatisfied with aspects of payment and customer service, experiencing confusion with money transfers or issues with payouts for claims. A few other people also felt that the process for adding money to accounts was not as easy as with other providers, specifically mentioning the use of debit cards. There were also concerns about delayed responses and difficulties with claims, with some reviewers reporting that the company did not pay out as expected.

What people talk about most

User experience

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of user experience, consistently praising the ease and simplicity of... See more

Payment

Customers consistently note ambiguous experiences with payment, with some finding it easy to set up accounts... See more

Customer service

Users describe ambiguous interactions with customer service, with many reviewers praising the helpfulness and... See more

Service

People report ambiguous experiences with service, with many customers expressing satisfaction, citing... See more

Staff

Customers had positive experiences with staff, frequently describing them as helpful, friendly, and... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

i do sincerely apologise for the review I left yesterday frustrated as I am out of the UK and had completely forgotten it was a bank holiday. It was even worse when the voice message didn't specify... See more

Company replied

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

The Shares ISA account has some appealing features however, it’s not as easy to add money as other providers, e.g. having to use a debit card. Similarly, the colour scheme of the app means that you ca... See more

Company replied

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Nice and easy to join and get set up, but the platform and profile are somewhat limited (in terms of information about the stocks and shares invested in, direct debit controls etc.). Overall nice UX a... See more

Company replied

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

A bit of confusion with money going into my account instead of my wife's, but all sorted with a phone call. A shame that joint accounts are no longer available.


Company details

  1. Money & Insurance

Written by the company

It is an incorporated society in the United Kingdom within the meaning of the Friendly Societies Act 1992.


Contact info

4.1

Great

TrustScore 4 out of 5

954 reviews

5-star
4-star
3-star
2-star
1-star

No history of asking for reviews

This company hasn't invited their customers, so reviews may not be representative

Replied to 100% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 1 week

How this company uses Trustpilot

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Unjust Claim Denial, Potential Bad Faith, and Lack of Medical Expertise – Proceed with Caution!

I am writing this review to warn others about my extremely negative experience with Shepherds Friendly Society regarding an Income Protection claim .

My claim for benefits due to incapacitation caused by radiculopathy was unjustly denied, despite a clear diagnosis from my GP and supporting medical evidence. My primary concern is not with the underlying diagnosis from my GP, but with a non-expert's dismissal from an experienced expert to tell me something.

My key concerns include:

Travel During Waiting Period Disregarded Outright
Disregard for Medical Evidence
Unqualified Personnel Making Medical Decisions: It's unacceptable that a claims manager without medical training has overruled the medical opinions of my doctor.
These problems make to not use again this insurance to tell.

I urge anyone considering Shepherds Friendly Income Protection to proceed with extreme caution. Be aware that your claim could be denied based on questionable interpretations of the policy and by personnel lacking the appropriate medical expertise. You must protect your rights, the same for the terms, and the things that say you have!

I am not the only reviewer who feels in a bad space.

Please don respond in the same way (Thank you for your review. I'm sorry to hear about your experience. We always 'aim' to make ''fair decisions for all our members when they make an income protection claim, so it's important that we receive all the relevant information, and are able to review this carefully, as we do have Terms and Conditions that must be met.) In mean time I'm struggling with bills....

29 April 2025
Unprompted review
Shepherds Friendly logo

Reply from Shepherds Friendly

Hello Dinu,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.

We’re sorry to hear about your situation and appreciate how serious it is to be without income when you're unwell.

We've been in touch to let you know the information that we need to review your claim, and your concerns are being looked into.

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to our Claims team.
Kind regards,
Elena

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I do not recommend anyone to use the…

I do not recommend anyone to use the services of this insurance company. I have been paying premiums for several years. Now that I got sick and filed a claim for the money I am owed, the company is doing everything not to pay me, I have been fighting for 2 months for any money. I call them, they have a terrible mess. They claim that they do not have this or that. It is a lot of stress. They send an email to the employer. And when I ask my former employer, he claims that he did not receive anything and so on. I do not recommend, choose another insurance company.....I see now that it was a big mistake that I didn't check the opinions about this company earlier. Contact with them is terrible. They don't reply to messages. You pay every month and when something happens you are left without any means of living and wait for months.

29 April 2025
Unprompted review
Shepherds Friendly logo

Reply from Shepherds Friendly

Hello Renata,
Thank you for your review. I'm sorry to hear about your experience. We always aim to make fair decisions for all our members when they make an income protection claim, so it's important that we receive all the relevant information, and are able to review this carefully, as we do have Terms and Conditions that must be met.

We've been in touch to let you know that we're currently looking at your claim. If you have any questions, our friendly Member Services team are here to help. You can reach them using our help and support form: https://www.shepherdsfriendly.co.uk/help-and-support/.
Kind regards,
Elena

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Really easy to set up my plan

Really easy to set up my plan, just waiting to get started 👍🏻 I was recommended by my Union Unison so I had no doubts about Shepherds Friendly.
Thank you, it feels good to be investing for the future 😊

25 April 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I signed up with Shepherds Friendly a…

I signed up with Shepherds Friendly a few years ago, and have heard very little over the past year or two. I wanted to find out about my Over 50 life policy, to check if it will be enough coverage with the rising costs of everything. I have gone through the few previous emails I have, but could not find a means to access my account. One of the links was broken, and I've had no reply to an email I sent. I feel a bit concerned about the company, whether it is still operating. I now want to find if it's possible to move my money to another company, so that I can be confident that my children won't have any difficulties accessing money.

24 April 2025
Unprompted review
Shepherds Friendly logo

Reply from Shepherds Friendly

Hello Donna,
Thank you for your review. We always value feedback from our members, and we aim to make everything as easy as possible. We're sorry to hear about your experience.

I'd like to look into this for you, but I need a bit more information. I've sent you an email through Trustpilot asking for a few details. Please could you reply to the email with your phone number, your plan number and postcode?

Or, you can get in touch with our Member Services team, using our help and support form: https://www.shepherdsfriendly.co.uk/help-and-support/. If you'd like information about your plan, you can select the option 'I would like to request some documentation'.

Kind regards,
Elena

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I have sent you a letter and want to…

I have sent you a letter and want to cancel since you appear to be unable to send me the printed paperwork / verification I requested . Barrie Lane

17 April 2025
Unprompted review
Shepherds Friendly logo

Reply from Shepherds Friendly

Hello Barrie,
Thank you for your review. We always value feedback from our members, and I'm sorry to hear about your experience.

I can see that you asked us to send you confirmation of your plan, so we resent your Welcome Pack over email, along with instructions to reset your password if you were having trouble logging in online.

We don't normally send out our Welcome Packs by post unless you ask us to so that we can make things quicker, easier, and more sustainable for our members. But, we're happy to send one out by post at your request.

We've now closed your plan, as you asked us to, and we've sent you confirmation of that over email. But, if you have any questions, you can get in touch with our Member Services team here: https://www.shepherdsfriendly.co.uk/help-and-support/.
Kind regards,
Elena

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Takes weeks to access your own money

Super dodgy organisation. Makes it near impossible to access your own money. Avoid like the plague.

23 April 2025
Unprompted review
Shepherds Friendly logo

Reply from Shepherds Friendly

Hello Shaun,
Thank you for your review. We always value feedback from our members, and we aim to make everything as easy as possible. We're sorry to hear about your experience with accessing your money.

I'd like to look into this for you, but I need a bit more information. I've sent you an email through Trustpilot asking for a few details. Please could you reply to the email with your phone number, your plan number and postcode?
Kind regards,
Elena

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