brian becker

A big thank you to Andrew Stewart who posted on this page, announcing that there is a 14 day cooling off period [ buried deep down in the terms and conditions ] for online sign ups.
After signing up online for the misuse of data by Google and Microsoft, I started receiving a torrent of emails requesting additional information, including many duplicate emails. Not a good start! I rechecked the extensive T&C’s in their CFA ( conditional fee agreement ) and buried there was a clause that states, “If I lose, I am liable for paying my opponents legal charges and disbursements” WHICH CAN BE HUGE in the case of 2 USA giant companies like Microsoft and Google. I am posting this on TrustPilot to warn others to CAREFULLY read Baring’s T&C’s before signing any agreement with them, this is heavy stuff!

Booked hotel Konstantinoupolis, Corfu for 1 night, stayed there [wouldn't reccomend!], when transaction came up on my credit card statement, they had charged me a cancellation fee! Strange, have photos of us in the hotel and have reviewed online. Complained to Expedia but they don't appear to be sorting a refund. My confidence with their online booking system is shattered!

They booked me in for a telephone appointment, sent me 2 texts as reminders. I sat there for the full 3 hour time window with my land line and mobile phones. They never rang me! No reason provided, no apology, just wasting my time. Extremely unprofessional.

We signed to change my elderly mother in law's broadband and phone to Vodafone on 9 November 2024. Since then we have had a world of pain with this changeover. Although eventually installed on 14 February 2025, we still have no landline phone working, over 3 months since we instigated the change! The land line is essential for a 94 year lady living on her own. We are tearing our hair out!
Re reply: Usual corporate placatory reply as expected. Have spent hours, probably days of our lives on the phone to people in Egypt, Timbuktu, like talking to a black hole. Only just joined Vodaphone and thinking of leaving. Have moved broadband several times before, never experienced chaos like this...Next stop OFCOM.

I used the Sanex hypoallergenic bath soak, brought me out in a really bad urticarial rash which took 3 weeks to disappear, nightmare!

Worst selection of films I've ever known at a cinema, either kids films or apocalyptic disaster movies. We get free tickets for Vue from our bank but struggle to find anything worth watching...even when it's free!

After weeks of waiting, a member of my family was due to have their broadband switched to another provider tomorrow (20.12.24). We received an email this morning telling us that the installation was now being moved to 12.02.25! No apology from Openreach whatsoever. Rang new supplier Vodaphone, they said the email was a mistake and the changeover was still happening. Went on a chat line to double check and they confirmed the original date had been cancelled, no reason given. I guess expecting Openreach to actually turn up for an appointment on time is expecting a lot, but nearly 2 months late? Must be a new record, even for BT.

The AJ alarm Bell rang when I received a demand from them to pay additional, outstanding, substantial ISA account maintenance fees. Apparently there wasn't enough cash in my under performing account to cover them? I've been investing in stocks and shares ISAs for many years, with various companies and this was a new one on me. Was this a scam? A dislexic chatbot? or just a bad dream? Apparently the small print had decided I owed them money. My ISA was obviously a poor investment and I needed to move it to another provider ASAP. AJB then drip fed me a jigsaw of information about how to achieve this. Weeks later, the ISA had still gone nowhere because of incomplete instructions. It even took a further 6 days to reach my new provider after AJB notified me the funds has been transferred!

MORAL OF THIS STORY
Investing with AJB is a complex process, very different to the stocks and shares ISAs I had bought previously. Their website and products are very much aimed at investors who regularly enjoy monitoring fund stats and playing the markets. Their small print is very, very small and I honestly believe their staff think all their investors have a good working knowledge of the London Stock Exchange. I'm sure AJB works for some people but not for me!
I expect there will be the usual corporate placatory response added to this post...

I work for a repair cafe and a client brought in a 3 year old Ewbank 3032 vacuum with a broken roller brush. We contacted Ewbank and were told spares are not available as the model has been discontinued! Next I tried Ebay and the net but none on there. So this cleaner is now junk. Ewbank obviously consider their products as disposable items.
* Usual corporate placatory message, no follow up, problem still unresolved.
** Well its been a week now since Leva Strikaityte said Ewbank customer services would contact me and guess what, nothing! If I had a phone number and could pronounce their name, I would give them a ring...
*** Of course they never contacted us, after sending several emails they just sent a link to buy a Ewbank replacement model! In their dreams, my next vacuum cleaner will have spare parts available! This company sucks.

They are an excellent company but be warned, their current XMAS24 promotion offer made very little difference to the prices I was quoted a few weeks ago. Basically just another black friday con.
See below for usual corporate placatory reply.

Been with them since 2020. Taz was super helpful in getting my film uploaded to digital platforms, including their own. His technical help, especially with subtitles was invaluable. One day I will make the journey to Chelmsford just to say thank you.

Trip Advisor was born of good intention and initially posted a broad spectrum of useful traveller's views from across the world. The company now however thoroughly dislikes any reviews which show any negativity to the tour operators it is partnered with and receiving sales commission from. Yes, a classic case of whoever pays the piper calls the tune.

Trying to check in online and being repeatedly told our information is incorrect. They accepted the same information for our outward flight. Just keep getting a message telling us to turn up at the airport 3 hours before departure and hopefully will be OK! Their systems are hopeless. Our booking code P1AE1F

Currently trying to check in online and being told our details are incorrect THEY ARE NOT! Chat line told us their computers are down for maintenance...won't be rushing to book with these people again if we ever get back!
Ha! you think we haven't tried your site, only response we could get was from bots/humans? Usually their computer was down, we were sent irrelevant information but most often we were just cut off. We are receiving app messages from Pegasus asking us to check in.It's now less than 24 hrs until we fly and we are totally stressed out.

Train broke down, doors not working on 2 carriages. They shifted us to another carriage where we continued our journey to London sat on the floor. Arrival was over 1 hour late but they rejected our rightful claim for compensation!

My mid term contract rise more than doubled the cost of my broadband! Virgin Media are thieves! Other current suppliers are still less than half the price. I tried to carefully time my leaving them at the end of my contract but was still overcharged for my last month. Rob dogs!
The usual phony customer care response from the social media team! Waste even more time talking to these thieves...they must be joking! If Virgin Media is serious about keeping their customers, WHY don't they phone ME?
Finally managed to escape these thieves about 2 weeks ago when my contract ended but they are still billing me! I cannot believe it!
If Virgin Media was the last broadband supplier in the world, I would rather go without the Internet than have another contract with them.

Booked an afternoon PREMIUM wine tour in Santiago Chile. The day before they asked us to move it to the morning. Really inconvenient but we agreed. Arrived at Santa Rita Winery and the Civitatis rep, from local agent MTO booked us in for a SELECCION tour which is much shorter [and far cheaper]. We said there was a mistake but the rep wouldn't do anything about it, it was take the inferior tour or go home! With no option, we took the cheaper tour. We wrote to Civitatis to complain and were promply answered, probably by a bot, saying they would look into it. That was a week ago, no apology, no refund, just nothing!
Update: Had a bot send me 3 identical emails...

They're cheap! I have an ongoing problem of delays in sms messages arriving, sometimes days after they are sent. I had to change the credit card I use to pay them because of fraud and for some obscure reason they halved my data allowance. I wrote to them to explain why and just got their usual bot answer. Their customer service is pants.
Received usual TP placatory reply from Lebara but still waiting for them to contact me, won't hold my breath!
Just to confirm that no-one contacted me from Lebara, I don't believe they actually have real people working for them.

Ordered on Friday for next working day delivery. Left it till Sunday to collect to make sure it would be there but hadn't been delivered. I think they have a different definition of 'next working day' to mine. If the store's open, surely it's a working day? Just love wasting time and petrol. Mental note: go to Screwfix next time!
Tool Station reply clarified nothing. Tried calling customer services but no answer. Item eventually arrived midday Monday. Assistant confirmed delivery should have been Saturday or Sunday, but TS have changed their courier recently and weekend deliveries often don't happen. I think their next day delivery claim needs adjusting to reflect this!

Just stayed in accommodation booked through booking.com. We would really like to leave a review but our account isn't showing that we stayed there! Tried to phone them...Mission Impossible. Tried to email them, Mission Impossible 2. Maybe someone from this awful company is reading this and will tell me how to resolve this?