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

See how their reviews and ratings are sourced, scored, and moderated.

Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

No account details sent yet so I can…

No account details sent yet so I can register on the app and you’re asking me to give you a review. The fact I can’t look at anything on the app or register yet with no account number I can only score 1 out of 5. Been a week since the initial deposit

January 1, 2026
Unprompted review
Shepherds Friendly logo

Reply from Shepherds Friendly

Hello Jason,
Thank you for your review and for providing some more details. I can see that your Welcome Pack, which contains all your plan information was emailed on the 25/12/25.

If you can't see it, it's possible that it's gone into your junk or spam folder so please make sure to check these. If there's anything we can help with, please don't hesitate to reach out using our Help and Support form: https://www.shepherdsfriendly.co.uk/help-and-support/.
Kind regards,
Elena

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Don't trust these people with a barge…

Don't trust these people with a barge pole!!! Take out income protection and many years later they won't pay because I visited the doctor too many times and didn't tell them. Who knew they would trawl through every visit until they could find you had one too many coughs!! An elbow with some old age arthritis!! Anyway they will find something that means they won't pay. Not only that but it took three months to get to that point and two additional payments taken and then they told me they didn't want me any more, happy to keep taking my money whilst they took three months to decide! I am a very healthy person who simply had a minor surgery that will have no long term impact, I just had to rest for three months. Never claimed before! I believe this is deceitful marketing and unhelpful cover, they never intended to pay and dug till they could get out of paying! Don't go near this company!

December 18, 2025
Unprompted review
Shepherds Friendly logo

Reply from Shepherds Friendly

Hello Judie,
Thank you for your review. I’m sorry to hear that your experience wasn’t as you’d hoped.

We always aim to make fair decisions for our members when it comes to Income Protection claims.

It’s important that the information provided at application is accurate, as this helps prevent any issues if you need to make a claim. We’ve been in touch to explain why we weren’t able to pay you.

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

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

excellent customer service

Good bank and excellent customer service. Any issues (not that there usually are) are solved very quickly and someone always answered the phone.

December 23, 2025
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Income protection policy a joke

Signed up after lots of advice and a ton of paperwork for an income protection plan. 4.5 years later they won't pay out. Seems I didn't mention all my doctor visits. Be careful. Filled in truthfully, never suffered from what they list as examples, yet they link my doctor visits to these. Joint pain where it says arthritis, gout, fibromyalgia actually means if you go to to see the doctor with a sore thigh once ( not a joint) . Dizziness means ear ache from a cold, or an ear infection. High blood pressure means you get a reading whilst you have a cold / ear infection and its a little up because you're run down. Totally misold my policy. Paid in several thousand pounds. Will now go to Ombudsman and small claims. They had full access to my medical records, wouldn't cover me for mental health as was on anti depressents .I declared all the vital information as per their guidelines. Their customer service is awful, they waited nearly 8 weeks to tell me no claim and cancel my policy yet still took money. See you in court

December 18, 2025
Unprompted review
Shepherds Friendly logo

Reply from Shepherds Friendly

Hello Emma,

Thank you for your review. I’m sorry to hear that your experience wasn’t as you’d hoped.

We always aim to make fair decisions for our members when it comes to Income Protection claims.

It’s important that the information provided at application is accurate, as this helps prevent any issues if you need to make a claim. We’ve been in touch to explain why we weren’t able to pay you.

I can see that you have raised a complaint with us that we’re currently investigating. Please be assured that we take these seriously.

We would expect to complete our investigation within eight weeks of receiving your complaint, but we will aim to get back to you sooner if we can. For more information on our complaint’s procedure, please visit our website: https://www.shepherdsfriendly.co.uk/help-and-support/

If there is anything further we can do to help, please don't hesitate to contact us via email at: complaints@shepherdsfriendly.co.uk.

Kind regards,
Rosie

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Do not take a policy with these people! I beg you. 🙏

Having cancer is already horrendous, but the stress of dealing with this insurance company made everything immeasurably worse. I took out this policy believing that the support I’d been promised would be there when I needed it most. Instead, I felt completely disregarded and left high and dry.

All their great reviews are about how easy it is taking a policy with them. It was, but when it comes to the crunch……. THEY DON’T PAYOUT! Simple as that.

The claims process was exhausting, confusing, and emotionally draining. Despite following every instruction and submitting every document requested, my claim was still not paid. They found every loop hole possible not to pay out. At a time when I’m fighting for my health, I should not have to fight my insurer as well.

I strongly advise others to avoid this company and choose a reputable insurer that truly supports their customers in difficult moments. I deeply regret not going elsewhere, but now it’s too late. I’m dealing with cancer and facing the terrifying possibility of losing my home at the same time, without the help I expected and honestly paid for.

This has been an incredibly painful and disheartening experience, and I sincerely hope the company reflects on how its practices impact real people’s lives. They are disgraceful. Avoid, avoid, avoid!

IN RESPONSE TO YOUR REPLY……..
1. I answered all questions truthfully and honestly and declared everything when taking out the policy!
2. You haven’t been in touch to explain why you haven’t paid out!
3. You have found reasons not to payout that have nothing to do with my cancer. Causing me nothing but more stress!
4. You are NOT offering income protection. You are just taking people’s money until it’s time for them to make a claim!
5. Paying me back my monthly premiums does not constitute or demonstrate a good service. You are just conning people out of their money and then shattering lives!

SHAME ON YOU. HOW DO YOU PEOPLE SLEEP AT NIGHT?

November 26, 2025
Unprompted review
Shepherds Friendly logo

Reply from Shepherds Friendly

Hello,
Thank you for your review. I'm really sorry to hear about your experience.

We always aim to make fair decisions for all our members when they make an Income Protection claim.

When applying for a plan, it's vital that all questions are answered accurately. If this information isn't provided during application, we may not be able to pay the claim and your plan may have to be cancelled.

We've been in touch to explain why we aren't able to pay your claim and why we've cancelled your plan and refunded the money you paid in.

I’m sorry this wasn’t the outcome you were hoping for. If you have any more questions, you can reach out to our Claims team.

Kind regards,
Elena

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Antiquated and slow processes for…

Antiquated and slow processes for withdrawing money. I took out a VERY small S& Sh ISA last year with a joining bonus, which was the only reason for taking it out, and now the year is up I wish to withdraw and close account. First they made attempts to phone me which luckily i didn't answer, to discuss options, then an email telling me all about ISAs and options. I know all this and the only option i want is my money back, not to waste time talking to people on the phone. So then they want copies of my bank statement, since they obviousy did not get Nominated Bank Account details last year, which other financial instutions do, then when I sent it they wanted the top copy with my address on it. I always shred top copies to save storing loads of paper.....
So I sent the top page of another account I have so we'll see if that is good enough, If it is, it could be up to 10 days before I see my money. Unbelievable in these days of online banking and instant transfers. Thank goodness there is only a tiny amount invested and I do not need it in a hurry. No wonder peope are averse to investing and prefer to save in cash ISAs.
UPDATE: Have had to provide more info to Trustpilot to prove I am genuine! Have now anyway had confirmation that my money will be paid in 3-5 days. My dissatisfaction was purely to do with Systems; SF should have taken my bank details at the outset and then initiated the payment as soon as I requested it. I am sure they are a reputable company, but their systems are unwealdy and time-consuming for the customer.

December 1, 2025
Unprompted review
Shepherds Friendly logo

Reply from Shepherds Friendly

Hello,
Thank you for your review. I'm sorry to hear your experience wasn't as you'd expected. I asked for your details through Trustpilot so that I could look into this for you.

We're committed to protecting our member's money and information, so we always make sure to confirm important details. Your withdrawal was processed within 1 day once we received your documentation confirming your bank details.

We always want to make sure our members understand the options available. So, this is why we reached out to you over the phone.

If there's anything else we can support with, or if you have any more feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out to us here: https://www.shepherdsfriendly.co.uk/help-and-support/.

Kind regards,
Elena

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great Service

The information provided prior to my application was excellent and the application process itself was very quick and easy. The website and app are very user friendly.

November 21, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Creating the account was easyaccount easy to set up

Creating the account was easy, i spoke to 2 different staff members as I went through a cashback site and your actual website was misleading. Once id opened the account i got an email to say the welcome pack was ther but it wasn’t. Long story short the person i spoke to put the pack in the post which i have received

November 1, 2025
Unprompted review
Shepherds Friendly logo

Reply from Shepherds Friendly

Hello Jill,
Thank you for your review. As a mutual, our members are at the heart of everything we do, so we always value your feedback. I'm sorry to hear that you had difficulty with your cashback.

I'd like to look into this for you, so I've sent you an email through Trustpilot asking for some more details. Please could you reply to the email with your plan number, telephone number, postcode and full name?

Or, you can get in touch with us directly using our Help and Support form here: https://www.shepherdsfriendly.co.uk/help-and-support/.

Kind regards,
Elena

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