Samaritans Reviews 

You know what wish I had read these reviews before wasting my time on their online pilot chat service. I may have well talked to the wall think I would have had a better response. Uncaring, unsympathetic, no empathy and then clearly when bored with me cut me off. First time I reached out to this service and will not bother again. You slap signs up on bridges on trains etc that we’re here to help. No you’re not - this company needs an overhaul. People come to you when at their lowest ebb feeling they don’t want to carry on yet look at your reviews. It’s disgusting yet you’re a mental health service??? Deary me I wonder how many that have reached out to you have ended up harming themselves 😓

Don't trust them. They will threaten to call social services on a happy family if you're a little stressed. Other than that, they "can't give advice" which makes them pointless.

Edit: I'd really like to get in contact with people who feel the same way about these charlatans. We can help each other.

I've just got blocked for over a year ? For what ? Well I don't know . As I was not abusive. Neither did I misuse the service. I'm.also banned from calling the Welsh language line too , even when all I ever heard from them was that it was fine for me to phone back and express my stressed thoughts in my native language. I was also told by them time and again that I had used the service appropriately.

Clearly the Samaritans don't respect privacy let alone fair play neither do they respect a person's bilingual rights in practice .
This foolish, callous and counter productive decision was more then likely made by one of their pre set bots . Due to ignorant decisions made by duh management. As I might well have questioned the attitude of the last volunteer I spoke to on the main line or made critical comments about the appalling state of other public sector miss actors . However all software is controlled by people. In the case of the Samaritans. Clearly it is toxic people serving the interest of income driven managers and a ideology to suprass the lived experiences of callers from a less fortunate position. Within society.

All in all the Samaritans are a bunch of middle class people. Who seem to believe it is their own inherent right to, sit behind a desk and block the experiences of others. In order to suprass the callers lived thoughts. Which they will often snooker out of us . By starting the call in a faux manner of empathy For the services own narrow minded purposes.which often involved the abrupt extrapolation of sensitive data about a callers personal circumstances .
As per the 1984 style message I got on my phone. These lesser jobsworths as the head office want me to phone in to get some explanation which given their form will just be more of the same nonsense and a further data grab .
My remaining question would be . Why would I want to do that . ?? Trust a bunch of short sighted staff . For no valid reason. Least we forget at that level,they get paid to waste more time with their facade of soft language and pre planned routines of institutional double down . While I wont be compensated for an unnecessary waste of my time.

Terrible.

To the people saying “they’re just volunteers,” you need to start reading the room. Samaritans is marketed as the number one hotline for people in crisis—specifically those with suicidal tendencies. Yet, what do these “trained” volunteers actually do? There is no point in this charity existing if you don't hire people who have at least minimal experience in handling clients showing distressing signs of wanting to end their lives.

Today I called in hopes of feeling better, and a volunteer asked me baseless questions only to end the call with, “I can’t hear you, your voice sounds distorted... I’ll call you back later, okay?” and then hung up. Excuse me? I am a young person who requires help from a hotline that claims to assist people like me—and I get hung up on because you can’t hear me? Thanks, because this “charity” reminded me that if I feel like ending my life, I should just call 999. At least their operators have enough empathy to keep me calm while an ambulance is on its way.

I have plenty of experience supporting friends through their hardest moments, but these people? Based on these reviews, they clearly don't even want to do their jobs. It doesn’t matter if you find one or two people in this “horse show" who happen to be the best; half of these volunteers are absolutely hopeless. They are unbothered, unempathetic, and careless. If you think hanging up on mentally ill people will fix their problems, then disband this ridiculous organisation.

That man said he would call me back; he hasn't. Stop hiring people off the street who don't give a damn about helping people in need. If you have an excuse for this behaviour, I’d love to hear it, because you have no defence against the fact that it is your job to calm a person in need down.

I have absolutely no idea why this number is recommended by google and other platforms after today, I feel miserable and exhausted.

Don't answer the phone despite me calling 8 times now.

How the Samaritans can consider themselves to be caring people is literally beyond my belief. They have blocked me at a time in my life when I am desperate. They have sited the reason for this as that some of the things I have said are inappropriate. I have only spoken the truth in the most respectful way I could and they block me. Really? They are Samaritans? Don’t waste your time with them. They don’t care

CLOSE THIS ORGANISATION DOWN!

The people over the phone are extremely difficult to talk to and they sigh down the phone, talk over me, dismiss me.

These people do not care and have any good intention of saving people who are suicidal. People donate to this organisation and they do not live up to what they are supposed to do. The advisor prey on vulnerable people and use them to enhance their career for university and to get ahead.
Don’t trust them. They study you.
Shame on you.

Tried to call them because I've been feeling the worst I have ever been. On the phone to them as we speak and no one has picked up after 7 minutes. Within this time, I could've jumped off a bridge, which seems like the better option right now.

Legit, if you are thinking of committing suicide, do not wait for these incompetent melons to pick up. Go straight to A&E. At least there you will be safe.

Called in a very bad state, needed empathy and at least some interest. The woman sounded so disinterested. I really felt so much worse afterwards as if I was bothering her. Why volunteer for Samaritans if you couldn’t be bothered to show at least some level of humanity.

There is a volunteer called 'Maria', they like to give a different name when they are on the phone, she hang up on me twice tonight, because she did not like what I said. Samaritans is supposed to be non-judgemental, but some volunteers like her are. The first phone call was made at 12:11 am.

She just talked to me for a couple of minutes and found out what was bothering me, she didn't like the issue, she hang up. I rang back a few times and trying to get her and I did, I told her she hang up on me because she did not like what I said, she hang up for a second time.

Question: why doesn't she stay at home if she doesn't like to talk to people? why get on the phone? or is she being judgemental?

No excuses, there is no way the phone drops twice in a roll after speaking to me a minute or two. My phone calls to others do not drop this frequently.

This is judgemental apparently, the volunteers have freedom to choose what they like to hear.

I wish I never made the phone call tonight, feeling much worse now...

I have also found Samaritan service useful especially in the early hours of the morning when desperate to speak to someone.I know they cannot advise but listen and sometimes I just need to hear my own voice of concerns to gain clarity.Yes I have had to wait and there is an automated message to inform me that Samaritans know I am waiting.But wouldn't use if I required urgent help or assistance as don't that would be helpful to my situation.But always there when I need them and that's a comfort for me.

I found it off-putting that I could hear other ppl on calls in the background but I would of got a grip
It was a Female i spoke to

So I explained that I have bipolar, im under the community mental health team but I cannot get through to the mental crises line since its gone over to 101 option 2
There was a silence
I then asked if she was still there
I had to repeat myself and she told me to see if my GP could help
Do the volunteers know about community mental health teams and crises lines ? What about the 111 options 2 surely?
Its the Nationwide telephone number for mental health
She wasn't rude or anything
Hope other ppl get the help they need

It was before Covid. The person I spoke to on the phone laughed at my face and said to give a call back after thinking thoroughly. I do not like them, do not recommend their services even to my enemies!

Absolutely life line used for 1st time tonight and so understanding listened to me haven't felt this low in a long time but found out about something and really hit me and they picked me up so good to talk thankyou George you was amazing absolutely amazing work you do ❤️

I called Samaritans after contemplating suicide. I was given short shrift and was made to feel like a naughty schoolboy with a smacked bum.

I'm 56 years old, intelligent and was made to feel like a fool. Maybe I just got the wrong person who had to hurry back to watch Corrie.

Then when I complained, I get an email from 'jo at samaritans.org' sorry, they don't allow the at sign, I should have known- an AI auto response chat box.

Dreadful experience.

If you're not willing to listen or don't have the patience to listen to people who are on the verge of taking their own lives, don't put yourself forward as a 'volunteer'.

They helped me out when I needed it and they supported me in a way that I understood and were there to listen to a big thank you

Honestly you're better off just coping with your issues yourself. Called them to talk about how stressed I am with everything going on in my life, how I felt trapped between two difficult choices. Guy kept asking me the same question, which only escalated my distress.

My best friend used them during a really difficult experience and was told after 25 minutes I have to go, this is ridiculous and she felt worse after reaching out, hold your heads in shame

I called yesterday as I was feeling really low and upset and needed someone to talk to. The volunteer I spoke with appeared disinterested throughout the call and showed very little empathy. It felt as though he could not be bothered continuing the conversation. It worries me to think about how someone who is feeling suicid@l might be affected if this is the level of support they receive. Volunteers who are unable to show empathy and interest, should simply not volunteer.

Read the 23rd January edition of Private Eye article on how the Samaritans management treat their volunteers...