Trusted Agent profile · Swindon
★★★★★
1,766 reviews across 2 platforms
Heelis, Kemble Drive, Swindon, SN2 2NA
The National Trust's office in Swindon, at Heelis, is rated 2.3 out of 5 across 1,766 reviews on two platforms, including 410 Google reviews rated 4.2.
Every review we hold for the Swindon office, from every platform, shown as written. First names only.
1/5
TrustpilotPATHETIC
There should be an alternative ZERO star box for PATHETIC so people like me can register our displeasure with NT. The ONE star minimum grossly overestimates the public feeling, Ms McGrady and Ms Fowler are just losing the plot and promoting their own standpoints - they should be neutral. How has this great institution fallen to Wokeness? I am out and will not be back until common sense prevails. Any hope for the AGM?
2/5
TrustpilotPoor Value
Been a member for many years but have just cancelled my direct debit. I’ve always regarded NT as poor value for money, you pay an annual sub but many of the places I visit in Cornwall close down between November and March so you’re only really getting about 8 months use out of your membership fee. Obviously the covid emergency has exacerbated this. I don’t blame them for this but, unlike them, I’m not a charity!!!
1/5
TrustpilotEnjoyed being a NT member but will also…
Enjoyed being a NT member but will also not renewing our membership due to the calendar I'm afraid.
Hi Geoff I'm sorry to hear you won't be renewing your membership. Hopefully, I can clear up a slight misunderstanding from recent media articles. This matter was also raised at our AGM.The Inclusion and Wellbeing Calendar is an internal resource, used to keep staff and volunteers up to date about awareness months and minority religious and cultural celebrations they might not otherwise be familiar with. For this reason, Christmas and Easter, which are national holidays, are not included on the calendar. We know that most of our staff and volunteers have a good awareness and understanding of these festivals already.Christian holidays will continue to be marked on the physical calendars sold in our shops and online. We won't be creating a physical calendar which excludes Christian holidays.I hope you don't mind me using the same wording from other reviews to make sure our explanation is consistent. Thanks for your valuable support. National Trust
2/5
TrustpilotPoor ticket pricing and information
The National Trust is an important institution that does a great deal to preserve our national heritage. The attitude of some staff within it, however, and the covert nature of their charging policy leaves a great deal to be desired. For example, I've visited two properties and an island belonging to the NT where no prices were displayed at all, and those at the desk did not explain the ticketing at all. Consequently, at one house, I paid for two tickets, costing £30, to sit in the garden for a picnic, later learning that that section of the park was free. Having bought the house and gardens ticket on entering the grounds, others in my party found they had to go all the way back to the ticket office to collect a house entry ticket, some distance away. I wrote to the NT to explain this but never received a response.
3/5
TrustpilotCatering quality has deteriorated recently
My wife and I have been National Trust members for many years. It is nice to have a free visit and enjoy a lunch and tea. The restaurant food used to be a limited range but beautifully cooked. However the catering, in many premises has deteriorated considerably. I’m not fussy, and will normally eat most things, but I literally couldn’t eat the ‘chef’s special’ at one house. It was reheated to death - chewy and burned. This has been our experience at a number of their properties this year, especially one where the catering seems positively amateurish. Unless the catering comes back up to standard I fear a good organisation will lose the loyalty of Baby Boomers because it ceases to be a pleasant day out.
1/5
TrustpilotThe booking system is ridiculous
The booking system is ridiculous! We also are furious that as members we can’t get entry. On Eventbrite you can only book one member on at a time and any way there are never any tickets available and the members tickets are often unavailable. Westonbirt just down the road from us has sorted it with 20mins slots. Come on NT we expect better and you need to review this in the light of all the comment.
2/5
TrustpilotPeck over House Wisbech
Peck over House Wisbech. Wow cream tea, £14.85. For 3 people. 3 scones, pot of tea fir 2 & 1 filter coffee, must say far from the bet at the National Trust, scones not covered, you choose one, a jam & they give you a tiny portion of clotted cream from the fridge, they were the wrong tongs to pick anything up with, so some people give up & use their hands !! Very weak tea, so I would not recommend this afternoon tea.
1/5
TrustpilotThe new booking system is very poor
The new booking system is not good - not even a length of time showing.You should be able to select date and time before getting in the queue but only the first slot on Monday showing.Loyal Member who has just waisted two hours hours trying to unsuccessfully book Dyrham Park for next week.I will not bother again and yet you can’t even offer to extend membership for three months.Watch as your membership declines at renewal stage.
1/5
TrustpilotThieving.......
My wife and I have been members for several years. This year our renewal cards were received 3 months late. I asked their customer service if we could amend the starting date of our yearly renewal since we have lost 3 months worth of visits, They said "No". So we payed for 12 months, but only get 9. Great deal, thanks. As a consequence, we will not be joining ever again. In the long run it is their loss, not ours. The whole institution must be run by greedy lunatics not business minded people.
1/5
TrustpilotIckworth House,
Ickworth House,Wanted to charge £9 to just park the car and walk the paths. I declined parked of the main road and came back to be told I would still have to pay just to walk on Trust land or purchase from the Cafe. Who on earth would think of charging to get into a cafe to purchase food. Would you pay?I declined and drove 1.5hrs back to London I presume they get government money so shouldn’t public have right of access to walk.
1/5
TrustpilotOn visiting the car park in Bowness…
On visiting the car park in Bowness today Sat 21 April 2018. I approached the pay and display machine. Parked next to it was a National trust Van. I didn't have enough change for the parking fee. The National trust represensitive asked if he could help. I told him of my predicament. As he was dealing with another person he said that he would sort something out. He didn't want to sort anything out, but only wanted to sell me membership. I told him I wasn't interested, but he was very persistent and tried to bully me into a membership agreement. I again told him firmly that I wasn't in erected. I feel more vulnerable people would giving. Not the sort of thing you would expect from someone who is supposed to represent a public company
1/5
TrustpilotForget trying to book a ticket to any…
Forget trying to book a ticket to any NT location for a weekend, even if you get up at 6am Friday when the latest tickets are released. Perhaps the NT needs to think about protecting its own future by serving its faithful members more, rather than exercising extreme caution with numbers to protect its volunteers. Even open parkland has been restricted which is ridiculous and a snub to those of us who are lifelong members.
1/5
TrustpilotContacted the National Trust after…
Contacted the National Trust after visiting Aira Force in the Lake District last weekend and having my day spoilt by witnessing a fox hunt chasing a fox. When I contacted the National Trust about this they replied that they actually licence fox hunts to do some sort of fake fox hunting. Having done a bit of research it turns out that the hunts pretend they're not actually killing animals, but they do, then say they've had an accident. The National Trust seem to think this is acceptable. Shame really because they do some great work, some wonderful properties to visit, but I don't want to contribute my hard-earned cash towards the deliberate killing of wildlife.
3/5
TrustpilotEaster egg hunt, run out of eggs
me & my partner took the kids to the local Cadbury and National trust Easter egg hunt at The Old Goods Yard, Station Road, Marsden, West Yorkshire and believe it or not they ran out of eggs. After a 20 minute wait in the rain, they returned from a local super market with more,they also tried giving children's bags of boiled sweets instead, it was farcical to say the least, but my children did enjoy the hunt for the clues along the canal, so hopefully this year it will more organised, preferably by someone who can actually count
1/5
TrustpilotSack the Curator
A visit to Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire.I’m in shock. I’ve visited the house numerous times of the years, but was left dumbfounded on this visit.The house, majority of the furnishings and a portion of the estate was given to the local council in lieu of taxes in the 60’s. The National Trust took over several years ago. What on earth have the National trust done with the rich and diverse contents since then? The house has literally been raped and patronisingly childishly ugly displays from one part of the Anson’s family history installed within. I was told everything that was not mid 18thc has been removed as not in keeping with the house and the NT wanted to tell the story of Admiral Anson and his adventures. I understand the need to inform visitors of a major part of the estates history, but the family were landowners before this, and continued to be after. What about the rakish earl whose collection was sold off? The Edwardian era and the epoch of the country house? The Indian summer between the wars and the deprivations of WW2?My sister left saying she new the same about the house and it’s history as when she arrived, nothing!More time has been spent printing information about a tin can and the origins of the word ‘Loo’ than the architects who designed the house.We’re not thick and we want to see the whole picture of an estates history. Sack the curator.
1/5
TrustpilotI have tried to arrange Corporate …
I have tried to arrange Corporate visits (Coach Groups) to Lanhydrock House and have been met with a level of ignorance and unhelpfulness that defies description. It is patently obvious the South West Region NT is self serving and only being run for the benefit of it staff and upper management. I have sent eMails, written, telephoned and attempted to arrange meetings with the Operations Office.If Mrs. McGrady Chief Operation Officer, Nick Levy, Richard Lawrence and the various secretary's with the name of Rebecca (Brookes-Sullivan, Burton etc) care to read this then she will be reading that their Charity stinks of corruption and is quite odiously rude to the people that they should be expected to serve.Horrible people to deal with.
1/5
TrustpilotBe aware of auto renewing 12 month memberships
After several years of membership with little use, the new book prompted me to cancel the membership as it’s an additional expense we can live without with two young children and unable to really give it its full use for the foreseeable.Apparently they renew a 12 month agreement every 12 months whilst charging a monthly direct debit! I’ve never known an organisation do this. Usually with mobile phones, tv services, utilities and gym’s etc... you sign into an initial term then it reverts to a monthly rolling agreement. Not with the national Trust! They renew 12 agreement! After a long chat to a nice lady on phone, who did try and help she ultimately advised me to cancel the direct debit as that cancels the membership as she is unable to. Only hope doesn’t affect my credit file.
1/5
TrustpilotWent into the national trust shop in…sidmouth Devon
Went into the national trust shop in sidmouth in Devon as we like to look at there garden decorative items we usually end up purchasing something but on this occasion was made to feel very uncomfortable as one of the members of staff was following us around the shop and was watching us as if we were going to take something without paying this has made feel that I will never go into one of these stores again
1/5
TrustpilotA scam
Could not book a slot within 3 days. Have now cancelled my membership. After many years of being a member i now realise what a scam the NT is. Stately homes (sometimes still partly occupied by the original owner) propped up by membership with umpteen restrictions. Also stately homes built and maintained on the backs of the poor,and sometimes built from money gained by crooked aristocrats or human misery. I'll stick to the local park.
1/5
TrustpilotOnline Shop - Appalling service!
This review is not for the National Trust as a whole, just their online shop. An experience I will never repeat as I will never be using their service again! In fact, it puts me off the entire organisation if they can't get something as basic as customer service right. A thoughtlessley packed order ended up with a smashed jar of jam; another item was incomplete making it unusable. I sent photos and a nice friendly email and nothing ..... two follow up emails ..... nothing ..... a dispute via Paypal to get a refund .... no response at all from the National Trust. Absolutely shocking! I would never recommend this company for online shopping. Ironic that Trust is part of their name!
3/5
TrustpilotGift Aid charges!
Why do NT charge extra £1 on non-member entry at say Cragside to allow gift-aid to be claimed? No need for this greed, they can claim tax relief on the standard admission. This will encourage people to not tick the box and result in losses. Anyway, we just joined NT for Scotland as it saves us £40 per year as seniors.
2/5
TrustpilotNational Distrust.
After seeing the webpage entitled "Bring your dogs to Killerton", I decided to do just that as there are some nice trails around the estate. I duly paid my £4 parking and set off to find the walks, whereupon I was told by a member of staff that it would cost a further £12 to go any further.There had been nothing about this on the webpage about dogs, and nothing about this on the car park charges board.As £16 to walk the dog was not something I was prepared to pay, I asked the staff member for a refund for my parking fee but she said this was not possible. I complained by email and only got a response about a month later, ignoring my request for a refund and telling me that I should have checked the other webpages of their website to find out the costs!
1/5
TrustpilotDisgusted with decision on the vote to ban hunting
Disgusting outcome today on the vote to ban "trail " hunting on national trust land . Everyone knows that there is no such thing as trail hunting and foxes are chased and killed horrifically by "brave " men on horses and hounds that are out of control and treated very poorly . I will not be visiting any of the trust's properties and will be encouraging others also to stay away until the moral decision is made to ban any type of hunting on trust land .
1/5
TrustpilotScheduled payments. Surprise!!!!
So I sign up to the trust for the £5.40 per month schedule that they push so hard to lure you in with. I am a part time student and finance is tight. MY first payment is £16.20.Oh yes we bundled three together they say when I question it, No disceenable reason given why. Ok fine, a mistake. But their CS centre response to my complaint was well you can cancel in a year if your not happy. I am sorry but schedule payments were not sent either. Conveniently. The Trust need to be considerate and understand putting the customer at the centre of their finance model. It's left a really bad taste in my mouth...
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