“I sent them an email asking to cancel my membership. They asked me for my address to confirm my identity which I provided. They continued to take my money!”
“Due to money problems, I wanted to cancel my membership. The national trust insist you have to keep paying for the full year, even if you can’t afford to. I just wanted to put the warning out for others. It’s definitely a charity you can’t trust.”
“Our Son bought us yearly membership as a Christmas present in December 2022. We have still not received them nearly 4months later, have rang customer services on 4 occasions(waiting over 1hour each time) each time I have spoken with N.T staff I have been told that the tickets would be with us in 2weeks, we still haven't got them. We are no longer interested in joining The National Fraud, I would strongly advise people to read the Trust Pilot reviews before thinking of joining”
“Shame on the National Trust for destroying Middle Beach Cafe in Studland Dorset due to supposed ‘erosion’. Not enough money in it for you you money grabbing tossers? I’d planned to leave my house to the National Trust but not now.”
“Rude and patronising staff at Knole Gatebox
I'm very disappointed with the rude treatment I received last Sunday afternoon as an NT Member when I came to Knole. I didn't feel well enough to drive and so my son and his heavily pregnant wife kindly offered to drive me in my car to the car park. Unfortunately, one of the staff would not allow us into the car park and rudely said I would have to drive, however I felt, and my son and his obviously pregnant wife would have to get out of the car and make the long walk to the house in the rain. We were greatly upset by his behaviour and in the end, by the time we got to the house, my daughter-in-law was so exhausted that she could only sit down in the café, at which point we abandoned our visit to the house, ruining our family day.
I really feel that the staff should be trained to be considerate to their visitors, including a senior NT member and a heavily pregnant woman. The car park was less than half full and I fail to understand why the driver of my car could not park me there since it is provided for NT members' cars.
We will not be renewing our NT memberships and my son and his wife have changed their minds about becoming members.
I hope the staff will be trained to be more sympathetic in future so that no-one else will have to suffer this rude behaviour.”
“You're not sorry at all, you are liars and thieves,we have been waiting nearly 5 months for our membership cards, have phoned your office 6 times and each time I was told our cards would be sent within 2 weeks. How do you people sleep at night knowing that you are robbing honest people, isn't there any decency in the national Fraud staff”
“I activated my membership in January 2023. Given 1 month temporary green membership and 1 month car park pass. Now it's after Easter (April) and I would like to use the membership card that I have never received nor been emailed my membership. I have tried to call the helpline on 3 occasions but waited 20 minutes each time. Also emailed and never heard back. I have rung the head office to have a voicemail saying there is no one to answer as there is HYBRID DESKING/HOT DESKING. Lord help them. No doubt working from home because of Covid but still going to shopping centre's and the pub mixing with thousands of people. I'd like a full refund please.”
“Be aware that from January this year, new Life Membership does not include being able to bring a guest free of charge as previously. So, in exchange for the very large Life Membership fee you now only get half the benefit. NT should make clear this very important change under Benefits of Life Membership on their website.”
“Visited Culzean castle and were horrified at the charge to the grounds - nearly £10 per person. A car parking charge is reasonable but this was an entry charge. We have National Trust membership but our family travelling in a separate car had to pay. Even the lady at the entrance was embarrassed at the cost. At this time of year there was little to see. The woodland paths were muddy and rutted making them difficult for a mobility trike. The café was dreary and run down. Very disappointing.”
“The more I learn about the National Trust, the more I realise that their very Core Values are destroying this "Green and Pleasant Land!" The main Core Value is "Love Everyone and Everything". The trouble is the National Trust is so rigid in the belief in itself that it is blind to what is really happening.
Headley Down, on Boxhill, Surrey used to be a lovely sandy area covered in bracken, where kids could happily play all day - well it was when I played there in the 1960s. Now 2022 there is no bracken left as the entire area is covered in the invasive plant, Gorse.
That's bad enough, but when I worked at Polesden Lacey an Asian Hornet invaded one of the offices and I was tasked with moving it on. I was going to kill it, but was forbidden from doing so because, as I was told "the National Trust was about loving everything and not changing nature!! The result of this could well be the total destruction of our honey bee population in this Country!!! Wake up National Trust and pull your heads out of your backsides!!!”
“Visited Charlecote today as members with our two very old dogs. The place is a mass of No Entry signs and lists of things that are ‘strictly’ or ‘absolutely’ forbidden. We were very rudely challenged by a volunteer/staff member in a high viz vest for walking along a path forbidden to dog owners and made to walk instead along the public footpath which runs parallel and only about 20 yards away from the forbidden route. What irked us most was the superior attitude of the woman towards what she clearly regarded as riff raff. No hospitality business would run a venue like this.”
“not value for money. it might be a charity but the means to get people to sign up is dishonest. joined in August but didnt get my membership card until mid October and the welcome pack with binoculars have run out so not even going to be able to enjoy that little freebie. cancel dd for next year. The 3 houses we visited were unimpressive anyway.”
“So our daughter purchased us a joint membership before COVID 19 hit, due to the pandemic national trust sites closed, now only a very limited number have opened yet National trust are not interested in discussing the options of refunding or extending our membership other than a three month extension which was 6 months ago. They will not listen to reason and sticking to 3 months only. How can they get away with this? 6 months this has been going on and not looking like it’s getting any better yet still take my money. Now I know it’s a charity but I’m only asking to have what we paid for, not too much to ask I do t think.”
“We signed up for dual annual membership and were given cards... and that was it.
Nothing else ever arrived - until they wrote to us again asking for more money for renewal. They claimed they had sent membership items... but they didn't and even an alleged apology gift card never arrived!
I could take them to the Small Claims Court for not fulfilling their side of the membership bargain, but I might have difficulty proving that they defaulted.
"There's nothing we can do" was all they would say!”
