NS&I Direct ISA

Just don't risk your money with these folks - when it works well, it works fine. When you have an issue GOOD LUCK.

The multiple staff I have spoken to in last week are worst that useless.

They REFUSE to connect me to a Manager, promised call backs do not happen.

They have my money, cashed, but have not processed the purchase. I have given all info requested = NOTHING.

So if you are happy to give your money away to NS&I UK (a financial arm of the UK Government - guaranteed by the taxpayer - "you can't lose your money" - haha

unless their incompetent staff fail to process your purchase and refuse to engage in doing something to sort their mistakes out.

Then go for it - send your hard earnt savings to NS&I and say goodbye to it.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

I've had various accounts over the years with NSI and after reading read poor reviews I've just logged in to test the system with no problems. The website was upgraded not too long ago and it is a big improvement.

PATHETIC: They sent back to me my 60k investment cheque and application forms because by wife's date of birth was missing. My telephone number and email was included on the application form.

In square one this is a poor start to my first NS&I investment but now I have to keep my fingers crossed there are not more problems down the line.

Have to wonder how other companies would have handled this situation???

We have both Premium Bonds and a Direct ISA deposited with NS&I and have had this money deposited with them for several years.

Recently we logged onto our account to draw down our money, the website refused to release the funds.

After a number of telephone calls we were told our money could not be released due to a period of inactivity on our account, this is untrue as only a week before we drew down nearly £8k through the same method.

Three weeks later we are still unable to draw down our money despite exchanging correspondence and proving our identity in writing and over the telephone.

We advise anyone reading this review to not bank with this company, they conduct highly suspect business practices and yet claim to be backed by the Treasury and as such your money is safe with them. It most definitely is not.

Try and complain and you will find yourself on a black magic roundabout of despair.

After the banking crisis we thought the finance industry had moved on, it hasn't. Disgusted.

Once again NS&I rejects my special character in the password & locks me out.

The coded telephone reset option fails despite me having full mobile service.

I then have to call them & beg for a temporary password but I can only have it if I pass a security test using my credit file,VVTF!

I set five special questions but they won't use them.

I'm asked what was my address from 15 years ago & the credit limit on a credit card that hasn't been used in 2 years.

Aaaaargh won't get your money & neither will you.

Seem to have very mixed customer service levels. Having spoken to three members of staff now - one member of staff was great and very helpful (as you would expect) and two were really poor (one of which was a supervisor). Just get the impression that they are young kids who don't care about their customers. Patronising and rude. Wouldn't recommend them

Me and wife both have accounts with them and had horrible experience to withdraw money. Got online service blocked and they do not have any backup at all we need our money urgently and struggling to get it out since last three week.

Sent restore service form 10 days before but no answer passed their phone security check they you will get new password in three days by post but nothing is there.

we need our own money desperately and we are middle of nowhere.

We are going to close NS&I account and will never recommend to any body, please stay away from them.

In the mean time last Saturday 11 AM wife ordered her lost Barclays bank card and she received it Monday morning around 9:30 am. That is called service.

Now you can compare both services.

Logged on to NS&I on 3 May to close my account. Password was entered correctly but declined and my account suspended. I contacted NS&I by telephone and spent a long time speaking with an adviser. I was advised that passwords expire after 60 days - blatantly untrue as my partner subsequently logged on with his password which had not been used in more than 60 days. I had also never been advised of that. I was told that my only options were to have a temporary password sent out to me (by post!) or to have a withdrawal form sent out to me (by post!). I was not told until I asked that I could download the form myself and send it off. I paid almost £7 to send the completed form to NS&I on 3 May by guaranteed delivery, guaranteed to arrive with them on 4 May. As advised by NS&I, I marked the form URGENT. On 10 May, I received a letter dated 6 May from NS&I saying that they did not have my present signature on their records so could not process my request. They failed to tell me this on the telephone on 3 May and despite knowing that I needed access to my money urgently, they obviously sent a letter out to me by second class post, rather than contacting me by telephone. I called them on 10 May, expressed my absolute dissatisfaction at their customer service and asked for a temporary password to be issue to me immediately. The adviser said that that would be sent out that same day by first class post and I asked him to note the urgency of this now as I felt I was really being inconvenienced by the bureaucracy and inefficiency of NS&I. It took 3 days to receive my password and I have only today managed to access my money, 14 days after initially trying to and having wasted hours on telephone calls, filling out forms, sending letters and getting more and more annoyed. The staff I spoke to at NS&I were robotic and passive. There was absolutely no understanding of customer service and no-one stepped up to take responsibility for dealing with my issues. From initially deciding to invest my money in premium bonds, I have found NS&I to be behind-the-times, completely without customer service, inefficient, unresponsive and uncaring. It has been one of my poorer decisions to invest with them and I would caution anyone with money lodged at NS&I and needing their cash urgently to beware of the ridiculous processes involved.

My grandparents used NS & I Childrens Bonds to pass down some money to me over the years, totalling around 4-5 thousand pounds. They gave me 2 bonds per year until I was sixteen.

I'm now 20 and looking to cash in the bonds so I can buy my first car and invest the rest of my money with my other savings.

I wrote to NS&I at least 6 times in order to get a complete valuation of all my bonds (which I know now may still be incomplete). Months later I last week spent hours filling in an overly complicated form to cash my bonds in. This week, they paid up to a sum of 1000 pounds.

Knowing this was wrong I rang NS&I who were rude and totally useless, saying they had paid me in full, they had no more money in my name and I would need to file a written complaint to have a hope of receiving the rest of my money. My Grandmother also rang them today and had a similar experience, and she is very worried that I won't receive my money.

Having reassured her, I will be ringing again and writing in until I recieve my money. Perhaps, six months after making contact with them, they will be able to work out what they owe me.

Absolutely awful and stressful experience, I cannot recommend. In fact I would strongly encourage anyone thinking of using NS&I to steer well clear of them, as their record keeping is obviously awful, their customer services are terrible, and the system they use for transferring money is shocking. If i could rate lower than 1 star I would.

Got to agree with the majority of reviews here. Overly complicated system which puts unnecessary costly barriers to getting any money out. My mother passed away in May this year and had some premium bonds which my 92 year old father wanted. Wow! If he'd been left to do it on his own he would have had no chance. Can't just cash them in. Needed not only the will and death certificate sent to them but then had to go through obtaining a Grant of Probate which I did on his behalf and only cost about £250.00 all in. Good job I didn't need to involve a solicitor which most people would have to do. Why should it cost money to get hold of money which is yours, the banks didn't need all that information! Come on Osbourne and Cameron, you're in charge, get it sorted out, typical red tape overly beurocratic government organisation. PS this review refuses to allow me to proceed unless I give it at least one star, don't want to give it any!!!!!