NFS Mediation - Southampton

Evans T.

Awful mediation service that do not have any idea how to mediate. The mediator shouted over me and aggressive!! I would not recommend as they made the situation worse. Was not professional and lied in the 2nd meeting, denied what he said in the 1st meeting, showed no skillset to be a mediator at all. Waste of my time. The below job was advertised on glassdoor). He never listened and wasn't interested when giving key details. I've requested a GDPR to find out if he did listen and notes taken.

Found job spec online, so not experienced and definitely didn't have the first 3 skills.
The ideal candidate will have:
· An understanding of Mediation and Restorative Justice
· Excellent Communication Skills
· Excellent listening skills
· Experience of working with other agencies

Amanda B.

We was put in touch via council. To our face they wanted to help and try to sort a happy medium. Friday night we had a load of abuse at our door from the people are causing trouble even though self isolating and had a family gathering on the Saturday night. Early Sunday morning these people were heard trying to break in not once but twice. A metal bar was found by there door. So we phoned NFS and was told because we did see him they said it was acceptable for him to do this. It's was only when I shouted to call the police and I heard him shout to her shut the ffff up and keep quiet. We have now got in touch with the MP for our area. We have been advised to make a formal complaint as that is unacceptable to be told that he can try and break in with a weapon and terrorist us. Thank you NFS very caring not if anything else happens I will take legal action. NFS do not care and I will never trust them again. Basically called us a liar

Christine H.

We were put in contact with this awful mediation service via my neighbours housing association The Guinness Partnership in 2012. Our neighbour had been harassing us since 2002 and we had already had mediation with her in 2007 with Portsmouth mediation services who had been very helpful and had seen through my neighbours lies. We all signed an agreement which my neighbour broke after 6 months and it was her that had asked for mediation in the first place.
We were made to sign a Good neighbour agreement with NFS which I have kept to, to the present day, my neighbour broke after 4 months. They are supposed to be impartial but sided with the housing officer from my neighbours housing association who was a Narcissist and always backed up her Narcissistic tenant. The woman from NFS told so many lies, denying she had said things, that she made the situation worse than it was before. I had her investigated by her CEO, but they just backed her up and implied I was a liar even though my daughter had heard what she had said. One year after signing TGNA, my neighbour had our son physically assaulted. Narcissists don't keep to agreements and just love the drama and conflict. GH are still allowing her to narcissistically abuse my family.
NFS are totally corrupt as are GH and do not care as long as they keep getting her rent.
I am mentally in a better place now after educating myself on Narcissistic abuse, NFS nearly tipped me over the edge, such a caring organisation not.

Helen P.

Pathetic middle men. Of no use whatsoever, twice in 5 years of ongoing noisy neighbour problems I've been referred to these. My landlord isn't interested in these complaints they just want the rent money to keep rolling in. NFS have no real experience, just a variation of CAB. Solicitors is my next step in going forward. Maybe sue landlord as a breach of tenancy agreement.

Damian K.

After long battle with neighbours from flat above our landlord offered mediation with NFS, and that was most unpleasant thing I ever done. My family being a victim before mediation and turn up that we are the proble not a neighbor from flat above.
So we are still affected by nuisance from neighbours and feel humiliated and embarrassed.
Never again.

Victoria H.

I was referred by my landlord as they were constantly pressuring me to use this service. I had a letter from NFS mediation, I emailed them as I had questions but no reply. I phoned thinking this would be more direct but again it wasn't and left a message. I emailed again and still no reply.
I had the call to arrange a home visit and that was all.
I emailed this service again for a third time.
I finally got a reply saying I need to wait for the home visit to have my questions answered. So I need to wait for Kate to come to my property after waiting nearly 2 weeks for her to answer my questions? Seems ridiculous.

For a service who are supposed to specialise in listening, they have failed to even address my questions and engage in communication.
How can they expect me to trust this service when they can't even respond to my questions?

It's just a waste of time.

Update* The service still never answered the questions after another week of waiting.

Gemma B.

Very Kafkaesque experience with this mediation organisation. As other have said they make the victims in a situation feel like they are being unreasonable. When the other party is blatantly doing things to torment us, an ongoing onslaught of clear harassment. Nevertheless, after many months the mediation still has not occurred because instead of actually arranging an appointment for the mediation to happen, they just keep contacting either party to ask if we still want to go ahead. Total insanity. Of course we want to go ahead! We are still being tormented! And they are allowing the perpetrators to just drag it out and avoid partaking. Pointless service when it is a case of one person wanting the problem sorted and the perpetrators wanting to carry on causing misery. This would only work if both parties wanted to sort something out amicably, which let’s be honest, if it requires mediation it’s never going to happen.

UPDATE: The mediation eventually happened in which the mediators made it very difficult for us the victims to say what we needed to say, kept interrupting, kept asking us how what we were saying is relevant. Essentially ended up being a completely futile exercise where we weren’t allowed to say anything except “please stop harassing us” in which the perpetrators said they would stop and then carried on as soon as we got home. NFS seem to repeatedly take sides with the harassers, not unbiased in the slightest. Wouldn’t recommend this service in the slightest. Total waste of time and energy.

sally H.

I was referred to this company by my landlord last november because of noise problems with my upstairs neighbours (who i had made aware of the problems but they took no notice).All i can say is it was a total waste of time,the lady i spoke to totally disregarded everything i said and believed the lies told by my neighbours,who put on an act and tried to blame other innocent parties.Its a shame the mediators are so gullible and easily taken in by the wrongdoers,i will be sorting my problems out myself in the future as this company was no help whatsoever and gave free reign to my neighbours to carry on their disqusting and thoughtless behaviour.Definately wouldn't recommend or use this company again.The mediator lady couldnt even get her facts/report straight,she told me one thing and when i spoke to my housing officer she had told her something totally different,ridiculous!