www.gov.uk Reviews 

I signed up to access my tax papers online.
The system did not send me an access code because they forgot to make text messaging compatible with BT's text to voice serive fo rlandline phones.
So I had to go through the long rigmarole of signing up for the service to ask for voicemail to my landline, BUT the syetm didn't update and shut me out of the service complete.
I wanted t put this in anemail so I could send my complaint at a time convenient to me, but they don't accept email - in this dya and age.
Useless service run by incompetents

I wish I could give minus star. I would do it with absolutely pressure.
With up to date computer technology to do DBS CHECK it’s take them so long’s they don’t care less even if you lose your Employment because way DBS OFFICIALS behave

Wasted so much time again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From time to time I try to update my driving licence and every time the same problems and unable to prove my identity although all data are correct!!!!!!!
They never change or improve anything there since 7 years. Never able to accomplish anything there and have to go to post office!!!!!!!!! What is the purpose of that website??????????????????????????????

De UK ETA app is prima te gebruiken en de proces ging ontzettend efficiënt.

The UK ETA app can be usely fine and the process went very much efficiently.

I recently contacted HMRC’s Corporation Tax Department on two separate occasions, and the contrast between the experiences truly highlighted the different sides of the HMRC.

On one hand, there are staff who focus strictly on the rules, deadlines, and financial obligations — and while I completely appreciate that HMRC has a responsibility to uphold regulations, this approach can sometimes feel blunt and unhelpful, especially when you’re looking for clarity and guidance to avoid future mistakes.

On the other hand, there are staff who genuinely take the time to listen, provide clarity, and ensure you fully understand your situation before moving forward. They show patience, empathy, and a willingness to go the extra mile to help you navigate complex tax requirements confidently and correctly.

Unfortunately, my first interaction leaned heavily toward the rigid approach — I felt my concerns weren’t fully heard, and the immediate focus was on issuing a penalty rather than understanding the full context. However, my second call was the total opposite — the person I spoke with took the time to listen, reassured me, corrected the misunderstanding, and helped resolve the situation properly.

Overall, the difference in customer service between the two calls was significant. I want to express appreciation for the representative who truly helped me understand what was required and guided me in the right direction. That kind of support makes a world of difference when dealing with something as important and stressful as tax obligations.

Thank you Helen.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for you Helen

Have used small claims court many times before and found it easy to use their site and get things concluded.
Now its an absolute nightmare, little money paid by defendant and I'm struggling to further my case. No help, no communication and no money.
Get back to the office you lot and earn your wages doing the job you're paid for instead of watching soaps at home and wiggling your mouse every now and then to make it look like you're working.

I put an application in months ago and it got rejected for entirely inappropriate decisions that were made. I hadn’t been listened to and the scoring did not reflect the conditions and my struggles! I submitted a reconsideration and this wasn’t acknowledged for many weeks afterwards! I’ve since had a text saying it will take them another 2 to 3 months to come back to me!
This service is appalling and for people who find themselves out of work for unforeseen circumstances and therefore return to benefits for support in the meantime, it’s simply unacceptable to expect these waitlists and dismissive reasons for not being awarded benefits.
The service is nothing but a hindrance not to help, for people when they’re in real need and it’s shameful of the government too! This system is very outdated as well, not to mention how long the form is to complete in the first place! Shame on our UK government. THE SYSTEM AND THE PEOPLE THAT WORK WITHIN IT HAVE DISPLAYED NOTHING BUT UNSUPPORTIVE VIEWS AND HAVE NO IDEA HOW INDIVIDUALS IS MENTAL HEALTH IS IMPACTED IN THE DETRIMENT THIS CAN HAVE.

As if booking a driving test and getting up at 5am isnt hard enough, the website kicks you out a hundred times until you give up

Useless and so complicated! Absolute nightmare

Tried to view my state pension online, the government wants me to consent to a company called trans union UK ltd to take data from my phone, personal information. DO NOT CONSENT WITHOUT READING WHAT YOU ARE CONSENTING TOO. Why do I have to have to allow a Ltd company to snoop through my phone only for me to have a look at my state pension projection!! What do they have to do with MY pension when I've been paying my contributions for the last 23 years !!!! Why is everything so difficult and intrusive now?? What are the government gaining from me consenting?? Frustrated citizen!! We used to get an incentive to give our money away, now we have to give them an incentive just to view our money? It's not right.

Takes a whole month of letters going missing just to set up one payroll, having to live off of no money since I cant even get my payroll set up on time and their customer support takes 40 minutes just to pick up the phone just to tell you they'll resend the letter and to wait 10 more business days. We're in 2025 and they havent grasped the power of emails for these types of problems. As a business owner I'm disappointed.

I would like to share my bitter experience with trying to study in the UK.

At first, all universities welcomed my applications warmly. But once I accepted an offer from the University of Greenwich, the real struggle began. Unjustified delays, wasted time, and an almost impossible task of reaching any responsible administrative person — all of which caused me significant loss of time and money.

Then I moved on to the Pre-sessional English course at Oxford ELLT, which turned out to be one of the worst academic experiences I’ve ever had — completely unprofessional and unfair — and it made me doubt the credibility of the institution itself.

Finally came the biggest disappointment — the UK embassy.
Despite my full cooperation and answering every question in the interview, my application was refused. The reasons were, frankly, absurd:
Because I have 17 years of work experience (so I am “too old”), my English was said to be not good enough, and my desire to study was questioned as “not genuine.”
They even wrote that my answers lacked depth about the Master’s modules — but if I already had deep academic knowledge of those modules, why would I apply to study them in the first place?

What makes it even more unreasonable is that the refusal reasons completely contradict the official documents I submitted.
For instance, they claimed that my English was weak, while I had already completed a Pre-sessional English course in the UK itself — officially recognized by their own system.
How can both statements be true?

Through this process, I was deprived not only of my chance to study, but also of the opportunity to develop my future, enhance my experience, and pursue the professional growth I’ve been dreaming of.
To simply describe my feeling as disappointed would be an understatement — the frustration and emotional damage are beyond words.

It became painfully clear that the real reasons were my age and nationality.
As if after a certain age, people are no longer allowed to grow, learn, or improve themselves.

I completely respect the UK’s right to decide who enters its country — it is their land, and they have the right to choose.
But if age or nationality are unspoken barriers, why allow people to go through a long, exhausting, and costly process only to reach a predetermined outcome?

You call for transparency and honesty — yet all I saw was a dismissive and unfair response.
If transparency is truly your value, then say it clearly:

“Applicants of certain ages or nationalities are not welcome.”

That would at least save many from wasting their money, time, and dreams.
Is this fairness? Is this justice?

The platform needs a serious rethink. I did not want to install any app. I opted for 'desktop'. I haven't driven for a while and do not have a car, but in case I rent a car, I wanted to renew my driving licence. First for id, you would not accept an expired licence - just today I managed to view and verify it on DVLA so all data is there and no points ever on the licence.

Next I tried using a valid UK passport. (I'm British - born and bred). It was fine until the last step 'verify with 3rd party agencies). Is Experian so incompetent that they only check against loans? What about people who have no debt? Of course utilities are in my name with everything in good standing.

I then get a notification that you can't validate me. What nonsense!! Electric, water and council tax are all in my name at the address provided. So now I must waste time, visit a Post Office and pay 50% more.

This bodes really badly for any digitalID system you try to create. Next we'll be refused who know what service, just because your systems are ill thought-out!

I applied for a visa for London, but never received it. Yesterday they debited 34 euros from my account again and the first time also 21 euros. I really think this is bad. I don't know how to reach them either.

Absolutely useless. Trying to renew my driving licence and downloaded app etc . Followed instructions and scanned everything. But keep saying we have trouble logging you in try again later .

They need to realise that not everyone has a passport to prove who they are; I'm born and bred in uk but because I've never left the uk I cannot prove who I am, ironic really.
I don't drive but I was forced to get a provisional license in order to prove my i.d to get a bank account years ago, but it has expired but was impossible to renew it online at gov.uk one, so have to fill in the dvla form with a new ugly photo attached.
Gov.uk will not accept any other form of i.d except passport and driver's license, which is very frustrating.
All I want to do us top up my national insurance, but ringing up always fails as they keep redirecting me to future pensions which then tell me to wait till I get my pension, but I won't get a pension if I don't top up now, so that's why I want to try to do it online but am prevented time and time again of going any further because I don't have a passport or driver's license.
I own a house, I have bank accounts, I pay tax but I don't exist.

Trying to review my driving is unnecessarily difficult. They can’t find my details despite having my birth certificate, driving license, and passport. Wants me to confirm my identity using their new app. I think not.

As a self employed person, i have to have my own company [for some strange reason]. From november, i found that i must provide photographic ID of my identity.

So i tried to sign up with the gov.uk website. Oh lord. So my choices are:

1) Tie my government identity to my smartphone app and tell the government everything i say and do online
2) answer security questions like what month and year i opened one of 2 bank accounts 25 years ago and pray that the government has the right date, that the bank kept the right date, and that teh two coincide to be the same, and we are talking about the right account (it doesn't specify). Ask me about credit card limits, which is problematic because i have two credit cards and the limits on both of those cards don't match what the government thinks those limits are.
3) Drive around scotland looking for a postoffice that will authenticate my passport, take my mugshot and spend 30 minutes swearing because the passport biometrics wont scan, the passport image wont stay in focus long enough to photograph etc.

Needless to say after trying and getting locked out of 2), i had no option but get a taxi to a post office 40 miles away to do 3).

I can't renew my driving licence until my identity on gov.uk is complete. Needless to say, it still isn't complete, so i guess i just can't drive unless gov.uk finally get their act together.

What a mess. The worst part is, the previous websites worked just fine.

And all these extra security steps to stop fraud, you just know that fraudsters are just going to completely bypass all these things, and so we are jumping through these hoops for nothing.

On 16 January 2025, I submitted an appeal to the Planning Inspector regarding East Suffolk's decision to refuse planning permission for a minor single-storey rear extension on my private land. This extension was intended to significantly improve my inclusion, quality of life, and general amenity, particularly as I am a disabled and vulnerable individual. There were no reasonable alternatives available, nor was it possible to make a further planning application.
The Planning Inspector's Validation Team and Customer Service declined to consider my appeal, stating (Purported) that it was received 22 days after the prescribed time limit. I contend that this decision did not fairly account for the extended Christmas holiday period, my ongoing complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, or service limitations experienced by both their office and East Suffolk during this festive season.
While the Planning Inspector has the authority to overturn a refusal and grant an extension of time, this discretion was not exercised in my case; instead, I was referred to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
I believe the decision-making framework was not applied in a fair or proportionate manner, and strongly maintain that I was not out of time.
I also question whether the institution is fulfilling its intended role impartially and proportionately, rather than contributing to potential discriminatory barriers. Both the Chief Executive and the MP have been informed, as they possess the authority to intervene, but neither has exercised this option to date.

When applying for a visa, one appears as a petitioner. One strives to meet every smallest requirement. There are many obstacles along the way. It is pointed out multiple times that the lack of even the smallest requirement can lead to the non-issuance of the visa. For example, it is required to upload all pages of the passport (including the blank ones). This is, of course, impossible due to the data volume with 40 blank pages. In the end, one makes 40 copies, which are then not needed at all during the meeting. One feels cheated of precious time and unnecessary expenses. However, the staff were extremely friendly.