L&G proposed transfer to ReAssure

Landmarc

dunstonh said:

Landmarc said:

I was complaining about the standard of customer service being rather lower than it should be, but hey ho, it comes as no surprise under the current circumstances.

How was the service lower?

Because:-

• I was kept waiting for over 20 minutes on the phone
• I was told I would have to wait an indefinite time for online access service (namely ReAssure Now)
• I had to persuade Donna Hildreth two times for a confirmation email after she initially declined my polite request

dunstonh

• I was kept waiting for over 20 minutes on the phone

You don't have much experience with insurance companies do you

• I was told I would have to wait an indefinite time for online access service (namely ReAssure Now)

Its not as if the L&G had much of an online system

• I had to persuade Donna Hildreth two times for a confirmation email after she initially declined my polite request

You have a limited time on this earth.   Some battles are worth having.   This is not one of them.   You have a legacy product with a provider that didn't want you and you still have a legacy product with a provider that operates a business to wind down plans and is in the process of being bought itself - which would likely see the plan moved to its systems in due course.

You would be better off using your energy in placing the pension with a suitable provider that meets your objectives.  Not going on at one that does not and won't change that no matter how much you go on at them.

Landmarc

Yes, I logged on to Re Assure now; the online portal service, but it only lets me view my current basic pension details, thats all.
To transfer my pension I have informed them, asking them about transfer fees etc.  I now await an answer, before I contact the new SIPPs provider to proceed with the transfer.  Any lost bonuses and benefits are chickenfeed so I don't mind losing them.  What I won't lose, is for my beneficiaries to be paid if I should die.

Landmarc

dunstonh said:

You would be better off using your energy in placing the pension with a suitable provider that meets your objectives.  Not going on at one that does not and won't change that no matter how much you go on at them.

I took your good advice and have instructed Vanguard to transfer my pension fund to, and wrote to ReAssure informing them of my wishes.  They then wrote back stating "Thank you for letting us know that you want to take your pension pot as a lump sum", and enclosing a Risk Questionnaire (Taking your whole pension pot as a lump sum), I think, was irrelevant to my intentions, but I hope I'm wrong here Dunstonh!
I then wrote back to them refuting that I wanted to take it as a lump sum, but just wanted to transfer it to Vanguard.
It seems as 'They Are Muppets' stated here is somewhat true it seems with the following statement.

They_are_muppets said:

Just come across this post and clearly i would advise anybody to avoid reassure
Having only dealt with them on 2 occasions i have found them to be clueless and useless ant that includes the managers.
The number of mistakes and errors they have made is unbelievable
At one point i did ask them if the had drafted in or farmed out the work to 5 year olds  or a primary school.

dunstonh

I took your good advice and have instructed Vanguard to transfer my pension fund to, and wrote to ReAssure informing them of my wishes.  They then wrote back stating "Thank you for letting us know that you want to take your pension pot as a lump sum", and enclosing a Risk Questionnaire (Taking your whole pension pot as a lump sum), I think, was irrelevant to my intentions, but I hope I'm wrong here Dunstonh!

They appear to have sent you the wrong form.   You are not taking a lump sum.   However, don't worry.  The receiving scheme controls the transfer process.  So, the minute you tell Vanguard you are transferring from ReAssure, they will contact Reassure and handle the process.  If both sides use Origo (Reassure do, I don't know about Vanguard) then its paperless with no form required.

Albermarle

I took your good advice and have instructed Vanguard to transfer my pension fund to, and wrote to ReAssure informing them of my wishes.  

You did not need to do this and it is probably what has caused the confusion with the wrong form .

Normally the receiving scheme sorts everything out, and no need to contact the ceding scheme.

Sometimes they will contact you for confirmation but often a transfer will go ahead with no contact at all.

Landmarc

To update; Both Vanguard and ReAssure used Origo for a swift transfer in cash form, and then went to the funds of my choice in my Vanguard SIPP, now free of being stuck in ReAssure.  Happy endings to date