Reasonable time to administer spousal pension?

dsw_123

Just been through all of this for my deceased FIL. 5 different private pensions with 4 different providers.  What struck me was the massively different levels of evidence they needed even from the same administrators. 
One policy paid out on the basis of a certified copy of a death certificate whilst another needed death, marriage and birth certificates as well as a copy of the will, not to mention a description of the family tree of the deceased that make ancestry.com proud.
Nonetheless, despite the copious numbers of death, birth and marriage certificates we needed to acquire without fail all of the pension providers responded promptly and returned all of the paperwork.  A special mention should go to L&G for clear paperwork outlining the benefits in the initial request for evidence which helped making decisions. BAE systems also sent the same form 3 times over a 6 week period as we took our time deciding between a pension or lump sum.
Not once did anyone mention Covid as a possible reason for any delays which compared to some of the companies we have been dealing with was a refreshing change.