Mercer - Having a laugh (almost)

NSG666

This should perhaps go in the moans section but…..

In this day and age many companies instantly send out an email acknowledging receipt of an electronic enquiry. It's almost laughable that with Mercer it takes two days just to send an automated email telling you it will take between 10 and 20 working days to get a 'proper' response!

Troytempest

Blame the pandemic, that's the standard excuse these days for poor service!!!!

Scrudgy

Long before any current problems affecting work getting done, I had shockingly bad levels of service from Mercer. I went to the ombudsman who told me what to say in writing to Mercer. That got some swift action.

My friend is currently try to transfer an old pension currently managed by Mercer to his current scheme due to good savings in fees, but after 8 weeks Mercer haven’t even acknowledged the request.

Albermarle

 that with Mercer it takes two days just to send an automated email telling you it will take between 10 and 20 working days to get a 'proper' response!

Then you are lucky if you get a proper response at all, and if you do it would be a miracle if it was within 10 days !

wjr4

Scrudgy said:

Long before any current problems affecting work getting done, I had shockingly bad levels of service from Mercer. I went to the ombudsman who told me what to say in writing to Mercer. That got some swift action.

My friend is currently try to transfer an old pension currently managed by Mercer to his current scheme due to good savings in fees, but after 8 weeks Mercer haven’t even acknowledged the request.

Mercer often administer defined benefit schemes, are they sure it isn’t one of those? 

NSG666

Thankfully my wife only has c.£10.5k in a Morrisons pension they administer and she wants to withdraw it all and be done with them. It's a good job she's not desperate to get her hands on it to pay the daily bills though!

Albermarle said:

 that with Mercer it takes two days just to send an automated email telling you it will take between 10 and 20 working days to get a 'proper' response!

Then you are lucky if you get a proper response at all, and if you do it would be a miracle if it was within 10 days !

I agree with you on both counts.

Scrudgy

wjr4 said:

Mercer often administer defined benefit schemes, are they sure it isn’t one of those? 

No definitely a straightforward deferred DC pension. No GMP or special conditions that would complicate things. I had already transferred out mine ( same scheme, same employer) but I did mine when Willis Towers Watson were managing it before the company moved to Mercer. Mine took 6 weeks in total to move to new scheme. My friend has had no comms at all in 8 weeks from Mercer. He has chased them up as well. They are looking into it apparently.

Marcon

Scrudgy said:

wjr4 said:

Mercer often administer defined benefit schemes, are they sure it isn’t one of those? 

No definitely a straightforward deferred DC pension. No GMP or special conditions that would complicate things. I had already transferred out mine ( same scheme, same employer) but I did mine when Willis Towers Watson were managing it before the company moved to Mercer. Mine took 6 weeks in total to move to new scheme. My friend has had no comms at all in 8 weeks from Mercer. He has chased them up as well. They are looking into it apparently.

Forget 'chasing up' - this is an occupational (trust based) DC arrangement, so use the Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure which at least gives some timeframes for replies.