Getting nowhere with death in service from employer

longwalks1

currently helping my step sons with paperwork following the sudden passing of their dad over Christmas. He worked at Centre Parcs for almost a decade.  The sons are trying to find out details of his death in service payment and have basically been fobbed off for the last 6 weeks, broken promises of ‘we will provide the information’ and ‘someone will call you back tomorrow’, but still nothing.  Even his point of contact isn’t replying to the several emails he’s sent.

what is the next step, or how can we prompt a response or the information needed?  In a workplace I’d simply copy in the managers above, and above them to trigger a response.  How on earth do we get this moving? 

Thank you all in advance 

Mark_d

My understanding is that death in service benefit is part of the pension scheme - so that is where the information would be.  I think you need to get in touch with the pension scheme administrators rather than the employer.

p00hsticks

Mark_d said:

My understanding is that death in service benefit is part of the pension scheme - so that is where the information would be.  I think you need to get in touch with the pension scheme administrators rather than the employer.

I'm not sure that's necessarily true, although it may be for some. 

When I had to deal with my late brothers estate a few years ago, I'm almost certain that his death in service benefit and workplace pension scheme were with completely different companies (from memory, Canada Life and Legal & General respectively). In his case though, his employers were very helpful and dealt with my queries in a timely fashion. 

KxMx

I'd get on the phone rather than emailing. 

Silvertabby

Did dad have a partner?  Is it possible that he named the partner as his nominated beneficiary?  Even if he named his sons as his beneficiaries, if a partner pops up and claims the death in service benefits then the trustees would have to at least consider the claim.

longwalks1

Thanks everyone, we took over and phoned the employer direct and stayed on the line until we got the information we required. 

Went through probate for mother in law last year and know you sometimes need to be a little more persistent/persuasive than my step sons might be being as they’ve never had to do anything like this before.

Thanks again, hopefully helping them with letters of administration doesn’t prove to be too much of a headache!