Countrywide Assured - claim for deceased husbands pension contributions - ISSUES

Sailorgirl0412

My husband passed away on 16th January 2024 and given that he held a personal pension plan with Countrywide Assured I contacted them to understand what I needed to do.  They advised to upload the death certificate when I got it and this would trigger a claim form to be sent.  I duly uploaded it on 25th Jan via their website and called them on 31/1/24 to confirm it had been received which it had.  Since then some 11 phone calls later - still no claim form.  I raised an official complaint on 27th Feb as it had been over a month and aside from calling me to check the address the confirmation of the complaint should be sent to, nothing!!!  Should be noted that the letter confirming the complaint and the copy of the complaint procedure arrived in the post 2 days later but still no claim form.  You can only get through to the contact centre, can't be transferred to a manager, even when they say they have passed it on and asked for someone to call me (thats happened on 3 occassions) - Nothing!!! 

Been told to contact Pensions Ombudsman and FCA but I expect looking at their website I will have to exhaust the internal complaints process first.  That process is we expect to resolve the issue in 4 weeks of the complaint and if not will look to resolve 8 weeks and will write to you if we can't....

How long do I have to wait? anyone else had similar issues and what have you done?

Marcon

Sailorgirl0412 said:

My husband passed away on 16th January 2024 and given that he held a personal pension plan with Countrywide Assured I contacted them to understand what I needed to do.  They advised to upload the death certificate when I got it and this would trigger a claim form to be sent.  I duly uploaded it on 25th Jan via their website and called them on 31/1/24 to confirm it had been received which it had.  Since then some 11 phone calls later - still no claim form.  I raised an official complaint on 27th Feb as it had been over a month and aside from calling me to check the address the confirmation of the complaint should be sent to, nothing!!!  Should be noted that the letter confirming the complaint and the copy of the complaint procedure arrived in the post 2 days later but still no claim form.  You can only get through to the contact centre, can't be transferred to a manager, even when they say they have passed it on and asked for someone to call me (thats happened on 3 occassions) - Nothing!!! 

Been told to contact Pensions Ombudsman and FCA but I expect looking at their website I will have to exhaust the internal complaints process first.  That process is we expect to resolve the issue in 4 weeks of the complaint and if not will look to resolve 8 weeks and will write to you if we can't....

How long do I have to wait? anyone else had similar issues and what have you done?

What you outline is maladministration, so if it needs to go further, it will be the Pensions Ombudsman you need to complain to - but you're right that you need to exhaust the internal complaints process first.

You might consider emailing their CEO, which is something they helpfully suggest (and they give an email contact): https://www.countrywideassured.co.uk/who-are-we/about-us/

Hopefully it won't come to that. It's hard to understand why you are being given the runaround like this, which is just what you don't need after a recent bereavement.

dunstonh

Been told to contact Pensions Ombudsman and FCA but I expect looking at their website I will have to exhaust the internal complaints process first. 

You don't contact the FCA.  They do not handle consumer complaints.   See above for PO.   Although Countrywide may direct you to the FOS in the first instance once they 8 weeks is up and they haven't resolved it.

Was there an expression of wish on the pension and was it current? - if not, that will add considerably the delays and may involve other people possibly being treated as the person to communicate with.