Do I have a valid complaint against pension provider?

BooJewels

That's truly preposterous about the credit card bill - you couldn't make it up.  When so few accounts issue cheque books by default these days, it's a nonsense procedure. Maybe it stems from the days when you'd settle estate bills from an executor account and they used to only have cheque books and no debit cards - if so, they need to get with the times.

For what it's worth, I think you can still get counter cheques issued in branch - I had to get some done from a savings account where I didn't want to do the transaction through my own current account.  But getting to a branch is problematic in its own way.  Chances are, if you actually went into a branch, they could possibly sort it over the counter anyway.

Savvy_Sue

As to making a formal complaint, you can obviously support MiL in raising one: draft a letter for her if she's happy!