Pension Provider - very difficult to contact - stressful

FSPO, in my opinion, wouldn't look kindly on customer not getting that final letter out within the allocated timeframe. Provider would only be adding more cost to their woes by additional 'infringements'.

I'd say there's no way FSPO would turn you away if you showed them the email/letter of initial formal complaint and it was outside the complaints process timeframe.

I found them really on the ball and willing to help when you state your case fully and with as much detail as possible to them.

Gerard
 
Can you find contact details for their senior personnell, on LinkedIn?

If so, send them a private message telling them about your experience, and asking them to put an appropriate colleague in direct contact with you.

I've found that contacting people via LinkedIn can be quite useful, as they fear that you'll start shaming them in public, in front of their professional network, if they don't help you resolve the problem :)
 
When a person states that their complaint is being made under the IDR procedure it signals to the provider that they are aware of the complaints process up to ombudsmans level and they are intending to pursue it to that level. It is always good procedure to be very clear about the precise nature of the complaint. It costs nothing to add the line.
"I am making my complaint under the IDR procedure".
 
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Hi! Everyone thanks for your help with all this.i sent the complaint on Tuesday. I've had more correspondence in one morning from WTC today than I have has from them in the whole previous 6 months despite all my efforts, both in relation to my pension and to the complaint, hopefully, it continues like this. I emailed the Central Bank yesterday with my complaint to WTC, my poor experience with them and how this correlated with very poor online reviews. They came back to me at 9.30 this morning, thanking me for bringing thus to their attention
 
Mothergoose said:
Hi! Everyone thanks for your help with all this.i sent the complaint on Tuesday. I've had more correspondence in one morning from WTC today than I have has from them in the whole previous 6 months despite all my efforts, both in relation to my pension and to the complaint, hopefully, it continues like this. I emailed the Central Bank yesterday with my complaint to WTC, my poor experience with them and how this correlated with very poor online reviews. They came back to me at 9.30 this morning, thanking me for bringing thus to their attention
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Central Bank has no role in specific customer complaints and can do nothing.

Stick to plan A: exhaust internal complaint with the provider then, if needed, take to the FPSO.
 
GSheehy said:
The Pensions Authority or Central Bank won't help you either.
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Brendan Burgess said:
I would also copy any correspondence like this to the Central Bank which regulates WTW.

The Ombudsman won't worry them much. But they would not like a visit from the Central Bank.

The Central Bank will refer you to the Ombudsman, but if a few clients of WTW complain, then the CB will engage with them to find out what is going wrong.
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NoRegretsCoyote said:
Central Bank has no role in specific customer complaints and can do nothing.
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Conflicting advice in this thread?
 
ClubMan said:
Conflicting advice in this thread?
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Hopefully not. I simply advised OP not to expect anything more from the Central Bank on their specific issue.

@Brendan Burgess is right to advise individuals to let the Central Bank know as it's something they can take into account when setting supervisory priorities for the pension sector. But this process is slow and won't lead to anything tangible for the OP.
 
Yeah you gots to make your complaint to fspo and not to anyone else, is my understanding.

If you complain to fspo, having complained to company and 2.5 months layer gotten no response from them, will fspo entertain your complaint or is it premature?
 
Thanks again to you all for the replies. The Central Bank thanked me for sending them a copy of the complaint and said they monitor complaints against financial service providers, then then told me to follow up the the FSPO if I wasn't happy with WTW response.
 
The replies here helped greatly. I sent in a complaint under IDR - they apologised for some of the issues - no answer to phones and phonecalls, delays in responding to correspondence. They had a number on their website to contact them that was belonging to one of their directors - stated that this was not a WTW website when it was as one of their Directors rang me back and said he got at least weekly calls to his number as it was posted on the WTW website. I mentioned that there were very bad online reviews about them from other customers who had exactly the same experience as I had. They said they couldn't discuss other customers under GDPR, and I said that I wasn't asking them to discuss these customers, but stating a fact that there were many poor online reviews about their customer service. However, despite all this, I am now back in a position when they are telling me my contributions haven't 'settled' yet, and they are not sure when this will happen - they initially stated end of April for this, nor can they give me an idea of final lump sump, or the timeframe in which I am likely to receive it. There is now again delays in responding and answering queries. Some of my colleagues who retired several months ago are still waiting for their pension lump sum. How long is it acceptable to wait?
 
Have you followed any of the suggestions in this thread to date with regard to the likes of the Ombudsman, Central Bank, Pensions Authority?
You'll need a final response to a formal complaint in order to take a complaint to the FSPO at least.
 
You retired around 23rd March. Communication has maybe not been what you expected but in reality they could not deal properly with any of your queries until you had retired and the final contributions were received. The contributions for March do not have to be submitted until around 20th April, less than 2 weeks ago.They can't be expected to do the job twice, they wait for the final numbers.
Unfortunately you are up against a deadline ( of your own making) but the pension company have a process to follow.
A lot of very unreasonable opinions in this thread and too much hand wringing. Far too early to be making complaints to statutory bodies who likely have more substantial complaints to deal with.
 
JoeRoberts said:
You retired around 23rd March. Communication has maybe not been what you expected but in reality they could not deal properly with any of your queries until you had retired and the final contributions were received. The contributions for March do not have to be submitted until around 20th April, less than 2 weeks ago.They can't be expected to do the job twice, they wait for the final numbers.
Unfortunately you are up against a deadline ( of your own making) but the pension company have a process to follow.
A lot of very unreasonable opinions in this thread and too much hand wringing. Far too early to be making complaints to statutory bodies who likely have more substantial complaints to deal with.
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Good point @JoeRoberts - I had missed the bit about the actual retirement date being 23rd March - i.e. very recently. However, the process that the company has to follow doesn't excuse the seemingly very poor customer service/response times that the customer has faced. That alone could well merit a complaint, to the company itself in the first instance, and maybe then to a statutory body.
 
Thanks, Clubman and JoeRoberts for your replies. I only retired in March, so I can wait a while, however, the customer service prior to that, when I decided last October to retire early, and needed answers to various questions I had was abysmal, and is the subject of a dispute resolution complaint to WTW. As I mentioned above, no answer from Reception from repeated calls - I was on for just under an hour one day waiting for someone to answer the phone. I tried phoning several times, messages left but no response. No resposne many times to emails - they said they would respond in ten day, but no response several times within their time frame. I knew it was going to be difficult from the many negative reviews that I saw about them online after I had started to experience their poor customer service. I understand from some work collegagues that several of those in the company who retired at the end of last year are still waiting for their pension lump sum. I don't want to be waiting for mine in six months time. I am purchasing a flat in the UK, and I need the lump sum for the deposit.
 
Your main issue is with getting the pension sorted.
That will hopefully happen imminently.
If it doesn't then you may need to escalate things.

The customer service sounds terrible.
But it's up to you whether or not to make a formal complaint to them about this.
And then, depending on the outcome and after getting a final response from them, to take it further - to the FSPO.
 
Hi! Clubman and Tintagel, thanks for your replies. Apparently, the pension could take up to 6/7 months - my colleague retired in December last year and still hasn't gotten her pension. I moved abroad and need the lump sum to buy an apartment where I am now living. The same problems are arising again. I got told on 23rd April that my pension papers were with the trustees. I emailed back and asked did the QFA dealing with it, who had emailed me re the trustees, know what my final lump sum would be, and did they know how long the trustees would take to complete the papers and roughly the timeline for getting my lump, no reply. I emailed again on 3rd May re same questions - no reply. I have until end July to pay remaining deposit on house I am buying - new build. If you google WTW Dublin - the reviews are there for all to see, and they are all having the same problem as me and worse. I gave them until the end of the month to come back with answers, and then I said I would escalate to Ombudsman. I already put in an IDR re this type of service for last six months. They apologised but are doing the same again. It's stressful!
 
this is shocking service. 6/7 months is a joke. It should only take 3/4 weeks max.

I would contact the person again and tell them you are going to joe Duffy if it’s not sorted ASAP.
 
Thanks for your reply Oisin19. I have said if I don't here back from them by 29th May, when I will get my lump sum, then I will contact Ombudsman. Contacting Joe Duffy then might be an option - would he be interested in this stuff - very poor customer service causing lots of stress.
 
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