Scottish Widows has assigned 'specialist' employees to deal with complex complaints in a bid to address “serious customer service issues” at the organisation.
The pledge comes as the company’s listing on ratings website Trustpilot has almost 1,000 one star reviews, which make up around three quarters of the total reviews.
The majority of the lowest-rated reviews appear to relate to poor service, including delays in having money transferred and trouble getting in touch with the company.
Elsewhere, people shared their concerns about the company via a Facebook group called Scottish Widows Complaint Platform, which now has more than 1,300 members.
Here customers have also shared their woes relating to their attempts to responses from the company and move money from their pensions.
Despite the high number in the group, it is understood not all have actually formally complained to the company.
In October, data showed the Financial Ombudsman Service received 741 complaints relating to Scottish Widows in the first half of 2023.
On Trustpilot, one of the most recent complaints claims that more than a month after sending completed paperwork, a pension pot withdrawal has not happened followed by complaint emails being “ignored”.
Another complaint, written on December 5, reads: “I have had terrible problems on the admin side. In the last two months I have made two cash withdrawals.
“First one they re-bought shares, cancelled the withdrawal, then subsequently had to rearrange it. No apology, they just blame my IFA which is ridiculous.
“Second one processed on November 14, just got back from holiday to find the cash sitting in the cash account and no withdrawal.”
The firm has told FT Adviser it is "working hard behind the scenes" to improve service.
A spokesperson for Scottish Widows said: "We don’t want anyone to feel the need to complain and are working hard behind the scenes, with overall service levels back to normal.
"Specialist colleagues have been reallocated to complex cases, we’ve added additional customer service staff and invested in our systems and processes to make it easier for customers to see their policies online.
"More improvements are in the pipeline, and we’re committed to getting this right for our customers."
Not all bad
Alongside the bad reviews there are some who have been happy with service from the firm.
Overall, 22 per cent of the 1,339 reviewers gave the company five stars, relating to some of the technology. One review, left on December 6, praised the company’s online chat system.
The customer said: “The chat agent really knew their stuff and answered all my questions with clarity and efficiency in mind, including links to further reading should I need further details.
“The agent also presented me with alternative solutions to address my questions, thinking beyond my basic Q&A and using their own experience to improve the service provided.”
