Phoenix Life Reviews 3,200

This company provides an utterly shocking service - the one star I have given above is too generous in fact.
My wife is in pieces following the death of her mother. She has made a string of phone calls to Pheonix' head office over the last 3 weeks and her claim remains un-actioned albeit she has a funeral service to pay for. Pheonix do absolutely everything in their power to make the claim process as difficult and painful as possible. Apart from the initial telephone receptionist, the bereavement team has shown absolutely zero compassion or understanding for the loss of her mother. I encouraged my my wife to escalate her claim and resubmit it as an Official & Formal Complaint, which she sent today via email. My wife has itemised each of the company failures. She has given them facts copied from the logged phone calls she has made. Within minutes of receiving the FORMAL COMPLAINT Pheonix replied sending this curt - unsigned email message, which reads: "Can you kindly forward the image of the coroners' death certificate in PDF format? We may be able to process the claim with it." Whether or not the claim will be honoured remains to be seen!

This is a joke of a company. They cannot even use the correct information given. They tell you email will be sent in 6 to 10 days in response to your phone call. Email never arrives. Can’t speak to complaints department directly on hold for 23 minutes while call handler reports your complaint. To treat people who are recently bereaved is a fisgracese

On 7 May this year, I decided to cash in one of the pensions I hold with Phoenix Life. I contacted the helpdesk & a very helpful young woman discussed my options with me & my wife & said she would send us a Retirement Pack & the relevant claim forms. She said that we would receive these within 15 working days & then should receive the money approximately two weeks after returning them. So we were looking at a timescale of approximately five-to six weeks. This seemed reasonable &, assuming Phoenix Life to be a reputable company, we engaged the services of a builder to do some remedial work on our house. He had had a cancellation so offered us a special price – had this not been the case we would, perhaps, not have put so much trust in Phoenix Life. Nothing arrived.

On 30 May, we rang again. This time we spoke to a very helpful young man, who told us our options were completely different from what the very helpful young woman had told us as that information was for people living in the UK & we live in Spain. He said he would send us the updated Retirement Pack & the claim forms. The Retirement Pack arrived – but no claim forms.

On 5 June, we phoned again. Another very helpful young woman took our call. She was very apologetic about the mix-up & assured us that we’d receive the claim forms within 15 working days, which we could scan & return by email, & the money within 15 working days of that. Our builder was nearing the end of the work he was doing for us, but we reckoned we’d be okay so long as there were no further delays.

By 30 June, another Retirement Pack had arrived – but still no claim forms. We phoned again. The very helpful young woman (possibly the same one as last time) apologised once more, made a note that we were suffering financial hardship, & said she’d escalate it to her seniors so it could be pushed through more speedily.

Two weeks later – 15 July – nothing had happened. We phoned again. More apologies. More assurances that our case would be treated as a priority. More waffle.

Three days later, a letter arrived – acknowledging that we had requested a Retirement Pack which would be sent out to us shortly. We had not requested a Retirement Pack – we had Retirement Packs coming out of our ears. What we wanted was CLAIM FORMS!

My wife thought they might still be forthcoming so we waited. Our builder had finished his task & given us his bill, due to be paid on 28 July. When we received nothing from Phoenix Life by 30 July, we phoned them again. Bear in mind that all these phone calls from Spain to England (with up to 15 mins on hold listening to muzak interspersed with a recorded voice telling us how important our call is to them, then a further 20-odd mins explaining this whole mess to whomever answers the phone, followed by significant periods on hold while they find out what’s happening & speak to their seniors) do not come cheap...

So, on 30 July, We explained everything all over again & received the same reassurances & promises of elevation to seniors, plus, this time, we were told that someone would phone us back within 72 hours with a resolution. But – that’s right – you guessed it: no one did.

On 5 August, we phoned again. We spoke to someone called Tee. She, like everyone else, was very nice & helpful & said everything would be resolved within three days & she would raise a complaint on our behalf with the Complaints Dept who would contact us. We were mightily relieved. Maybe finally things would be sorted.

On 8 August, Tee phoned & requested a copy of my wife’s passport, which we sent the same day.
And then it all went quiet again. So on 19 August, we phoned & spoke to Eloise who was very nice & helpful & seemed to sympathise with our predicament. She said she’ll email the claim forms to us and we could print them out, sign them, & send them back by email. She also said she’d raise a second formal complaint &we should receive the money by mid-Sept. Our builder had started making threatening noises about our not having paid him yet, but my wife sweet-talked him & assured him that he’d be paid very very soon. So, after 104 days of waiting, hoping, asking, complaining, begging – we finally received the claim forms. We printed them out, filled them in, & emailed them back.

By 29 August, we had heard nothing. The builder was hassling my wife (because she’s the one who speaks the language, not me). We phoned again & spoke to Marcus who was also very nice & helpful. He said the problem was that we sent the signed forms back as .png images & not .pdfs & they couldn’t open the attachments. It would have been nice is Eloise could have mentioned this to us ten days earlier, & even nicer if, upon not being able to open the .pngs, someone could have contacted us.

If/when this review gets published, I'll continue this still-unresolved saga. Look out for PART TWO.

Their 0nline services are out of action frequently ( particularly weekends). Plus a problem with their sign-in process. Phone calls lead nowhere.

Spent over an hour trying to set up online access to get updates about pension pension policy does not exist! This company is totally backward. Contactable by letter snail mail only. So I'll lose housing benefit because their so s l o o o w. Absolutely useless. But you have to expect this from organised crime Mafia!

Finally after 10 months (and 4 months after probate complete) Phoenix paid the monies due on 2 life policies held by my late until. Took numerous calls and 4 or 5 failed promises, before payment. And now, nearly a year after his death, my Aunt receives 2 standard letters from Phoenix with sympathy messages re my Uncle's death and a promise to quickly administer his policy claims. Incompetent, insensitive and morally corrupt.

My step father passed away 9 months ago. It has been nothing but mistakes and excuses. My mother received two lots of letters saying sign paperwork enclosed, yet there was not any enclosed. My mother has had to spend so much time calling, chasing all whilst navigating the grief of losing her husband. This still remains unresolved, although she has received a £160 Cheque of compensation, still no payment of the money she is owed though. It is a shameful service and I would not recommend anyone use this company, unless you wish your loved ones to be fobbed off, given a diabolical service and left to chase what they are owed.
Hopefully this company can get their act together and give a grieving widow her insurance money.

My mother died on the 12th August 2025 and we thought her life policy money would be paid out fairly swiftly to cover the cost of the funeral.

Phoenix Life seem to be doing all they can to get out of paying the money out, always one more signature or letter needed to confirm details. This is the last thing my 93 year old father needed after losing the life long love of his life, it is causing his so much stress that I'm now worried for his health as well!!

I truly hope that somone from Phoenix Life is reading this and can help to get the payment made within the next few days as it really is taking the p!ss.

There doesn't seem to be any empathy in this company at all. The last thing any family needs after losing a loved one is to have to go through so many hoops with so much stress. These payouts should be automatic within 7 days of notification

Trying to draw down my annuity since July but after repeated promises nothing forthcoming. Noe we are half way through September.

Firstly I gave 1 star as a minus stars weren't an option. Been trying to claim my fathers life policy. Sent in Death Certificate on 4th September still awaiting claims form.

I had no problem setting up an online account for a pension enquiry and the customer service was great when I needed help and advice

I wouldn't even give it one star, this company should be ashamed of the way they treat familys of deceased policy holders!!

You were notified in January of my grandfathers death, for no notification of claims to say they acknowledged this, for us to send a letter with his death certificate in March, again nothing from your claims team.

We then opened up complaint in May, and of course complaints got in contact to acknowledge this. Claims were meant to be in touch with some sort of form, this was not sent. nor phone calls logged that have been mentioned. LIARS!

I have now sent all evidence to the Financial Ombudsman and will be taking you for interest & distress as well of full policy.

You have left a retired widow without what is rightfully hers and my grandfather would be heartbroken that his wife has been put through this, a little reminder my grandfather has been paying for his policy since the 80s!!! absolutely shocking.

unfortunately for this company i will fight to the death for what is rightfully hers!

Horrendous company to deal with trying to draw my pension excuse after excuse stage after stage nothing is simple with this company postal service replies instead of emails

I dread to think how many pages there are for this company I got to 40 and it was still 2024 out of some posts that I read I observed that any stars above 3 were mainly to do with a positive customer service the majority being one star were to do with money in particular money withheld not paid out for whatever reason. according to Phoenix they can trace all policies even if you have lost or mislaid them I found out 2.75 years ago that my endowment policy had reached its target for a full maturity payment in 2010. They decided in 2007 to pay 5% 3.5 years prior to my maturity date in fact that decision was made before the USA Lehman Brothers collasped in Sept 2008 in 2013 they informed me that my policy had reached 8.1% it had reached its target in fact according to historical investment records over the past 50 years investment rates reached 10% double what they paid me and millions of other customers unfortunately for them I have all communication since inception of my mortgage and endowment since 1985 both policy and communication letters. If this applies to anyone reading this get them to trace your records and start your claim process this has nothing to do with time limits they have breached customers accounts and manipulated and altered the investment rates and submitted them to Company house and HMRC Good Luck

Shocking company , have been waiting for a response for 52 days regarding a claim. Each time I phone I am assured correspondence will be delivered within the next 15 days, alas still waiting.
Unable to get through in phone, state they are to busy and will phone back within 72 hours.

They sent my elderly father a letter asking for 15 years of addresses, they have all his information and refuse to tell him his own policy. Been forced to escalate just to get answers, now waiting on ombudsman and subject access requests just to find out what his policy is all these decades later. To do such a thing to an elderly man is cruel, egotistical and pathetic. 40 mins on the phone only for them to ask him questions about a conversation he had decades ago, no one can remember a conversation from the 80’s/90’s and especially not an old man almost 70 now, it’s purposely gatekeeping pensioners pension. Stealing from the elderly and forcing them to jump through inaccessible hoops or speak to higher authorities just for basic records of his own assets is one of the lowest acts a company could perform. This company did it with a smile and a dance. Avoid

Disgraceful
Just called to chase a bereavement notification and lady anwered and said no one can take your call can you call back in the next 72 hours!!!!! I said no as its bereavement and you sent me incorrect information. I was told nothing i can do all i'm doing is asking people to call back what an absolute disgrace. Dont respond to this message with we are recieving a hi volume of calls thats rubbish.

I have been trying to sort out my late brothers pension for months now. I had to re-contact them after not hearing any updates for a long time. Now I receive an email saying I have to send more documentation, just delaying the process even further. All the other affairs with other companies were sorted out swiftly, this is the only one not sorted. At an already incredibly stressful time this is not helping. I have a pension with them myself which I will now be moving to another company due to the length of time and difficulty in settling my brothers.

Made a claim for bereavement it's taken 3 months and then they paid out £288 less than the value of the policy still waiting for reason nobody knows why

Poor customer service.

As an executor of an estate, despite informing them that the person they were writing to is the same person that had died and was the policy holder. They continued to write to the deceased as the executor. Despite raising and closing a complaint on this subject, they did it again.
Daft.