Phoenix Life Reviews 3,200

Going round and round in circles with Phoenix Wealth and Phoenix Life. It seems no one can answer your questions and queries everything goes back to an in box and sits there until someone eventually gets back to you, everything takes up to 10 days!!

AVOID AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY THESE FRAUDULENT SCAMMERS WILL SEND THE POLICE TO YOUR PROPERTY IF YOU ASK FOR THE PAYOUT OF YOUR DECEASED RELATIVES POLICY

Dealing with Phoenix Life regarding my late father’s pension has been a deeply frustrating and upsetting experience. Despite providing them with every piece of information they could possibly need — date of birth, date of death, addresses, and even the official death certificate — they are now demanding his National Insurance number.

We were previously told the payment was due to be processed, yet this new request has caused more unnecessary delays. It feels incredibly insensitive to ask grieving families for extra details when all the essential information is already in their possession.

At such a difficult time, the process should be straightforward and handled with compassion. Instead, it has been stressful, bureaucratic, and frankly disrespectful. Phoenix Life really needs to review how it deals with bereaved families — right now, it feels like we’re being made to jump through needless hoops at the worst possible time.

On hold for 20 minutes then it cuts you off

Phoenix are an absolute disgrace. No pension growth in 20+years. They mislead with the statements they make. See below.
I have had the misfortune to have a pension administered by Phoenix life for many years. The Original pension was purchased for me when I left a company in 1984 and moved to another. My original pension holder was Scottish Mutual.

During the first few years the pension grew with annual bonuses added so that by 2000 my pension was worth a guaranteed £2011 per annum with a 50% pension paid to my wife should I die before her.

Due to the financial crisis in the early 2000's Scottish mutual changed from annual to maturity bonuses as they were fairer for all pension holders who held onto their pensions to maturity. (What did I know)

When Phoenix purchased my pension around 2009 they then informed its customers that they would be continuing "Concentrating on final bonuses as it is the best and fairest way for ALL policyholders to benefit from the returns of with profits funds ".In future statements from Phoenix, they continue to state this and show good returns and excess cash being used to cater for downturns in the fluctuating market. (Although they always state that terminal bonuses are not guaranteed)

When my Pension matured in July 2024 Phoenix life offered me a pension of £2011 and a 50% continuation for my wife. No final bonus was applicable. In reality, my pension has not grown for 24 years. However they did say it was worth more as I was expected to LIVE LONGER.

Naturally I complained to Phoenix but made no progress. I then went to the financial ombudsman see Complaint reference PNX-5274622-MOJ1. The ombudsman upheld my complaint and adjudicated that the £200 compensation offered by Phoenix was sufficient. I will potentially lose £1100's if I live long enough and consider £200 a disgrace.

Phoenix life is doing very well thank you and are achieving record profits. I suspect from paying the bare minimum on policies and misleading customers such as myself. I am not the only one in this position as I have found a number of similar cases online.

I reviewed Phoenix Life 2 years ago in 2023, complaining about the very poor customer service together with criticism concerning the numerous errors which were being made.
I finally decided to cancel my policy in 2024 but have had to wait 12 months for Phoenix Life to respond to my final letter. In the end I had to contact the Ombudsman who upheld my complaint but Phoenix Life still failed to comply until further intervention from the Ombudsman's office.
My experience has been frustrating and upsetting and the standard of customer service does not appear to have improved.

I have been trying to call them about a claim which seems to be forever getting sorted out.
They are still spinning the 'I'll get someone to call you back within 72 hours' line that someone previously mentioned in this thread months back

So, don't know where my claim is, can't speak to anyone about it.

Not good enough

For months I have been trying to obtain my pension.
A week ago they advised the tax free lump sum and annuity had been paid............guess what, they had not?
Refused to let me speak with a manager today?
Unable to say when I will actually be paid?
Complaints team are hopeless?

Tried to withdraw a lump sum of a pension full stop this turned out to be harder than I thought it would be all I get is pushed from pedal to post. To cancel holiday rely on the money which did not appear would not recommend this company

Received documentation for cashing in my fund in December 24.
Filled it in but silence from them, received another 27 page document and filled it in…again and returned with original birth certificates.
Nothing.
Multiple calls, they always apologize but still nothing.
They wrote and offered compensation for poor standards of service which would be added to my pay out but guess what? Nothing!
Yesterday I received another email with the same 27 page form to fill in for the 5th time, yes 5 times!
So it’s 9 months since I requested to cash in the fund.
I have decided to put this in the hands of a lawyer.
Scandalous behaviour!

Have lost the will to live.no reply on the messaging service even tried emailing the CEO Andy Briggs and guess what no reply perhaps he's reading how to rob a pension pot by Robert Maxwell.after reading all the reviews on trust pilot I would suggest you get your money out as quick as this awful company will let you and put it with someone with good reviews

A real shame you can’t leave a 0-star review. Don’t touch this company and if you are involved with them (as I involuntarily was following their takeover of Abbey Life pensions) then transfer out immediately. I genuinely don’t know where to begin with them. Fund switches weren’t actioned, annuity quotes (required even if you have no intention of taking a pension annuity out with them) took months and then funds weren’t released for weeks to my selected annuity provider. The whole process of taking my pension is still going on. I am now in the 6th month! They accepted they had bodged things up so offered me compensation which, over a month after they said it would arrive, still hasn’t. I called the number on the letter supplied with the compensation offer…out of service. Phoenix are simply not fit for purpose.

My whole life plan shows a lower sum assured on the Portal than what they assure me I am insured for. About £74,000 less !
I reported this in March 2024, now 16 months later and they have still not resolved it despite numerous calls.
I have a letter reassuring me the higher amount is correct . I want it corrected on the portal. How difficult can it be.
Avoid this company.

My husband passed away in February, leaving me as the beneficiary of a small pension which I am trying to withdraw. The forms to fill in a very lengthy, but I have returned them completed. I have a redemption statement from just before he passed, I have received no communication from the company whatsoever, except a payment received for less than 8% of the policy value, not even the return of our marriage certificate of other documents they requested which were promised by return. No one can even tell me what the payment I received is in respect of or why the change in value - three different excuses in one phone call.

Wouldn't recommend taking anything out with this company.
Had 4 pensions taken out 38 years ago as part of a company pension scheme,has just taken me nearly 3 months to get the money off them.
Waiting times on getting a response on the phone is appalling,if they even bother answering. Promises constantly broken, letters taking a month to arrive, constantly being told wrong information even by the complaints department.
Poor excuse for an insurance/pension company.

Appalling Customer Service. Never invest your money here if you want to see it again. I'm not surprised that they don't respond to reviews on this site as they're entirely dysfunctional. Long and tedious story short - they contact me about a policy that I'm no longer supposed to have (I have a letter from them confirming transfer out to another provider in 2017). I write back with info and then send copies of marriage cert and NI number etc etc. Then nothing... I have no idea what this is about so eventually call them - and (wait for it) can't pass security because I don't know THE EXACT DATE I TOOK THE POLICY OUT around 28 years ago.... Classic - left in loop of doom in spite of giving them all reasonable ID (Policy Number, Name, Full Address, DOB, NI number, name of former employer....). They won't write with details to the address they hold because I must write to them...???!!! I can't speak to a supervisor (because I didn't pass security) AND I can't speak to complaints - guess why... because I didn't pass security. Absolutely kafkaesque. However, I am assured that the Customer Services operative knows that this is a pain and MANY people are in the same position BUT if I write (giving fewer details than I have by phone) they may (or may not) provide me with more information which he can't confirm (or not) because I haven't passed their security. This is apparently just 'the process'.

Phoenix informed us of a policy in my late father’s name in Sept 2024 and after providing all the requested information they were unable or unwilling to sort it. Everyone passing us onto other locations and not returning calls when promised. Complaints managers leaving numbers (even formally on letters) that say incorrect number when called. Staff seem unable to contact anyone else within their own organisation. Individually polite but seemingly doing very little or nothing to sort the issue. 11 months and many hours of phone calls later this is still unresolved. Exhausting, frustrating, and unbelievable that an organisation of this size could be so ineffective and unprofessional. On the phone to ‘Which’ now for advice.

40+ year policy sold with prediction of maturity value of £34k-£64k, is now worth just £16k - that's grown less than if I'd put money into post office savings account.

I have never left a review anywhere because my idea of good service/goods may differ to other people's. However Phoenix Life is unique. I must warn people. My deceased mother-in-law had a policy with them. I contacted them. I spoke to a snippy agent who I thought was having a bad day. There has been one letter that was standard issue, informing us what we needed to do to have a life insurance policy paid out.
Since then it has been just 'chasing' phone calls about what is happening, frustration, workers saying yes I will get back to you....and they don't. Requests each time you ring them to re-tell the agony you are having with them. Missing important paperwork not returned. And much much more.
I would recommend that you find an Insurance agent with five stars. And if you decide to chance it I wish you luck.

My father died, and having contacted them to pay out his life assurance policy to cover his funeral, they promised payments had been made, which were never received (to date) promised call backs (which never happened) they have made a very difficult time worse. It is now 12 weeks aftwer his death and im still having to chase. DO NOT TRUST THEM