Phoenix Life Reviews 3,200

Promised the Money my pension would be in on my birthday 14th July 2025, then said it would take 15 hours for a Chaps payment to go in which is a lie as it if it was process before 3pm would go in the same day, messed me about today on my birthday, messed up a holiday due to leave today, lost me a weeks work because I could have been working and customer service is rubbish, they cant even see on the system whether an action has been actioned. They call you then cut you off previous occasions you call they cant even find the policy number. This process started in April still im struggling, they are extremely unhelpful and I would not ever recommend opening any policy or life insurance with these people

Worst customer service ever experienced. Avoid this pathetic company.

Since my post regarding Phoenix Life on Trust Pilot in March 2025, prompted by many an irritating time waiting to talk to someone in their 'Customer Service' department, things have gone from bad to worse and I feel compelled to share. It is now over SEVEN MONTHS since I told Phoenix Life I wished to take my pension fund benefits and gave them my instructions on how I wished to do so. To date I am still waiting to receive any funds due to inexcusable delays that they have not explained to me. Phoenix Life evidently feel entirely comfortable holding on to the money I have invested in their pension fund non- stop for 40+ years or else the matter would have been resolved months ago, Instead, I am met with a wall of silence as to what is going on and when it will be resolved. Shameful and inexcusable. Hopefully Im still alive when they finally decide to pay up.

Still trying to close my late father’s estate. They ask for information after information but it doesn’t matter how many times you send it they ask for it again and again. Incompetence doesn’t even cut it. They don’t know what they’re doing an just piss people off. Having to get legal involved now.

It's been exactly 4 weeks when I received my payment, I sent the correct documentation in on time ,yes I was being inpatient but got there in the end ,thank you very much Phoenix life I can now get on with things and visit my sister
Good and loyal company.
Once again thanks

I have been dealing with Phoenix Life since January this year to claim my Brothers pension pot as he has Dementia, the money would allow him to engage help from carers to support him. The experience so far has been truly dreadful, I have phoned numerous times and spoken to varies people all of whom have assured me that the completion pack needed to claim the money would be sent to me, I am still waiting to receive it. I did make an official complaint which was looked into and my complaint was upheld by the company but nothing has happened since then. They are without doubt the worst company I have ever had to deal with, I truly believe they intend to keep my Brothers pension money which to me is theft. I did ask to speak to a senior manager but was refused, they also will not allow you to speak to any manager not that I would have any confidence in them. Customer Services promised to resolve the issue but never heard from them, no one returns calls even after promising faithfully they will. A truly dreadful company that really need to be investigated by the financial authorities.

If I could give no stars i would. How this company is still trading is beyond me.
No one replied to all these bad reviews That says it all. I have made numerous complaints. I got £300. Wow. I was contacted in December last year about my late husbands pensions. I have made claims. Filled in numerous paper work . Emails ,phone calls. Mistakes made by them. They broke data protection several times. I have been told different things by different people. One woman kept saying I wasn't married to my husband. Another told me I was to receive the pension ,how much and when another said it had all been paid out .
One lie after another. One excuse after another.
And they say its a few shortcomings. Absolutely unbelievable company

From being contacted by this company mid December to tell me that I had an old policy that I could claim. To discovering there were a further 3 policies that were there to be claimed it has taken 7 months for this company to to pay up.
The company has stated delays ranging from its with our admin department ( offshore) an onshore admin team only gets involved if there is a problem.
Another favorite excuse is a change in computer system which means it's difficult to access info, whoever heard of a financial service company regulated in the uk not being able to access info.
I do feel sorry for the call center as they don't seem to be equipped ( trained and access to information)to deal and answer customers questions, it's also evident that they seem to spend their days dealing with unhappy customers like us.
Also their attitude when you point out that from January this year approx 90 percent of their reviews are one star is silence.
In conclusion if you are going to chase this company prepare to have time on your hands.
My tips for dealing with this company via the call centre are as follows.
1) before you phone make sure you have a cup of tea and a spare hour.
2) after two attempts of speaking with the front line agents demand to speak with a manager, don't accept a senior agent as they will tell you what the front line agent has told you but with more confidence.
3) once you speak to the manager the first thing they'll say is I'll call you back, arrange a time but MAKE SURE they know you want them to call you back regardless of whether they have answer, and repeat this every time, as soon as you make this a chore it's surprising how they can get an answer.
In conclusion I would say this is by far the worst ever company I've ever dealt with. It's a shame that we can not give a zero star rating.
And if you have something ongoing with this company you have my sympathy

Pity I can't give this a zero rating! Can't get through; tried logging on but it says there's a "systems problem". Currently been on hold for over 15 minutes! Rubbish service. Can't wait to be rid of this company.....

My wife has a pension plan with Phoenix Life which, after being diagnosed with a life limiting brain tumour, she wants to surrender her policy to realise a lump sum which she can use to make some precious memories while she's still able. Started the process at the beginning of February and is still waiting. Phoenix Life claimed numerous times that the necessary surrender option forms have been sent, even by recorded delivery, but nothing. It's now a weekly routine trying to get this sorted out. 'We'll send the forms right now' they say every week but don't. After 5 months we have no idea of when my poor wife will get her money. In the latest episode today I spoke to the girl in the call centre myself and asked if they could email the form. Not possible! We only do it by post. Could we speak to a manager or supervisor? You have to make an appointment for a call! Compare this service with Aviva, with whom my wife had another plan and got payment within days, Phoenix's response, or lack of, has been nothing but disgusting given the fact that most people looking for payment of their savings will either be elderly retirees and/or terminally ill.

Pheonix Life took over my policy from Abbey who took it over from Ambassador. Both previous companies at least gave me written statements covering the number of units owned, value, etc. Pheonix gives me six sides of A4 annually to tell me my policy number, policy start date, total paid in and the death benefit! There is no mention of how many units I have or their value, which is what I want to know. There is no way of getting at my investment online as they have taken the decision not to put it online. Now they have lost a direct debit which they take each month; it has left my account but they don't know what happened to it and insist I must immediately send them a cheque (they only deal in cheques; bank transfers are not possible) to the direct debit amount or they will discontinue the policy!
This is the latest in continued poor customer service and they are not contactable outside normal Mon-Fri office hours; can't even find an email address for them.

making it really hard to draw out lump sup

I would like to thank Phoenix Life for a very professional service regarding my pension policy cash-out. It has been a very simple process and all of the necessary protocols were put in place. I would like to thank Rachel for her help and professionalism.
Many thanks to the team and Phoenix Life.

Absolutely gutted! My husband has been paying £50 per month since 1990 for life cover of £60,000 payable on his death. However, he has just received notifications to say that;
Should be want to continue for the same level of cover, he must pay £400 per month!
The other option is to continue to pay £50 per month and the cover is reduced £16.750.
This is a total CON. I have rang them and complained, saying I feel as if we've been scammed. It would have been safer to have put £50 into a jar every month and kept in my home. The risk of being burgled would have been lower than what this company is doing!

David Hayward has made my life great in this company, a man with jokes and passion for the company! He always greets his fellow employees with “yeeeeee boiiii” or “yeeeeee girl”, of course making sure to include everyone! If you want your complaint to be dealt with in a timely manner, he is the man to seek for! A man with worthy hands!

Inability to communicate by anything other than post. Admin departments based overseas that even internal teams can't contact other than by email to even try and resolve issues. Numerous failed promises to act on instructions. At least two internal admin errors that have led to delays with dealing with important, time sensitive financial matters. Repeated failings. Communication that could have been resolved in a matter of weeks has literally taken months of frustration - and still outstanding. Just raised a formal complaint and will happily take it to the financial ombudsman if I don't get a satisfactory outcome. Company that doesn't acknowledge negative reviews on Trustpilot either - big red flag...!

Absolute sh-it website and company.
They have no idea what they're doing.

Dreadful company, using power of attorney to get a dementia relatives money out to help with end of life care. Fobbed off every time we have phoned, one person to another and no one knows what's going on. Delayed over 2 months at this point while his condition worsens. Would NOT recommend this company to anybody at all. Go and do business elsewhere. Joke of a company.

These are a joke, it’s 2025 and my wife wanted to cash in 3 pension pots. 2 done in less than 20 mins on line. These guys……. The pot is worth ONLY £1300 and gives a pension of 20 quid per annum. We are now 6 weeks in and we have to wait for the post and have to speak to a FA to take the money out. It’s a total joke! They are keeping our money as long as they can. It’s 2025 WHY is everything in the post. 3weeks to send a form out and nothing can be done online. If you plan to retire in the next 10 years Start the process now!! You may be dead by the time you get paid out. An absolute joke!!! Avoid and use Aegon, legal and general etc. what a waste of time. I feel like saying keep the £1300 and buy a new computer system and new processes!! You’re a joke to deal with.

Still waiting for my annual statement which is now over a month overdue. However, on phoning I found the value of my Property Bond has decreased in value for the second year running, although I have had a bonus (unquantified) and paid in monthly. I have asked for the second year running how can a property related investment decrease in value but nobody has given me an answer. My obvious conclusion is to surrender the policy before I lose any more money.