Scottish Widows Reviews

Name: Scottish Widows
Rating: 1.09

1.1 Rating 139 Reviews

1 %

of reviewers recommend Scottish Widows

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1.1

Based on 139 reviews

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Own Driver, Postal Service
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Over A Week

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Scottish Widows 1 star review on 24th January 2025

Sandra Bernardino Godfrey

Scottish Widows 1 star review on 10th August 2023

Anonymous

Scottish Widows 1 star review on 29th August 2022

Mark Radin

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

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“In line with other customer reviews, I have also experienced appalling service from Scottish Widows, with the transfer of my pension to another provider taking 11 months in total! This involved several hours of phone calls, sending same documents on multiple occasions, registering a complaint the Financial Ombudsman, and at one point visiting their Edinburgh office to hand in documents in order they could not further claim non-receipt.. Absolutely disgraceful organisation - if you manage to speak to a member of staff who actually wants to help then you are doing well! Many "Customer Services" staff have poor knowledge of processes involved for a pension transfer. Complaints Manager assigned to me was never available to take calls (I lost count the number of times I was promised a call back which did not happen). Emails ignored or "not received", and on visiting their Edinburgh Office, couldn't speak with anyone in Complaints Team as staff worked from home. Reception staff had difficulty in finding one staff member to accept my documents. Given the amount of similar experiences from other customers, surely the Independent Governance Committee which “oversees the way Scottish Widows looks after member’s retirement savings and how it assesses whether Scottish Widows are offering members value for money”, recommend the following areas for improvement to the Scottish Widows Board: 1. The Executive and Management Teams currently overseeing the transfer request are retrained or replaced. 2. The current internal guidelines for the transfer process and staff training guides are binned as they do not appear fit for purpose. 3. Customer Services staff are re-trained in how to fairly serve clients”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“I wrote to my local MP and complained about the service and performance of Scottish Widows company pension fund. Would you believe my MP got a response in 3 days. The response was a copy and paste exercise from previous correspondence and the covering letter was littered with errors and inaccuracies. Just summed Scottish Widows cavalier attitude even to an MP.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 months ago

“I am still waiting for my reply to how SW lost £950 in 2022 of my small £5980 pension. No break down or how much they charge per annum. Im due to retire this year and therefore no time to make it right. Shame on you SW.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 months ago

“I am an advisor, and I am using them for the first time and they are so difficult to deal with. They have very old systems and they cannot change them even if they can clearly see they are not working. Decision making process is so very very slow. The client experience was appalling. I will never ever use Scottish Widows again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 months ago

“I have been trying to withdraw money from my investment plan for about a month with no success.not answering phone calls,not answering letters.im thinking of travelling 200 miles to there office to sort it out”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 months ago

“Even though I'm not the kind to comment on things, I had to take my time writing this one! I lost all of my money to this firm because I fell victim to a fraud! However, I received assistance, and I'm posting my remark now to aid other people who were duped by this business! I received assistance from C - O - V - S - E - C - L - T - D . C- O -M "Get in touch with them; they'll assist you."”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 months ago

“Can't get my money out my PIP no matter how hard i try. Although you can log into your account to see your money, for some reason you're not allowed to transfer it. I called them, they said that I need to complete some forms which they'll send out, they NEVER DID! Called again, this time they say I can download the form and email it in with my ID, which I did on the 3rd Oct 24, they then respond by letter (not email) saying that they don't have the 4th signed page of the form I sent on email, I've checked the attachment and its there clear as day. So I've called again and just going round in circles with them saying they don't have the signed page, despite me sending it to them, its an absolute joke, as well as THEFT. DO NOT INVEST IN THIS COMPANY - they will not give you your money back!”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 months ago

“Just reading the comments and going through the same . Oh dear this not bode well.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 months ago

“8 months trying to get a pension transferred. All paperwork sent in August. Still waiting and have called and called over and over. Each time I'm told the admin team needs to send me a final form. When I ask why they haven't I get the reply,sorry, I don't know. Made a complaint on 3 October. No manager assigned yet. No idea when I might expect any contact. Emails are ignored. I really need the money here where I live. It's like SW think they own it. Disgraceful. Very very annoyed.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 months ago

“OMG!!! ABSOLUTELY APPALLING, UNPROFESSIONAL OUTFIT SCOTTISH WIDOWS PENSIONS ARE!!! UTTERLY USELESS CUSTOMER SERVICES! KIDS RUNNING THE SHOP! TALK FROM ALL SCRIPTED SCREENS AT THEIR END THAT YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH, OVER & OVER, INTRUSIVE ON YOUR PRIVATE AFFAIRS, HAVE YOU GOING ROUND & ROUND THE HOUSES REPEATEDLY, THEY DO NOT LISTEN TO THE CUSTOMER, EXTREMELY LENGTHY VERY LONG WINDED DRAWN OUT & RIDICULOUS SAME OVER & OVER & OVER PROCESSES & CONVOLUTED SYSTEM OF THINGS TO JUST WITHDRAW YOUR PENSION POTS! TAKES x15 WORKING DAYS AFTER YOUR 55TH BIRTHDAY TO EVEN RECEIVE ‘YOUR’ MONEY!?! WHY?!? TAKES NUMEROUS DAYS & ON & OFF HOURS ON THE PHONE TO START TO ORGANISE YOUR PENSION FULL WITHDRAWAL! TOLD ALL DIFFERENT & INCORRECT THINGS FROM DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS & WHAT THEY CAN’T DO, BUT JUST BY PURE LUCK & BY MY OWN PERSEVERANCE, I MANAGED TO GET HOLD OF ‘SOMEONE’ IN THERE FINALLY WHO KNEW WHAT THEY WHERE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT & AGREED WITH ME THAT THEY WERE WRONG & I CAN DO THAT! INCOMPETENCE IS PUTTING IT MIDLY!!! THEY ARE ALSO PART OF LLYODS & HALIFAX - SO IT SAYS IT ALL!!! AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS & LIKE THE PLAGUE!!! I DIDN'T HAVE ANY OF THIS HASSLE WITH PRUDENTIAL!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 months ago

“Trying to withdraw money due to my 92 year old mother since May! promises broken, compliant handling a shambles etc etc etc. 4th complaint since my father's death 15 months ago. Shame on SW”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 months ago

“Unfortunately there has been no improvement 2024 Scottish widows pension programme is Unbelievable poor communication very frustrating it honestly feels like your pension is held hostage . i just hope i dont die before i can get what i worked so hard for.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 months ago

“I have dealt with Scottish widows through no choice of my own my pension was transferred to them what a load of rubbish bad service saying they have sent documents out on three separate occasions but never received !!!! Even though I'm getting post from other companies shoddy if you can don't use them they are terrible thank god as from today I don't have to deal with them !!”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 months ago

“Very difficult company to deal with. I have become very stressed trying to access the Retirement pension. Don't deal with them.”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 months ago

“Where is my mother's money she applied for payment from the 12/07/24 she us still waiting”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 months ago

“They just SUCK. I live abroad - all I want to do is update the beneficiaries on the policy that I don't even want but am forced to have as transfer rules mean I can't move my policy easily out of the UK. I have to either call them or PRINT A FORM and send it to them. What century are these people in? I hate the fact that I am forced to deal with these people. I beg anyone reading this - if you can leave SW then do so now. Just read reddit forums if you want to know how terrible they are.”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 months ago

“No stars. Shocking customer experience from the first call I made on my husbands sudden and unexpected death. 14 months on the fiasco continues. Avoid this company.”

Helpful Report

Posted 8 months ago

“My brother-in-law had a policy out for 3 years died not long ago he should of got 20000 and all they offered was 300 couse he put wait on”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 months ago

“Absolutely horrible customer service! Poorly trained and useless. I would strongly advise not to deal with SW as it will take you nowhere.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

“I had protected rights of reciement at early agScottish widow change to a later time, my pension has remind the same for the last 25 year with no growth ! Fraudulent because they are making money as will as the broker while my account stays the same”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

Scottish Widows is rated 1.1 based on 139 reviews