The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has found Aviva was the most complained about firm between 1 June 2019 and 31 December 2019 with regard to life, pensions and decumulation.
This is according to the FOS’ business complaints data from H2 2019.
Out of the 324 complaints made about Aviva, 24% were upheld.
Prudential had 221 complaints (14% upheld) during the period, while Phoenix Life had 196 (23% upheld) and Royal London had 120 (23% upheld) customer grievances.
Both Legal & General and Scottish Widows received 85 complaints, to which 10% and 14% were upheld against each company, respectively.
Investments
During the period, the FOS received 40 complaints about Aviva Life & Pensions relating to investments.
Scottish Widows came in with 33 complaints, followed by Royal London (32), Prudential (29), Phoenix Life (26) and St James’s Place Wealth Management (24).
All cases had a 0% upheld rate.
Overall, of all the complaints it resolved in H2, the FOS upheld just 35%.
Response
A spokesperson for Aviva said the firm “takes complaints about its customer service very seriously and we are committed to providing an excellent service for all our customers”.
“Where we fail to meet customers’ expectations our first priority is to resolve the matter as quickly as possible and to act on the feedback we receive. The number of complaints we receive should be seen in context – we are one of the UK’s largest pension providers.
“Although we aim for no complaints, the ones we get represent just 1.68 per 1,000 pension policies in the UK.
“Where a customer still has concerns, we advise them of their right to approach the Financial Ombudsman Service.”
