Scottish Widows Reviews

Name: Scottish Widows
Rating: 1.09

1.1 Rating 139 Reviews

1 %

of reviewers recommend Scottish Widows

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

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

Visit Website

Write Your review

Tell us how Scottish Widows made you happy

Minimum 10 characters

Would you like to add a photos or videos?

Strengthen your review by uploading photos & videos.

Drag files here or browse

(Supported files: jpg, png, mpeg, ogg, mp4 & webm)

What's your name?

Leave this blank if you'd like to publish your review anonymously.

(Optional)

What's your email?

We need your email address to verify that your review is genuine

Please note that we may share your email with the company to verify your order.

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

Filter: Rated 1 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“In my late 20's i decided to be sensible after it being drilled into me about how important a pension was oh how they were wrong, i put my hard money into it with scottish widows for years, not huge amount it was £8100.00 ive just discovered balence is now £3200.00 Scottish widows have lost over half my money. The salesperson told me its absolutely 100% safe and it would only ever go up, i said i dont want no risk type pension just a safe saving place. I would never recommend a pension to anybody if you save then put it under your bed or in a separate saving account. I have been ripped off by Scottish Widows, What angers me is there is thousands of people who even losing £1000 a week! and trading standards not doing a single thing as normal just sat back letting it happen.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

“I have been waiting for them to pay out my small pension for over 3 weeks despite having all the relevant documentation. I have been on the phone numerous times for updates on when this will be paid into my bank and have been continually put through to the wrong departments resulting in me being "on hold" for- at one time over 2 hours! I am currently still waiting on my money being released and have also made a complaint to them with no reply. I am at this minute on hold to them and have been for 1 hour and 47 minutes. Shocking!! terrible customer service!”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

“Still waiting for somebody to answer phone after an hour to query missing pension payment - very poor customer service - i would go elsewhere for your pension”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

“Awfull company, no staff answering phones , when they do they are brainless to put it politely, put through to 4 departments taking almost 2hrs and still nothing sorted, time they got there act together and cared for there customers tried it online no answer for weeks hence the phone calls I would sack all the management and get the staff back to the office instead of being at home dossing all day with there bbqs......”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

“Really appalling customer service. I filled in their online bereavement form to claim on my mother’s life insurance. Rang after 6 weeks when I heard nothing and they claimed not to have received it. I rang and held for 1.5 hours and spoke to SEVEN different people and then had to call one week later and held for one hour. Will lodge a complaint with the insurance ombudsman.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

“My mum who is 87 has had endless phone calls with them and they just keep sending forms to be completed. My dad has passed away so she just wants to update the trustees and beneficiaries on her policy.”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

“Ridiculous waiting time 30min plus, eventually, someone picked up only to be told they cant help. Put through to a different extension 30 min plus wait again. The worst customer service and my pension is with them!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“I have just tried telephoning Scottish Widows. After 40 minutes of hanging on the phone waiting for someone to answer - YES 40 WHOLE MINUTES!! - my phone eventually gave up the ghost when the battery went flat! Disgraceful customer service.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“An Horrendous amount of time waiting on the phone, and jumping through numerous hoops ,I got through to cash in my four pension policies. of which only two were cashed in. After more phone calls spread over three days of which I was promised the two remaining polices would be paid and someone would call me to confirm this, which didn't happen. eventually the situation was finally resolved by a Mr William Hogg of your retirement team. If it wasn't for him I would have lost a house purchase.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Worst financial organisation I have ever dealt with. Terrible customer service - staff just repeat the same lies every time. Shocking service when dealing with a bereavement - part of the Lloyds Banking group (not much better) Need to change their Always by your side slogan!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Shocking customer service, refuse to process paperwork, refuse to combine pensions, refuse to allow draw down from pension. Spent hours on the phone now in the hands of the ombudsman. Believe the reviews they are true”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Oh my goodness is all I can say. My journey with this organisation....and I call them an organisation with trepidation is horrendous, heartless, unprofessional and frankly disgusting. At a time of grief through loss and bereavement trying to sort out finances which should be seamless and transparent, all I can say is this whole experience has quite simply taken me to a place of further despair and deepened anxiety. How are they able to get away with this? I am at a loss, on top of my own personal one, for words to convey how I feel about this company.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“This is some years20 years back: This was mortgage insurance: my wife declared an incorrect body weight, as women like to do and when she died suddenly, in her 50s they refused to pay off the mortgage. You get a letter from their "hit squad" signed Storm Joy. they go through all of the claimants medical records for a loop hole, they don't pay, if they find one and the premiums are returned and you are screwed. Took me years to pay it off.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“I took out a pension with Lloyds in the 90s. I moved countries so stopped paying into it, a fact that I’m very relieved about. A few months ago, just before my 60th birthday, I started the process of withdrawing the funds. It was s painful process with lots of repetition and red tape but I finally got to the last step, which involved supplying banking details. I was told I’d have the money in 10 days, right before Xmas. On the 11th day, I called to be told they were running behind. On the 13th day, they said that it was actually 10 working days. A couloir of days later, I was told that it could take longer because I was overseas. On day 26, I got a call from them stating they needed a bank statement for the bank account I’d provided. They said they’d emailed this request. No, they hadn’t. I provided the requested information only to be told 4 working days later that it wasn’t in the right format. They needed me full name (not just the initial for jr middle name and address. Well, my bank didn’t produce the statement or confirmation latter in exactly this way. With Xmas and New Yeats, it took me two weeks to get them to create a custom letter. I provided this to SW two weeks ago and am still waiting on a response. When I send an email, I get a message back saying that it’s been rejected. The phone queues are so long that I run out if airtime before getting through. Their numbers aren’t toll free and each call costs me a month of local calls. I live in a third world country where so much doesn’t work. Still SW takes the cake for outdated technologies, incompetence and, worse of all, a callous disregard for their clients. It’s shocking that they’re allowed to take money from people.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“I moved jobs in Sept 22. My employer has a pension with SW. I filled in forms my employer sent and these were sent over to SW - 3 times now as of yesterday! My employer has made 2 monthly contributions on my behalf so far (Oct and Nov). However, SW have no policy number for me having emailed, filled in forms and spoken to them on the telephone countless times since i started my new job, its now 07 Dec 2022. I was given a different email address today to contact: lpc.aftersalesATscottishwidows.co.uk I was unable to deliver your message to the following addresses: lpc.aftersalesATscottishwidows.co.uk Reason: 550 #5.1.0 Address rejected. All I want is the number so I can transfer my previous employment's pension in. If I had a choice I wouldn't have a pension with this company - if you do have a choice AVOID”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“The waiting times for the phone to be answered to existing clients is ridiculous 35 minutes only, then informed new arrangements will be confirmed in 26 working days”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“A bunch of charlatans. A policy on my Father’s life that despite approving for payment they refuse to pay out. Complaint system is useless and just gets ignored. No call backs, no emails. We are owed thousands of pounds which they refuse to payout. We are not alone in getting this treated not, there are hundreds of similar cases. Steer well clear of this organisation.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“I want to know why Scottish Widows removed my access to On-line WITHOUT informing me, disgraceful, not only that but I called today, was left listening to a phone ringing for 26 mins and NO ONE answered, what the hell is going on there??????”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“Suffered the loss of my wife and mother of my children in July 2022 dealing with this excuse of a pension provider has been very upsetting to say the least. Kirsty McClellan in particular has been misleading and dishonest in particular and obtaining payment has been incredibly difficult. I would not consider this company in any circumstances!”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

“I have read many of the negative reviews on this company . I will be fair in my comments . They really are as bad as they're being portrayed . If you can , steer clear .”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 years ago

Scottish Widows is rated 1.1 based on 139 reviews