SALLY SORTS IT: Prudential made me wait seven months for a £50,000 payout after my husband died

My husband passed away last July and I am the sole beneficiary of his estate. For more than 20 years he paid into a flexible living plan with Prudential, which would pay out £50,000 when he died.

One of my sons, who helps me manage my financial affairs, first notified Prudential of my husband’s death on July 12. The following month he sent them a copy of the death certificate. The insurer continued to collect the monthly premium for August and September, which was £412.

I did not get that money back nor did I receive the plan payout. My son complied with Pru’s requests, but still nothing. HD, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex.

You told me that you are 80 years old and still work as a doctor’s receptionist to supplement your pension. While you enjoy the work, you say that you really need the lump sum from the scheme so that you can invest it to create extra income.

The policy is a type of investment bond, with an element of life insurance. These plans are no longer sold by

Prudential, which is now called Prudential International Assurance and is part of the M&G investment group.

I can understand why you are disappointed with how long Pru dragged on, as seven months had passed by the time you contacted me. You said that your late husband – a chartered accountant – would have been shocked if he had known the struggle you would face to get money that is rightfully yours.

I immediately contacted Prudential International Assurance to take action. A few days later it was confirmed that your case had finally been resolved.

It was admitted that you had received poor service and that several delays should have been avoided. The company says it has provided feedback to the relevant teams to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

An early hiccup in your claim was caused by confusion about the correct website. Your son initially made the application online through Prudential PLC. But this is a completely separate matter, focused on Asia and Africa, and separate from Prudential International Assurance.

I’m surprised that no one’s first firm thought is to immediately inform your son of the error, as I’m sure this wasn’t the first time a customer has landed on the wrong website. After your son received the correct contact information, he started the new claim in August.

But it took several weeks for someone at Prudential to tell him he had to probate your husband’s estate before the money could be released. This is the legal document that executors of a will may be asked to produce in order to access the deceased’s financial accounts. Surely this could have been explained earlier?

In any case, your son immediately initiated the probate application. It took ten weeks to complete the paperwork and the paperwork was submitted to Pru in December. Another month passed, but then you were told that the photos you submitted along with your ID were not clear enough. Grrr!

After my involvement, I am happy to say that Pru accelerated the process. It has paid the lump sum of £50,000 together with £477 in interest for the deferred period, refunded two months’ worth of premiums worth £412 and added £300 for the distress and inconvenience caused.

A spokesperson for Prudential International Assurance said: ‘We apologize to your reader and her family for the poor service they have experienced, which has added to their distress at a difficult time. It’s not the level of service we want to provide.”

I read your column last year where someone was struggling to get a refund for tickets to an event called An Experience With Al Pacino that had been canceled in Glasgow. The same thing happened to me at the exact same event, which was supposed to take place in Manchester in November 2022. I was unable to get any help from the organizer – An Experience With – or Eventbrite, the company that organized the ticket sales. SF, Manchester.

You are not alone. After the column you mentioned was published last November, another reader contacted me to say she only got her money back after citing my article on Eventbrite.

What you found disturbing – as I did – was the discovery that the director of the events agency An Experience With, Stephen Oleksewycz, a former professional footballer, is currently serving a prison sentence for fraud.

Companies House released a statement last summer confirming he had been sentenced to 27 months for fraud and acting as a company director while still bankrupt. The facts relate to his bankruptcy in 2016 and the organization of an event in 2017 during which he failed to pay a number of debts.

I asked An Experience With if his trial and conviction had been behind the cancellation of the events involving Godfather actor Al Pacino. A spokesperson told me it had “absolutely nothing” to do with current business dealings and only related to the personal bankruptcy eight years ago.

The spokesperson said: “Due to Mr. Pacino’s schedule and some other unforeseen circumstances, some events have unfortunately been postponed. We have kept customers informed throughout the process and we are in the process of resolving any delayed refunds with our merchant.”

He said the company organized a successful event with Pacino for 2,000 visitors in London in April 2023.

To be clear about An Experience With’s position, his email to me was signed off as: ‘Please note that all publications and press are currently under review by all parties and our legal team of lawyers are on standby to any false, defamatory or libelous content.” You’re right.

Despite An Experience With’s promise to address late refunds, I thought you had waited far too long, so I went to Eventbrite.

The ticket company said it is an organizer’s responsibility to process refunds, but confirmed that this may help in certain cases, such as when an event has been postponed for more than 90 days without a new date scheduled, as happened to you .

Thanks to my intervention, you have now refunded your €695. An Eventbrite spokesperson says the company will reimburse you out of its own pocket while it pursues a refund of the organizer’s money.

Straight to the point

I was managing a company’s administration accounts and instructed HSBC to transfer £2,000 from a deposit account to a current account, but the company did the opposite. As a result we were debited and a check was returned unpaid for which we were charged £15. I have been offered €100 in compensation, but I don’t think this is enough. EC, Buckinghamshire.

HSBC says it regrets this mistake. You have received compensation of £100, which is considered appropriate, and you have been reimbursed £15.

I have had a John Lewis Partnership card for years but was asked to reapply when the provider switched to NewDay. I have reapplied several times, but my application is rejected every time. MB, via email.

NewDay apologizes for the difficulties you have experienced in re-applying for your Partnership Card. She has spoken with you to resolve the issue and found an alternative way to verify your income. Your account has now been opened and you have been offered £100 as a goodwill gesture.

When my son was young, I invested in a Child Trust Fund with money I received from the government. He is now 18 years old, but we have not been able to withdraw the money from his account. DK, via email.

Your bank has been in touch and your son should now have received his £3,350.

I stayed in a hotel in London for three nights for £684, but the room was 28 degrees. The staff told me that the air conditioning in the entire hotel was broken. I did not receive a refund because customer service said the hotel was not advertised as having air conditioning. RD, via email.

You have received a goodwill gesture of £219 for one night of your stay because you were misinformed by the staff; the hotel does not have air conditioning.

Scam watch

Shoppers should beware of scam emails claiming they have been chosen to receive a ‘mystery box’, Action Fraud warns.

Impostors posing as high-street retailers such as Morrisons promise boxes full of gadgets, with some emails asking users to complete a survey to claim them.

However, the links in the emails lead to malicious phishing websites that trick you into revealing personal and financial information. Do not click on links and if in doubt, contact the organization independently. Forward the scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk