I discovered my husband’s pension 11 years after his death; a year later, I’m still waiting to receive it: CRANE ON THE CASE

My husband, Jim, died in 2012. In December 2023, an heir search company suddenly contacted me and asked if I was his next of kin.

I called the company to check that it was and in January 2024 I received a letter from the Buck pension company. It said he might be entitled to a pension payment from Jim with Chubb Security.

I didn’t know he had a boarding house from his time at Chubb, which was in the 1980s and before we met. I don’t think he knew either. I have no idea of ​​its value.

I sent the requested documents, including death and marriage certificates, to Buck in mid-January 2024, and they were promptly returned with a congratulatory note.

But ten months on, I have heard nothing from Buck – which has since been acquired by another pension company, Gallagher – about the status of the pension payment.

I called Gallagher in May, June and July and was told it was in the hands of the Chubb trustees.

Why is this taking so long? Even if I’m not entitled to anything, I’d like to know so I can draw a line under it. So Wigan

Helen Crane, This is Money’s consumer advocate, responds: She thought she had settled her late husband’s affairs a decade ago, and I’m sure it was difficult to dig up documents like his death certificate again after all these years.

Old workplace pensions have a habit of being forgotten, especially those that were accumulated many years ago when workers were not automatically affiliated.

It is especially easy for vessels to be lost at a time when records were still kept on paper.

Since the pensions date back to the 1980s, the companies involved may have never moved them to an online system.

If someone wants to find a lost workplace pension, the Government’s pension tracking service is a good place to start.

Those who want to know if they are entitled to a private pension due to a death should first contact the pension provider or employer concerned.

But to do that, they must first be aware that the pension existed.

Jim may not have even been aware that he was paying a pension while working at Chubb, and the sums involved would likely have been small.

But with almost 40 years of potential investment returns since then, that small seed of cash could have turned into a significant sum.

Pension funds have an obligation to ensure that unclaimed money reaches the right hands, even if this takes many years, as in your case.

Today marks one year since he first contacted the search company.

Funds sometimes appoint search companies whose job is to locate relatives of deceased pension holders and encourage them to claim what is due to them.

You were intrigued when you were asked to contact Buck, who became a Gallagher the year you worked with the company.

But their initial hope turned to frustration, as many months passed without any confirmation one way or the other.

In August, she was told that her case had been forwarded to Chubb pension administrators for approval in February, but there was still no update to give her.

You contacted me in November because you felt like you had hit a brick wall. I decided to contact Gallagher to help untangle this pension web.

I’m happy to report that this got the company going. He said he would investigate her case urgently and soon after received a phone call and a form to fill out.

A spokesperson for Gallagher said: “Following a full review of (SO’s) case, we can confirm that unfortunately there was some delay in responding to the information she requested.”

‘(She) has now received all the information she needs regarding the benefits of her plan, along with a formal apology.

‘Customer service remains a priority for Gallagher and we regret that we did not meet our own standards on this occasion.

“We would like to take the opportunity to apologize once again.”

A week later, and almost a year since she first received the letter from the search firm, she finally received Jim’s pension payment, which amounted to just under £2,000 after tax.

Although it came under sad circumstances, I hope the windfall makes your Christmas a little brighter.

The coach company gave me Christmas joy back

I wanted to share a good story about a small business whose customer service made my chaotic Christmas travel plans a little easier.

Last month, I booked a bus ticket for £21 to visit my family near Bristol just before Christmas, traveling on Taunton’s local bus company, Berrys Coaches.

I normally took the train, but balked at the cost of almost £100 for a return ticket, with no guarantee of a seat on a busy Friday in December.

But my plans changed this week after a friend ended up in hospital in Birmingham and I had to stop to visit him first.

I contacted Berrys to ask if there was any chance of getting a refund but without much hope as this was only a couple of days before my trip.

To my surprise, I was told I could get my money back, minus a £5 administration fee, or receive a credit note for another trip free of charge.

That’s much better than on National Rail, where pre-booked tickets for a train on a specific timetable are not eligible for any refunds and it costs £10 to change the time or date.

Bravo, Berrys, for bringing me some much-needed holiday cheer.

CRANE IN THE CASE