SALLY SORTS IT: Prudential kept me waiting seven months for £50,000 payout after husband died

My husband passed away in July of last year and I am the sole beneficiary of his estate. For more than 20 years he had been contributing to a flexible life plan with Prudential that would pay him £50,000 when he died.

One of my sons, who is helping me organize my financial affairs, first notified Prudential of my husband’s death on July 12. He sent them a copy of the death certificate the following month. The insurer continued to charge the monthly premium for August and September, which amounted to £412.

They have not returned that money nor have I received payment for the plan. My son has agreed to Pru’s requests, but still nothing. HD, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex.

You told me that you are 80 years old and still working as a doctor’s receptionist to supplement your pension. While he enjoys the work, he says he desperately needs the lump sum from the plan so he can invest it and generate additional income.

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

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

I can understand why you’re disappointed Pru has taken so long, as it had been seven months when you contacted me. You said that her late husband, a chartered accountant, would have been horrified if he had known the struggle he would face to obtain funds that are rightfully his.

I contacted Prudential International Assurance immediately to prompt them to act. A few days later he confirmed that his case had finally been resolved.

You admitted that you had received poor service and that several delays on your part should have been avoided. The company says it has provided feedback to relevant teams to ensure this does not happen again.

An initial problem with their claim was due to confusion over the correct website. Initially, his son applied online through Prudential PLC. But it is a completely separate business, focused on Asia and Africa, and has no relationship with Prudential International Assurance.

I’m surprised no one at the first company thought to immediately inform their son about the error, as I’m sure this wasn’t the first time a customer landed on the wrong website. Once his son received the correct contact details, he started the new claim in August.

But it was several weeks before someone at Prudential told her she needed to make a grant of probate to her husband’s estate before the money could be released. This is the legal document that the executors of a will may be asked to present to access the deceased’s financial accounts. Surely this could have been explained before?

In any case, his son immediately launched the succession request. They took ten weeks to complete and the paperwork was submitted to Pru in December. Another month passed, only to be told that the photos sent with your ID were not clear enough. Grrr!

After my participation, I am pleased to say that Pru expedited the process. He paid the lump sum of £50,000, together with £477 in interest for the delayed period, repaid two months’ worth of premiums worth £412 and added £300 for the inconvenience and inconvenience caused.

A spokesperson for Prudential International Assurance says: ‘We apologize to your reader and her family for the poor service they received, which increased their distress at a difficult time. “It’s not the level of service we aim to offer.”

I read your column last year where someone was fighting to get a refund for tickets to an event called An Al Pacino Experience that was canceled in Glasgow. The same thing happened to me with the same event, which will be held in November 2022 in Manchester. I have not been able to get any help from the organizer, An Experience With, or from Eventbrite, the company that organized the ticket sale. SF, Manchester.

You are not alone. After the column you mention was published last November, another reader got in touch to say that she had finally received her refund only after citing my article on Eventbrite.

What disturbed him (as it did me) was discovering that the director of the events company An Experience With, Stephen Oleksewycz, a former professional footballer, is currently serving a prison sentence for fraud.

Companies House issued a statement last summer confirming that he had been sentenced to 27 months for fraud offenses and for acting as a director of a company while it was bankrupt. The offenses relate to his bankruptcy in 2016 and organizing an event in 2017 in which he failed to pay some debts.

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

The spokesperson says: “Due to Mr. Pacino’s scheduling and some other unforeseen circumstances, unfortunately some events have been postponed and we have kept customers informed throughout the process and are continuing to resolve any delayed refunds with our merchant.”

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

To make An Experience With’s position clear, the email sent to me was signed: ‘Please note that all publications and press are currently being monitored by all parties and our legal team of lawyers is ready to address any information false, defamatory or libelous content.’ You are right.

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

The ticketing company said it’s the organizer’s responsibility to process refunds, but confirmed it can help in certain cases, such as when an event has been postponed for more than 90 days without a new date scheduled, as was the case with you.

Following my intervention, he has now refunded £695. An Eventbrite spokesperson says he will refund him out of his own pocket while he seeks the return of funds from the organiser.

Straight to the point

I manage the administrative accounts for a company and I asked HSBC to transfer £2,000 from a deposit account to a current account but they did the opposite. This put us in debt and a check was returned unpaid, incurring a £15 fee. I have been offered £100 compensation but I don’t think it is enough. EK, Buckinghamshire.

HSBC says it regrets its mistake. He has been given compensation of £100, which he considers appropriate, and has been refunded £15.

I have had a John Lewis Partnership card for many years but was asked to reapply when the provider changed to NewDay. I have reapplied several times but my application is always rejected. MB, by email.

NewDay apologizes for the difficulties you experienced reapplying for your membership card. He has spoken with you to resolve the issue and has found an alternative way to prove your income. His account has now been opened and he has been offered £100 as a goodwill gesture.

When my son was little, I invested in a children’s trust fund with money I received from the government. He is now 18 years old but we have not been able to withdraw the cash from his account. DK, via email.

His bank has been in touch and his son should have already received his £3,350.

I stayed in a London hotel for three nights for £684 but the room was 28 degrees. The staff told me that the air conditioning was broken throughout the hotel. I have not been refunded because customer service says the hotel was not advertised as having air conditioning. RD, via email.

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

Scam Watch

Shoppers should be wary of scam emails claiming they have been chosen to receive a “mystery box”, warns Action Fraud.

Hoaxers posing as well-known retailers such as Morrisons promise boxes full of devices, and some emails ask users to take a survey to claim.

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