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Complaints policy

Our complaints policy

It's always important to us that we hear from you - whether the feedback is good or not.

While we're proud of our award-winning customer service, we accept sometimes we fall short of the mark.

If this has happened and you've experienced poor service, we'd like to know so that we can deal with your concerns as quickly as possible. The sooner you tell us, the sooner we can assign someone to your complaint to investigate and resolve it.

We hope you never have to make a complaint, but if you do, this policy explains what you need to do and what you can expect from us in these circumstances.

How should I contact you if I have a complaint?

Our Customer Relations Department will record details of the complaint and will work with you to resolve it as quickly as possible.

How you can inform us of a complaint: 

If you live in the UK

 If you live in Ireland 

Via Royal London website

 Complete our online complaint form  

Email

 Customer.relations@royallondon.com Info@royallondon.ie

Telephone
  • Policies taken out with Royal London, Refuge Assurance or United Friendly: 0345 050 2020
  • Royal London Retirement Account policyholders:
    0345 600 7788
  • Policies taken out Scottish Life: 0345 605 0050
  • Policies taken out with Bright Grey/ Scottish Provident:
    0345 603 6733
  • Policies formerly with Royal Liver:
    • Ordinary Branch policies:
      All pension policies, and all other policies except Industrial Branch policies: 0345 601 0685
    • Industrial Branch policies:
      Policies whose premiums have at some time been paid in cash using a premium receipt book, and policies taken out with Friends Provident or London & Manchester:
      0345 303 2511
  • Policies taken out with Co-op Insurance (CIS General Insurance): 0161 274 8890
 00353 1 429 3440
Post  Group Customer Relations Department
Royal London
Royal London House
Alderley Park
Congleton Road
Nether Alderley
Macclesfield
SK10 4EL		 Royal London
PO Box 12995
Dublin 2

Office hours are Monday to Friday 8.00am-6.00pm. Excluding Bank Holidays in the country you are living in

What information do you need from me to help process my complaint?

To help us investigate and resolve the problem as quickly as we can, please provide the following key information when you contact us:

  • Your name, address and, where applicable, your policy number or client reference number.
  • Details regarding your concern or complaint, including relevant dates.
  • What you would like us to do to put it right.
  • Any relevant documents to support your complaint – we will need a copy so keep the originals.
  • The original company who sold the policy to you, e.g. Royal London, United Friendly, CIS, Refuge, Scottish Life, Scottish Provident, Bright Grey or Broker/Independent Financial Adviser – you do not need to note the individual name just the company if you know it.
  • If applicable, the location of the Royal London office you have been in contact with and the name of the person who you have been dealing with.

Who will deal with my complaint?

Your complaint will be investigated by our Customer Relations Department. A Case Reference number will be allocated to you for any future correspondence, and if we can’t resolve your complaint right away, we'll provide you with the name of the consultant investigating your case along with their phone number and email address.

How long will it take for my complaint to be dealt with?

If you phone us we may be able to resolve your complaint straight away, but if we can’t, we'll write to you to acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days, and confirm that someone is looking into it for you. In this letter we well summarise your complaint so you can check we have understood it correctly.

Our aim is to reply to you with the results of our investigations as soon as possible, but very occasionally things can take a little longer than we'd like - particularly if we have to write elsewhere for information. We'll be sure to keep you updated on the progress we are making whilst we continue to investigate your complaint.

We expect to complete our investigation within 4 weeks of receiving your complaint, although it might be sooner. If we can’t complete the investigation within 4 weeks, we will write to you explaining the delay.

If there is a further delay in investigating your complaint, we will write to you again, 8 weeks after receiving your complaint. If you are not satisfied with the reason for the delay, you can refer your complaint further, to the Financial Ombudsman Service. When we write to you at this stage we will enclose a leaflet explaining how to do this.

When we have completed our investigation we will write to you with our decision and the reasons for it. Where appropriate, we will include details of any settlement we are prepared to offer.

What can I do if I am not satisfied with your response?

If you have received our final response and you are not happy with this, you have the right to refer your case to the Financial Ombudsman Service at any time within six months from the date on our final response.

What is the Financial Ombudsman Service?

For UK customers

Set up under the Financial Services and Markets Act, the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is an independent complaint resolution scheme. The FOS website recommends that you follow the process above before referring your complaint on to them, although you are able to ask them general questions regarding complaints at any time.

The FOS service is free of charge. Please note that you have six months from the date of our final response letter to refer your complaint to them.

The Financial Ombudsman Services can be contacted as follows:

 

Alternatively, you have the right to refer your complaint to The Pensions Ombudsman free of charge.

The Pensions Ombudsman deals with complaints and disputes which concern the administration and/or management of occupational and personal pension schemes.

Contact with The Pensions Ombudsman about a complaint needs to be made within three years of when the event(s) complaining about happened – or, if later, within three years of when you first knew about it (or ought to have known about it). There is discretion for those time limits to be extended.

The Pensions Ombudsman can be contacted at:

You can also submit a complaint form online:

Please note: In light of the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic the FOS & PO are having to work differently. The websites indicate their phone lines are busier than usual and they advise calls to them can be made between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday but it’s likely that you will need to wait to speak to someone. Where possible, please email the financial ombudsman or make a complaint online.  And they have limited access to their office and are unable to process post in the usual way so request only send them post if you’re unable to email or make a complaint online. It may take them longer than usual to respond to enquiries received by post.

For Republic of Ireland customers

Customers in Ireland should contact the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman.

The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman service (FSPO) is an independent, impartial, fair and free service that helps resolve complaints with pensions providers and regulated financial services providers.

The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman can be contacted as follows:

  • Post: The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, Lincoln House, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2
  • Telephone: +353 1 567 7000
  • E-mail: info@fspo.ie
  • Website: www.fspo.ie

If you need information and guidance concerning your pension arrangements contact The Pensions Authority