wmpfonline.com Arvostelua 

Again, as with other reviewers, I would give zero stars if it were an option.

No need to repeat the litany of previous reviews; just reading them has slightly cheered me up in that I'm not alone in the sheer frustration of dealing with these people.

No response to "cases" other than an acknowledgment and the case then closed later on without resolution, so I have had to open a new one. Staff very pleasant on the 2 occasions I managed to get through, each after a 45 - 60 minute wait and promises made to put my quote in the post and change my status from active to deferred. I do hope their incompetence stretches to paying me the extra pension to which I'm not entitled - we'll see then who can't be contacted!!!!. One promise to escalate - which has apparently not happened. However, I just want a quote for my deferred benefits payable 25.02.24 - not payment like other desperate reviewers. I can see my case is less urgent that people actually waiting for their money. I will officially give up until I see on the news that there has been an improvement. It's the only communication you get!! I can see an ITV drama in the offing - Pensioners V WMPF :)

UPDATE - I didn't give up because why should I? This is a service to which I am entitled. Latest case closed and marked resolved and referred me to my documents online WHICH I CANNOT ACCESS AND WHICH ARE NOT THERE. Reference wrong Status wrong - the incompetence wears you down. South Staffordshire Pension fund have answered all of my queries promptly. NEST and AVIVA are a breath of fresh air. Just waiting on WMPF for my retirement options. Not holding my breath......

1.4.24 - tried again! contacted re statement which contains errors or incomplete details. Totally sick of their failure to even put my service record on the portal. At least they have changed me to deferred which is a start.

Beware of this pension provider and get your money out as soon as you can. I have been trying to transfer my pension for a number of years and they block me at every turn.
In January 2023 I request my CETV, they refused and stated the Government was reviewing CETV's and had suspended all requests. I asked WMPF to notify me when this had been lifted so I could proceed. They did not notify me and did not respond to letters, emails or portal messages. I eventually had to threaten them with the Ombudsman and Pension Regulator in order to get a reply and finally my CETV - 6 months later.

After completing all the forms and submitting various forms of ID ....again (even these vary depending on when you ask for a CETV). I saw a financial adviser (as requested and stated on the WMPF website). The financial adviser was a pension specialist registered with the FCA (as stated on their website) and qualified to give pension specific advice - working for a company (FCA registered) that gives pension transfer advice. After jumping through all the hoops and waiting 6 months for a reply, WMPF have deemed that "the financial adviser was not indicative of a pension specialist and does not meet their standards" and therefore have refused my transfer request... again - refusing to give anymore detailed information around how they have come to this decision.

They also implied that my current pension provider - Scottish Widows (of which I would like to make the transfer to) could be fraudulent and a scam provider and I need to "think long and hard before moving to them". They even contacted me by phone and asked whether my transfer request had been made "under duress" and if my visit to see a financial adviser was at my own request or under advice from "someone else". They are so intent on pretending to provide "due diligence" and giving "Scam advice" that they do not follow their own procedures and they themselves have become "the dodgy company".

WMPF are the worst company I have ever dealt with. They do not communicate, they never answer portal messages, they don't date letters (so you can't provide a time trail), they provide sketchy and minimalist information on their website - so as to confuse and mislead customers and all this is blamed on "systems updates or IT issue".

WMPF are under the impression that the pension funds are theirs...not ours, and they will do anything to keep it that way. The replies on here are "canned responses" and mean nothing. Complaints take months, if you ever do get a response... and even then they don't respond to everything. The Ombudsman and Pension Regulator may be able to help but take a long time to respond, best thing to do is start legal action against them and force their hand. Keep a record of all communication including phone calls, make sure everything else is in writing (and dated) .....It is our money, not theirs, yet they seem to believe it is the other way round.

The WMPT is diabolical. I have separated from my husband and urgently need to change the bank details that my pension is being paid into. I have been trying since August 2023 to do this. There is no where on the portal to do this and there's over 45 minute wait to call someone. Something urgently needs to be done about how appalling this Trust is. How are they getting away with this?

What can I add to the comments of other victims of the incompetence of WMPF and their IT company. I retired on 31.08.2023, and WMPF were informed almost immediately by my employer, but after over four months living on my dwindling savings I have received nothing but platitudes and mixed messages. I,ve even been “escalated” 3 times but not received my pension quote let alone any of the money that I have paid promptly to WMPF over the past 20 years or so. I wonder how the staff of WMPF and their IT firm would fair if they received no salary for four months or more. I guess it’s only a matter of time until Rachel Brothwood receives a CBE.

I asked for a pension quote in Aug 23 but still waiting. I have 40 years service working for Birmingham City Council so knew I would get a decent amount so gave 2 months notice at start of Nov and submitted pension forms. Was supposed to retire Jan 24 got nothing from them. When the BBC story broke I rang them. Was told "it USED to take 8 to 10 weeks". I asked so how long does it take now? The reply was "we don't know"!!!! Luckily or unluckily my employer let me withdraw my notice. I'm a single income household and would have been destitute within 6 months. They have a computer problem, I understand, but to let people retire without knowing the full story is a total failure of the WMPF duty of care. They also had the cheek to say "you might be able to access the hardship fund". What a cheek they have 40 years worth of my money!

Well don’t really know what to say about this situation, I retired over four months ago and have received no correspondence what’s so ever, I’ve made several phone calls and spoke to people after holding on for an hour or more just to be told we’ll raise your case with a manager for nothing to happen, it took them 3 weeks to reply to an email I sent only to be give a load of rubbish in their reply. They say they are dealing with the most needing cases in their update sheets but how do they know who these people are no one has contacted me to ask my situation, they also say they are contacting people who are affected by the delay again no one has been in touch with me, I get the overwhelming feeling that something is wrong and I’m being lied too. I’m firing off an email to them over the weekend giving them two more weeks to contact me and explain what’s going on, after the two weeks if no joy I’m filling a complaint with the Pensions Ombudsman to see if that does any good, also sending an email to my local MP to see if they know what is going on.

I really don't know what to say, I cashed in my pension 10 weeks now and nothing no money no correspondence, I've tried calling on the phone for 2 hours, I've emailed several times, to be told give your NI number and membership number which I did .....not happy, want my money.

I applied for my pension in July 23. After calls, emails weekly, I am still waiting. I have no income, my savings have been used. My husbands savings have gone. We will be penniless in 1 month. They have given excuse after excuse. Only after seeing Midlands today news did I get answers. However, I still don’t know when I can expect payment. Today I held for 1 hour 14 mins then was cut off. Someone needs to step in and sort this on behalf of us all. There seems to be no end to the worry.

Just received revised membership certificate, containing three obvious errors, including incorrect christian names. Makes you wonder what else they've got wrong.

Have been trying to access my pension, which I have been entitled to, since June 2023. Now 6 months later, there are no documents showing on their new portal and although I emailed them in June 2023 and attended one of their support days, I was told to wait till they contacted me, I have still not received any details on how to claim. This a shocking performance of a company which is withholding money which they should be paying out.

Cannot believe we have to give this organisation even one star as they are totally shambolic and the fact this has been allowed to go on for so long is shameful!
After months of waiting for access and being given PIN numbers that do not work I finally logged on today only to find there are no documents on the site, my husband is not showing us as my nominee and my phone number is listed as my old work one - despite having left three years ago...
I wonder who will actually be held to account for this?? I suspect we all know the answer..
I would suggest writing to your chief exec, chief constable, PCC, and local MP as a start, followed by the Daily Mail.

Having retired from work a year early. I notified the West Midlands Pension Fund of my retirement in October to claim my pension which would be my only source of income. After one E-mail and two phone calls, it is now close to the end of December and still no news. The Help Line seem to read from a script and cannot assist with any helpful information, such as how far you are in the process, or even who is dealing with your case.
Perhaps the Executive Chef Director Rachael Brothwood should try living like many others and myself with no income. On TV she says “they are responding to the vulnerable cases.” How does she know who these vulnerable people are? As I have not been asked if I am a vulnerable position.
The phone lines are closed from the 22nd until the 2nd January, why are the closing for a full week when there are so many problems?

The Fund are blaming the new computer system for the current issues In reality mismanagement has been going on for years with late payments and poorly trained and motivated staff giving incorrect information
I bet the CEO gets her salary on the due date!

I retired on 9th August 23 and gave notice of this to the WMPF in advance. In July I chased them because I was concerned I had heard nothing and was astonished how laid back my contact was. He said that you will get it in August, it may be the end of the month but it will all be backdated. It is now December 23 and I have received nothing. I have completed the forms, have spoken to them, put in a complaint and i have nothing. I have no idea when i will receive my pension, I think the issue and how they have communicated with me to be very poor indeed.

In response to a previous poster, the two people who have shone a light on this (my husband is one of them) may be retired police officers but they have gone out of their way to make this issue public and transparent. They are speaking on behalf of everyone who is affected by this scandalous situation. Hopefully it will make a difference.

These people need sorting out, after accumulating 38 years of funds and retiring in January 24, I asked for a pension estimate way back in August 23 and have still not got one. This is awful treatment to a member of all these years or any member. Excuse after excuse and totally misleading information is given, managers are doing nothing and never return calls, if you are lucky enough to get through in the first place. Just get my pension sorted now please....not happy 😩😩

My letter came to register for the new portal. But it won't let me register. I had always had great service before this new portal was introduced.

Despite numerous phone calls and emails, my pensionable age passed last month which was allegedly the first time they could look at my deferred benefits. Now have just received a copy of lump sum and annual pension figures which were exactly the same as previously issued in April. Still unaware how long it will be before payments commence.

The pension fund has hit the BBC local news there are over 2000 people who have waited over 6 months for payments many being police ( these are the ones mentioned as everyone else doesn’t count apparently)

All of my experiences as below , can I suggest that everyone who is aggreived contacts there Member of Parliament. The more that do this the greater the voice . I'll be doing so today .