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Aviva: Pension reviews

Name: Pension
Rating: 1.98 (160 reviews)

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1.92

Based on 160 reviews, last reviewed 6th Feb 2025

80% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

20% decrease in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

18%

70%

Latest highest rating:

5

Aviva provide a great SIPP. Aviva provide a great SIPP. Easy to access and use online with lots of information provided along with a safe place for all online correspondence. Reviewed on: 13th January 2025

Latest lowest rating:

1

My father cannot withdraw his pension My father has been trying to withdraw his pension for nearly 5 months and yet to receive anything. Has had to ring them multiple times to be told some... Read more Reviewed on: 6th February 2025

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About this product

Aviva offer a self-invested personal pension (SIPP).

There are five ways to invest in the Aviva SIPP. You can decide between the Universal Retirement Fund, a ready-made fund or choose an option from a fund shortlist provided by experts. You can also build your own portfolio or buy and sell shares and investments.

Aviva pension reviews share what it's like to have this pension. If you've used Aviva before, you can also leave your own review.

Aviva Pension reviews (160)

Review of the Aviva, Pension:

Horrible waste of time when it comes to deceased

Don't believe these reviews. If you have a relative that passed away in a different country just know you will be months back and forward. They don't remember to process your case until you email them then they ask for more information. You couldn't ask that before I emailed? and this happened numerous times. Hopefully this process will be over soon. If he was alive I would tell him to run. Other pension schemes he had just needed our mom documents (without JP) and her bank account. Their usual sentences "its with our trustees", "they need to verify documents", "oh we couldn't contact the JP" all of this weeks and months in between. Only because we knew our brother thought pensions were a scam I am helping my mom fight for HIS money THAT HE WORKED HARD FOR. Reviewed on: 7th November 2024

Buyer Beware! Abysmal disgusting on your face theft of your money

I live in the USA, the land of the free. Having left the UK over fifteen years ago, I had immigrated to the UK from South Africa with high hopes of establishing a pension fund after leaving the mess that is South Africa today. I found a financial adviser who recommended a 350GBP per month fund would bear fruit at age sixty-five. It was then a Norwich pension. I embarked on this ambitious scheme. Determined to succeed, and In my first two years, I lived on the back seat of an Austin Maestro at services areas on the motorway to save up on the deposit for our tiny house in Maidstone. I was a contract computer engineer, and a few years later, I started my engineering and materials handling company. By 2005, I had 57 million GBP in potential business on my books when my supplier was bought out in the USA by a bigot who wanted to trade directly with the EU. He fired all the staff and closed the business, and transferred assets to another entity to rename that and resurrect the company as a new entity without obligations or contracts, including mine. After suffering extreme stress, I collapsed in my office. After enduring the customary NHS incompetent run around, I landed on an Operating table in St Thomas, suffering a completely blocked right-hand coronary. I died twice that day. I applied to Norwich to have the Pension holiday to allow me to convalesce without the enormous monthly financial burden. Norwich sent me a pension statement of my investment value one that i thought had been designed to function at minimum risk, and for the first time, I found out what it was actually worth... as I lay in my bed recovering from heart surgery. Where I had died twice... Shock and awe! One-third of what I had paid in, so I immediately stopped throwing good money after bad. I froze the pension that was created with post-tax personal income payments; my 13000.00 GBP investment was worth 6000.00, and Norwich went dark, with no correspondence or communication of any sort. I had other things to focus on. Now came Aviva, who took over and began to rewrite the rules, and the pension pot diminished further and for a time seemed to vanish however, I was able to trace it because I retained every piece of paper and with the help of pension tracing websites and the services of a professional pensions legal advisor, I was able to resurrect this skillfully hidden money. Now I am Sixty Five. The retirement pot has earned minus figures. I don't live in the UK, and you threaten that if I move or withdraw, my money there will be a 25% Tax charge on already taxed money that is worth less than what I paid in and, to add to the misery, will be taxed here in the USA when it arrives - tell me then, what or who is a pension supposed to benefit? So why am I telling you this personal story? My message shows you a small snapshot of the man you are trying to rob. I am a war veteran, a veteran of poverty and vagrancy at twelve years of age. I have owned several successful businesses on three continents and successfully defended and fought litigation Pro Se' in the UK and the Federal Court in the USA. It is a little advice that you should do your research before trying to bully one who has been meeting challenges since he was a one-year-old, www.le-guttersnipe.com I am an autodidact and will find a way no matter how stupid you think I am. As I awoke yesterday at three AM, Jesus came to me in my twilight waking dreams and mentioned that I should be grateful that he warned me to stop the payments all those years ago. I can only imagine the hell I would be enduring had this been an entire paid-up pension fund today. Reviewed on: 30th June 2021

Delays causing financial hardship

near imposible to contact Aviva, two hour telephone waits are usual not an exception. Poor staff training and failure in systems to send out documentation that has been promised. Delays Delays and no empathy for customers at this terrible time. I could go on but this has affected the state of my mental health. Please Please choice a company that values customer services and invests in their phone system, it and staff training . Reviewed on: 9th June 2021

They try ti keep my money

Be careful when you ask to transfer your pension to another provider they refuse asking for many document like DOB certificate and etc... You need to call them many time by phone and still invent excuses to not transfer your money!!! Stay away!!! Reviewed on: 31st May 2021

Abysmal customer service

Have just started to communicate with Aviva to access my pension. Have called free phone numbers but it can take many attempts to actually join a queue. More often than not you are told to ring back later. Once actually in the queue the long wait begins. Just short of an hour today. Once through, the staff are reasonable although I did not receive the letter I was supposed to have been sent after my first call. I was then told that release of money once I have returned appropriate information will be up to twenty days! There is clearly a lack of resource and archaic systems within this company. Am very disappointed. Reviewed on: 4th May 2021

Absolute rubbish

I’ve been paying money in for 30 years and last year they took more money away from me than I paid in. Would not recommend a pension with Aviva Reviewed on: 27th April 2021

Dire customer service. Truly desperate

Weeks go by before they reply to emails. Even then they're following a script and haven't got a clue. Honestly put your money elsewhere. I'm stuck with this lot as my employer insists on them but if you have the choice, anywhere is better than here. Reviewed on: 20th April 2021

Shocking service when requesting pension lump sum payment

I have been trying since last September to take my pension as a lump sum. They sent me the same initial pack 3 times, I had various phone calls which produced nothing, finally I was told I had to have a long detailed conversation with an Aviva agent before I could be sent the necessary form to take my pension - and then when I eventually received the form and returned it in January, the money did not arrive. I am still chasing weekly and am just told each time that they will escalate it - I think they need to check the meaning of the word escalate. I had taken lump sums before Aviva took over Friends Provident, who were so much more efficient. If you are requiring your pension lump sum by a certain date, you will be in trouble if you invest with this company. The Ombudsman needs to take action and get this useless company to sort themselves out pronto. Reviewed on: 7th April 2021

Worse than HMRC

Have been trying for days to get hold of someone on the freephone numbers given- as I’ve been messaged to say I can’t use their online system for details on my pension. Have tried for several HOURS each to get through when they say the wait is 20 minutes and then you wait over 30 minutes and are then cut off on each occasion. Absolutely the worst insurance company I deal with and I deal with a few because of various pensions I have. They are an absolute disgrace and I’m very close to complaining to the Ombudsman but I doubt whether they would get an answer either. Avoid at all costs - I’ll be transferring my money as soon as I can get through so may take some time Reviewed on: 6th April 2021

Useless

Useless, tried to transfer a previous company pension into an existing company pension with Aviva. Kept asking for the same information and giving me instructions to transfer on line which didn’t tie up with anything. And then when I queried it we would go round in the same circle again. Avoid, useless. Reviewed on: 31st March 2021

Refused to pay my lumpsum payment

I am sure this is a company run by the most dishonest people. They made it impossible to claim the money that is rightfully yours. They promised from forms that never arrived, direct you to unmanned phones, complain never get any way, never return calls. Dont think of joining this company you will only lose your money with no redress. The worst company I ever deal with, corporate criminals Reviewed on: 9th March 2021

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