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Aviva: Pension reviews

Name: Pension
Rating: 2.02 (168 reviews)

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1.95

Based on 168 reviews, last reviewed 9th May 2025

200% increase in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

33% increase in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

18%

70%

Latest highest rating:

5

Managing my pension pot very well Managing my pension pot very well with regular updates and advice as to whether I have enough invested in order to retire. Reviewed on: 18th April 2025

Latest lowest rating:

1

Do not use Aviva for your pension! Do not use Aviva if you want to be able to access your money of get a response from them. At this point I am calling them every week and they tell me ... Read more Reviewed on: 9th May 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 (168)

Review of the Aviva, Pension:

CATASTROPHIC PENSION LOSSES IN 10 MONTHS

I want to publish an email I sent to Aviva today so that it might help warn other investors, and also so it is on record: RE PENSIONS FUNDS - TK10370929 and TK10329410 Further to my earlier email today (and 5 days ago) - since no one from Aviva is replying to my emails or calling me to advise about the CATASTROPHIC LOSSES in my pension funds, as before I have been trying to call Aviva to discuss this with someone. However, I am not able to speak to anyone at Aviva because of this message "We are not able to talk to you because of an emergency. Try again later" So because I can't actually speak to someone at Aviva - I have attempted to take control of my Pension Funds myself. But, once again, Aviva is preventing me from doing this - see the following: In my Online Account, under the heading 'HOW YOUR PENSION IS INVESTED" - there is an option to "Choose Your Funds" However, although it states: "Press the button below to start the process of moving from your investment approach and telling us which individual funds you want to invest in." BUT....there is NO BUTTON TO PRESS!! - see the attachment Instead, there is a Call Us icon. But as I've explained above, when I call Aviva to speak about my Pension Fund, the reply is: "We are not able to talk to you because of an emergency. Try again later" So - at a time when my Aviva Pension policies - TK10370929 and TK10329410 - are incurring huge, seemingly uncontrollable losses - due probably to the high percentage of the policies being invested in High-Risk funds - I am being prevented from taking control of my own Pension Funds and moving them into Low-Risk funds. As I've explained in previous emails - the combined loss of my policies - TK10370929 and TK10329410 - since December 2021 is £38,273.54 + £9,653 = £47,926.54 in 10 months!!! The total funds left in my policies - TK10370929 and TK10329410 - today (28/09/2022) is - £77,469.46 + £19,377.20 = £96,846.66 My retirement date is September 2023 - less than a year away - but at the current rate of loss, there will be no money left in either policy. Therefore, because Aviva is not helping me - I want to take control myself - BUT I'M BEING PREVENTED FROM DOING SO BY AVIVA. I WANT SOMEONE TO CALL ME BACK PLEASE Reviewed on: 28th September 2022

Completely hopeless at giving you your money

I have been trying to withdraw a tax free lump sum for 3 months, it is supposed to take 7 days to get a quote and then 5 days to get the cash. I still don't even have a quote. The contact centre are very friendly and try to be helpful but the payments team seem completely incompetent and unhelpful. It is stunning that they cant seem to talk to each other. Reviewed on: 3rd September 2024

Such polite and friendly staff, very helpful and min...

Such polite and friendly staff, very helpful and minimal wsit time on phone. Reviewed on: 24th August 2024

Good Product

Pension looked after since transferred to Aviva Reviewed on: 24th August 2024

High charges reduce your returns.

High charges reduce your returns. Also limited range of low cost fund options. Reviewed on: 23rd August 2024

I am trying to take my pens ion as a lump sum .

I am trying to take my pension as a lump sum . They are not being very cooperative at the moment. I rang a few weeks ago and they sent an information pack filled then docs to sign / signed and now 4 week delay and was told by a very rude person that I’m not the only pensioner cashing in their pension . She / they seem to forget that it is my money that I paid in all those years and now it seems they begrudge allowing me my pension which over the years I worked hard for . No respect for the customer whatsoever k I’ll Reviewed on: 13th August 2024

They behave as if it’s their money, not yours!

I’ve had a very bad experience dealing with Aviva over my pension transfer. I’ve spent hours on this and supplied with them with endless documentation and had a money helper appointment. They don’t return phone calls or reply to emails, it’s all completely shambolic. This has been going on for over 7 months now, and still they are dragging their heals and not transferring my money. I’m starting to wonder what they’re doing with all my data, as well as my money! Avoid Aviva Pensions at all cost, just read the other one star reviews on this and other websites, there are so many of them! I suspect the only reviews above one star are written by their own employees, they are probably incentivised to do them, in an attempt to drown out the dissatisfaction of their real customers. Frustrating and difficult company to deal with. I’ll be reporting them to Pensions Ombudsman. Reviewed on: 6th July 2024

Shambolic experience from start to finish.

Shambolic experience from start to finish. Tell you 3-6 weeks to transfer funds and still waiting 12 weeks later. Avoid at all cost Reviewed on: 4th July 2024

Having paid over £6000 over 15 years I received diag...

Having paid over £6000 over 15 years I received diagnosis stage 4 terminal bowel cancer last October, upon contacting them I had a female saying a very unconvincing SORRY we won’t pay out on this policy if I was to get this diagnosis in the last 18 months of policy, they continued to take money telling me that I have to die before 14 may this year to get the payout. So check the small print as these companies it shows do not have your health or interest as a priority, should have had a payout of over£100.000 which would have helped my wife pay our £70.000 mortgage instead of now hurrying to downsize prior to my death. Nice company to do people with. STAY CLEAR OF AVIVA Reviewed on: 21st June 2024

Aviva is devaluing annuities it has bought

Aviva acquired a small annuity I had been forced to take out on a small personal pension pot with Sun Life - the law back then forced me to buy an annuity. Despite the capital value of the annuity being less than £10,000, Aviva refuses to allow me to encash it. Also, Aviva has consistently paid my annual annuity a day late, with customer service perpetually telling me I have the date wrong. Aviva has now admitted to the Ombudsman that "we always add a day". I believe they have also altered residual value calculations, so that my estate will get less than it should when I die. Essentially, by delaying payment by a day and probably taking at least a week off residual value, Aviva are diminishing the value of my annuity by at least 2.4%. I firmly believe it is illegal to change the T&Cs of an annuity already in payment, and am waiting to hear what, if anything, the Pensions Regulator will do to address Aviva's daylight robbery. The point is, if Aviva is doing this to all the annuities it has bought, it will add up to tens of millions of pounds added to Aviva's profits - and taken away from annuitants. If you are in the same position as me, make a formal complaint to the Regulator; the Ombudsman is restricted in what they can do about this blatant daylight robbery. Reviewed on: 20th June 2024

Shameful service and company

I’ve been waiting for 2 months to get my policies paid out. I received an email 2 days ago saying that the one policy has decreased in value by 37%. Still no payout. Customer agents don’t tell the truth. Polite but untruthful. Can’t believe anything they tell you. So utterly useless. I have no words left. Reviewed on: 16th April 2024

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