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Scottish Widows: Pension reviews

Name: Pension
Rating: 1.26 (62 reviews)

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1.16

Based on 62 reviews, last reviewed 21st Mar 2025

No new 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

200% increase in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

4 star

3 star

2 star

94%

Latest highest rating:

5

Great customer and digital services Switched all my pensions to my workplace pension with Scottish Widows. Such a smooth process, I was kept well informed throughout. Their app is great,... Read more Reviewed on: 12th January 2022

Latest lowest rating:

1

Everything was a struggle. Everything was a struggle. Two GDPR breaches. Still pending information on why the plan performance was so dire. Reviewed on: 21st March 2025

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About this product

Scottish Widows pension reviews written by Smart Money People like you. For many of us, our pension is an important part of our financial future. Finding a pension provider that you can trust and rely on is a must for many people. Take a look at our Scottish Widows pension reviews to find out what life at Scottish Widows is really like. If you hold this pension, we'd love you to write an honest review here too!

Scottish Widows Pension reviews (62)

Review of the Scottish Widows, Pension:

A joke of a company

I moved jobs in Sept 22. My employer has a pension with SW. I filled in forms my employer sent and these were sent over to SW - 3 times now as of yesterday! My employer has made 2 monthly contributions on my behalf so far (Oct and Nov). However, SW have no policy number for me having emailed, filled in forms and spoken to them on the telephone countless times since i started my new job, its now 07 Dec 2022. I was given a different email address today to contact: lpc.aftersalesATscottishwidows.co.uk I was unable to deliver your message to the following addresses: lpc.aftersalesATscottishwidows.co.uk Reason: 550 #5.1.0 Address rejected. All I want is the number so I can transfer my previous employment's pension in. If I had a choice I wouldn't have a pension with this company - if you do have a choice AVOID Reviewed on: 7th December 2022

Amazingly poor performance

I get that the markets have been less than optimal over the past two years, however SW have completely amazed me with their inability to adapt as other providers have (I have other pots that have not been as bad as these guys). By bad, I mean I have been putting over 3k/month into the pension over the past two years and basically that 3k/month has pretty much been eaten up by the incompetent monster. Shockingly bad, however no choice as this is a company scheme. Actually working out how to ditch them. Reviewed on: 16th April 2023

dreadful

i have been trying to sort my pension out now for 6 months. date of retirement was 18th march. and because of massive problems with scottish widows. have not received my pension. plus it looks like it could be another couple of months before receiving. i have been on phone every week for two hours at a time. nobody knows what the other has done. i was assured by assistants. i would be kept in touch. and haven’t. i moved another policy to them. and they have been sitting on my money for two months. on my interest. i want to be compensated Reviewed on: 3rd April 2023

Robbing over payed investors

Lost 40K from April 2021 till today, All my hard work which I could off invested better and I haven’t got degrees in business like these muppets. If an investment is not performing why keep throwing money into it . Reviewed on: 6th March 2023

Very poor pension fund performance

Lost 25% of my pension fund over the last 3 years, and it's still going down even though all of my other pensions are now recovering. I didn't have any choice in using Scottish Widows (company pension), would certainly not recommend them to anyone Reviewed on: 1st March 2023

Pretty useless

FTSE at a record high very recently, and my pension has dropped about 9 grand over the last 6 months ... Very poor performance by Scottish Widows .. Pension struggles to go up as stock market rises, then drops like a ton of bricks when the market falls a little .. Very disappointed !!! Reviewed on: 24th February 2023

being fleeced

fund constantly dropping going to have to draw it out before it is worthless Reviewed on: 24th February 2023

Very disappointed

Have lost more than 20 per cent of my savings in the so called 'Pension Protector' fund - I can't think of a worse name for a fund. Reviewed on: 21st February 2023

Awful in every way!

Appalling customer service - no actual help just passed around ‘department s’ for hours. People from the ‘back room’ who apparently can actually help never call back. They have taken huge amounts of money and no explanation given. I think it’s being used to fill the black hole of funds they’ve lost through mid-management. I’ve written but no response. The ombudsman will have another call today. Please move your pension if you can - I think this shop is sinking! Reviewed on: 1st February 2023

Value rises a little and then drops like a lead brick

I have been watching my pension lately as retirement is getting closer. I am just a few pounds better off now than I was 8 months ago. The payments go in, the pot drops. Its goes up a little, then the pot drops. If I add up just the payments in over 8 months I should be £4000 - £5000 better off. I am not. It has increased in value recently by £1200. I am still out of pocket. Seriously considering just paying it into a high interest account. I am willing to bet Scottish Widows are still taking their fees for loosing me money. Reviewed on: 25th January 2023

Poor communication, website not interactive

The scheme currently run by Scottish Widdows is not fit for purpose, the website is poor to access and to navigate, gives no control to port funds, the phone line is constantly busy and just passed from one operative to another, we will be moving our fund as soon as possible Reviewed on: 24th January 2023

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