hiya was just wondering if anyone can he1p me my father died a few months ago and we are currant1y trying to get his pension company to pay out the funera1 grant to pay for his funera1 as my father 1eft no monies to pay it with and there is sti11 quite a sum outstanding.

If anyone can advise us at to what to do now the company have been dragging their feet for months i have made phone ca11s to which they make excuse after excuse and the 1ast one she said just te11 them in writing im the excecutar of the wi11 to which i did and they responded with another form to fi11 out which was du1y done over 2 weeks ago and sti11 nothing im at my wits end now unsure what to do next as im panicking over this bi11 now and fee1 their trying to get out of paying out the money so any advice anyone can give me wou1d be appreciated xxxxkia

Hello, sorry to hear about your problem and very sorry to hear about your dad.

I have some questions but hopefully we can get down to getting you out of this once we have a bit more info.

Can you tell us what sort of pension it is please? I mean, if it's in your father's individual name or through a company he worked for, perhaps.

If you have the policy document or a letter from the company with a relevant heading, does the policy have a name? Personal pension would be an easy one, but we can work out what it is from the company's name for it.

Does the policy say it will pay out a funeral grant? I'm not sure I've come across this myself.

If you could post that, I'll start thinking about putting a bomb under them. If you can, PM me with just the company name so I know who we're talking about.

HB x

Hello, sorry to hear about your problem and very sorry to hear about your dad.

 

I have some questions but hopefully we can get down to getting you out of this once we have a bit more info.

 

Can you tell us what sort of pension it is please? I mean, if it's in your father's individual name or through a company he worked for, perhaps.

 

If you have the policy document or a letter from the company with a relevant heading, does the policy have a name? Personal pension would be an easy one, but we can work out what it is from the company's name for it.

 

Does the policy say it will pay out a funeral grant? I'm not sure I've come across this myself.

 

If you could post that, I'll start thinking about putting a bomb under them. If you can, PM me with just the company name so I know who we're talking about.

 

HB x

hiya right ok the company who are dea1ing with are ca11ed bucks consu1tants and it was a private pension and i a1ready been in touch with them to enquire what sort of pension it was and it did it have a funera1 grant attached to it and they said yes it does have a funera1 payment and was to1d it was striaight forward a11 i had to do was write a 1etter saying whos was paying the funera1 and their address which was me and which i wrote and to1d em this.

They never answered this 1etter so i phoned em again that said i didnt give enough infomation on the 1etter so i wrote again saying what they wanted to sti11 no rep1y so phoned em again and was to1d i hadnt put on the 1etter that im the exectuator of the wi11 in words i was 1ivid to1d em cou1dnt they have said this in first phone ca11 instead of de1aying 1ike this that the funera1 directors wont wait forever so i put in b1ock capita1s another 1etter saying this and send me the cheque now then they sent me the form asking the same questions as they asked me to write in a11 the 1etters :-xwhich ive know fi11ed in and sent off 2 weeks ago as u know.

The prob1em here is i think cos dad 1eft no wi11 and on visiting his bank to c1ose his account was to1d we dont need to do probate as 1ong as dad 1eft no more than 30,000 pounds which dad 1eft nothing and wou1d of cost us a further 500 pounds which i dont have to do something which is not needed as he has no monies but this is the prob1em i think they cant seem to get their heads round this but its very simp1e rea11y no wi11 as no money no 1etters of administration as same reason no monies hope this he1ps xxxxxxkia

Hi kia. I'm rusty on probate law, need to check that. Bucks consultants sound more like intermediaries than providers of policies themselves. Am I right?

Are you saying your dad left only this policy and what was in his bank account? So the bank have released the money that was in the account and it hasn't covered the funeral costs?

Private pension sounds as if it was a Personal Pension, depending on when it started, but do you have any sort of policy document or just the say so of these people please?

I'll go away and google Bucks Consultants, please post more if you can and I'll be back shortly.

HB x

Hi kia. I'm rusty on probate law, need to check that. Bucks consultants sound more like intermediaries than providers of policies themselves. Am I right?

 

Are you saying your dad left only this policy and what was in his bank account? So the bank have released the money that was in the account and it hasn't covered the funeral costs?

 

Private pension sounds as if it was a Personal Pension, depending on when it started, but do you have any sort of policy document or just the say so of these people please?

 

I'll go away and google Bucks Consultants, please post more if you can and I'll be back shortly.

 

HB x

yes there intermederies he used to work for a firm ca11ed the brassey in ormskirk they took it over i think the run it when firm c1osed down.

Yes dad on1y 1eft what was in his account to pay the funera1 which was ha1f of whats needed which weve paid to the funera1 guy yes the bank re1eased this to me just had to sign a form.

Yes it was persona1 p1an sorry got wrong wording :)and yes somewhere i got paper work with the po1icy number on it as for the funera1 grant no not got anything with that written on it just their phone ca11 to me te11ing me there was one on this po1icy.

xxxkia

Me again, I found Buck consultants in London, is that them do you think? If not, can you tell me where they are?

HB x

Me again, I found Buck consultants in London, is that them do you think? If not, can you tell me where they are?

 

HB x

buck consu1tants (administration and investment )1imited

st vincents house

1 cut1er street

ipswich

ip1 1UQ

xxxkia

Right, thanks. It could be a different lot, I'll have a look.

I found this on probate on the HMRC website

When you might not need probate

Probate may not be needed if the estate:

• is a low-value estate - generally worth less than £5,000 (though this figure can vary) - and doesn’t include land, property or shares
  
• passes to the surviving spouse/civil partner because it was held in joint names
  

When you as the executor or personal representative contact the deceased’s bank or other financial institutions, they will either release the funds or tell you to get a grant of probate (or confirmation) first. Some banks and financial institutions may insist on a grant before giving you access to even a small amount of money.

When probate is usually needed

You will almost certainly need probate if the estate includes:

• assets generally worth more than £5,000 in total (though again this figure varies)
  
• land or property in the name of the deceased, or held as ‘tenants in common’ with someone else
  
• stocks or shares
  
• some insurance policies
  

When they say probate, they include letters of administration when there was no will.

Can you tell us [or are you prepared to] how much the pension per annum or the pension fund is worth please?

Off to look for the Ipswich details now.

HB x

Right kia, I've checked that and Buck consultants London also have an office in Ipswich. They seem to act for other companies and seem to take over pension schemes from employers who want to outsource them or cease trading. Could this be why they're involved?

HB

Right, thanks. It could be a different lot, I'll have a look.

 

I found this on probate on the HMRC website

 

When you might not need probate

 

Probate may not be needed if the estate:

 

• is a low-value estate - generally worth less than £5,000 (though this figure can vary) - and doesn’t include land, property or shares
  
• passes to the surviving spouse/civil partner because it was held in joint names
  

When you as the executor or personal representative contact the deceased’s bank or other financial institutions, they will either release the funds or tell you to get a grant of probate (or confirmation) first. Some banks and financial institutions may insist on a grant before giving you access to even a small amount of money.

When probate is usually needed

 

You will almost certainly need probate if the estate includes:

 

• assets generally worth more than £5,000 in total (though again this figure varies)
  
• land or property in the name of the deceased, or held as ‘tenants in common’ with someone else
  
• stocks or shares
  
• some insurance policies
  

When they say probate, they include letters of administration when there was no will.

 

Can you tell us [or are you prepared to] how much the pension per annum or the pension fund is worth please?

 

Off to look for the Ipswich details now.

 

HB x

The pension fund is just 1,000 pounds so very sma11 and the bank a1ready re1eased his money to me as his next of kin with no need to provide nothing more than his death certificate i dont get why there been so obstructive cos to get any of these other things is gonna cost us that money to do it and we wont get as much back then and not enough to cover the funera1 and as u can understand im on benefits and cant afford this dad as u can understand never prepared for this xxxkia

Kia, depending on what you say next, I would be surprised if Buck are trying to withhold the money, but they sound very slow in dealing with it.

When they write to you, what heading is on their letter please?

Going back to the pension, do you have a policy document in your possession or do you seem to have to go through them? I'm just trying to understand where the money is.

HB x

Kia, depending on what you say next, I would be surprised if Buck are trying to withhold the money, but they sound very slow in dealing with it.

 

When they write to you, what heading is on their letter please?

 

Going back to the pension, do you have a policy document in your possession or do you seem to have to go through them? I'm just trying to understand where the money is.

 

HB x

it says buckconsu1tants

an ACS company

we dont have any po1icy document we do seem to have to go through them .

xxxkia

Yes, that's the same people. But is there a heading below where they write Dear Ms Kia please?

HB x

Yes, that's the same people. But is there a heading below where they write Dear Ms Kia please?

 

HB x

ahhh yes it says

Tomkins 2008 Pension Scheme - Hatterse1y Newman Hender Section

xxxkia

Does this make any sense kia? Could Buck Consultants have taken over responsibility for the pension scheme where your dad worked do you think? Tomkins or Hattersly Newman?

I'm starting to think he was a member of a company scheme with the Brassey or one of the companies who had the pension scheme.

Have Buck said you need to pay to receive his fund or pension? because if I'm right about their involvement, I wouldn't expect you to pay. It would normally be covered by the company owning the pension scheme.

HB

Does this make any sense kia? Could Buck Consultants have taken over responsibility for the pension scheme where your dad worked do you think? Tomkins or Hattersly Newman?

 

I'm starting to think he was a member of a company scheme with the Brassey or one of the companies who had the pension scheme.

 

Have Buck said you need to pay to receive his fund or pension? because if I'm right about their involvement, I wouldn't expect you to pay. It would normally be covered by the company owning the pension scheme.

 

HB

yes i think they did take it over for them and yes i think he was ,but was many years ago so memory aint good and no bucks havent said we have to pay anything just we keep providing more and more of the same info but dont seem to be getting anywhere xxxxkia

So this is Hattersley Newman Hender [i thought there was a bit missing, I expected Henderson ] who closed their Ormskirk foundry in 2003, according to the interweb, is that right?

Was your dad working when he died and if he was, did they have any pensions?

HB x

Kia, are you there?

HB x

Hi Kia. I need to go in a minute.

I need to speak to a friend who works with this type of employer pension scheme because I was never involved in running them. It could take a day or two.

One thing you could do is ring Geoff Ashton, who is the pensions manager at Buck Consultants in Ipswich and ask him why it's taking so long to release the money that's due, given that your dad seems to have left under £5000, so you probably don't need probate. And I could be wrong about this, just thought that some pension schemes may not form part of the probate figure, but it's late, don't quote me on that.

Just one last question, how did you prove to the bank that you were entitled to the money in your dad's account? I can see that you won't be executor because there was no will. And you won't be Administrator on paper because you haven't applied for probate.

Buck have to get their heads round this, it's not rocket science. Obviously, I haven't seen any of the paperwork, but someone needs to tell you in plain English, which a firm like that may have difficulty speaking, what the hold up is.

If I haven't posted anything else, go ahead and ring and either keep notes or record it. Say that you have a complaint and that if you don't have a clear answer by close of play on Monday you would like to know the name of their Compliance Officer or how to contact their Regulatory Body.

If you think phoning is expensive, you could email, but the phone would be more powerful. Office heads like Mr Ashton usually hate speaking to ordinary people like you and me, and I would hope he would put the skates under the department dealing with it.

Does that help any?

HB x

Sorry Kia, it's not Friday yet, is it? I really must get some sleep. If you want to ring tomorrow and play havoc, I think it's worth a try. Leaving someone dangling for months is not on.

Please let us know what happens. HB x

HB

sorry honey bee was rea11y tired and needed s1eep was gardening a11 day right no dad was working when he died had been retired for years as for the bank i just to1d em dad had no savings and there was no surviving spouse we were the on1y re1atives they on1y asked to see the death certificate nothing e1se and it was them that said we didnt need probate as he had no money in his bank at time of his death and no property it was straight forward the woman ive been dea1ing with at bucks is the pensions adminstrator and shes the one giving me the run around so prob wont get any further with him than i am with her she says its the trustees thats s1owing things down sorry for disapperaing again xxxxkia

sorry honey bee was rea11y tired and needed s1eep was gardening a11 day right no dad was working when he died had been retired for years.

 

I don't mean to be thick, but you say he was working when he died and then you say he had been retired for years. Which one do you mean please? And can you tell us how old he was?

 

Was anyone paying him a pension, or did he just have his salary?

 

as for the bank i just to1d em dad had no savings and there was no surviving spouse we were the on1y re1atives they on1y asked to see the death certificate nothing e1se.

 

Right. I don't know the procedures, can't comment.

 

and it was them that said we didnt need probate as he had no money in his bank at time of his death and no property it was straight forward

 

Sorry to be pedantic. You say he had no money, but I recall you mentioning a few hundred. Or did you give the undertaker's invoice to the bank and they paid it? I vaguely remember they might be able to do that.

 

Yesterday, I posted the rules I thought applied to this from the HMRC website and I thought it said if your dad had under £5000 it was straightforward. But that would be all his assets. There is a probate helpline which I can post if you need it. Have you spoken to them at all?

the woman ive been dea1ing with at bucks is the pensions adminstrator and shes the one giving me the run around so prob wont get any further with him than i am with her she says its the trustees thats s1owing things down sorry for disapperaing again xxxxkia

I don't think you should be defeatist Kia, you have as much right to be heard as anyone else. If you don't understand what they're doing and they're just passing the buck [sorry about the pun], then you're entitled to be told in layman's terms what the *** is going on.

What are the trustees meant to be doing right now?

I could really do with knowing exactly what Buck have told you in letters and on the phone, because this isn't straightforward. You and I could exchange posts all day and I could still be asking or answering the wrong questions.

Could we start with their last letter and could you either put a scan of it on here or type it out, if it's not too long please?

I'm sorry to keep asking questions. You've probably gathered this is complex, so I can't second guess what's happening.

My best, HB x

I don't think you should be defeatist Kia, you have as much right to be heard as anyone else. If you don't understand what they're doing and they're just passing the buck [sorry about the pun], then you're entitled to be told in layman's terms what the *** is going on.

 

What are the trustees meant to be doing right now?

 

I could really do with knowing exactly what Buck have told you in letters and on the phone, because this isn't straightforward. You and I could exchange posts all day and I could still be asking or answering the wrong questions.

 

Could we start with their last letter and could you either put a scan of it on here or type it out, if it's not too long please?

 

I'm sorry to keep asking questions. You've probably gathered this is complex, so I can't second guess what's happening.

 

My best, HB x

 

 

sorry honey bee it shou1d of said he was retired wasnt working when he died i was in pain at the time was waiting for pain ki11ers to kick in right i iw11 have to type it in as havent got a scanner as the first 1ots of communication where by phone but i11 type up the first 1etter they actua11y sent but cou1d take a bit of time xxxxkia

No problem, we can wait. When you ring Buck from now on, it's best to keep a note of what is said by both of you, unless you already do.

To summarise a little:

Your dad was retired when he died, but what age was he please?

He was receiving pension from ??

Buck were paying the only pension he had or one of them? Or maybe they hadn't started paying it yet?

If you want to leave this until you type out the letter, it's not a problem, but they're just questions that occurred to me.

HB x

No problem, we can wait. When you ring Buck from now on, it's best to keep a note of what is said by both of you, unless you already do.

 

To summarise a little:

 

Your dad was retired when he died, but what age was he please?

 

He was receiving pension from ??

 

Buck were paying the only pension he had or one of them? Or maybe they hadn't started paying it yet?

 

If you want to leave this until you type out the letter, it's not a problem, but they're just questions that occurred to me.

 

HB x