I discovered my husband’s pension 11 years after he died – a year on, I’m still waiting to get it: CRANE ON THE CASE

My husband, Jim died in 2012. In December 2023, I was contacted out of the blue by an heir tracing firm and asked if I was his next of kin.

I called the company to verify that I was, and in January 2024 I received a letter from the pension firm Buck. It said I may be entitled to a payment from Jim’s pension with Chubb Security.

I wasn’t aware he had a pension from his time at Chubb, which was back in the 1980s and before we met. I don’t think he knew he did either. I have no idea of its value. 

I sent the requested documents, including the death and marriage certificates, to Buck in mid-January 2024, and these were returned swiftly with a compliments slip.

But ten months later, I have not heard anything from Buck – which has since been acquired by another pensions firm, Gallagher – about the status of the pension payment.

I phoned Gallagher in May, June and July, only to be told it is in the hands of the Chubb trustees.

Why is this taking so long? Even if I’m not entitled to anything, I would like to know so I can draw a line under it. S.O, Wigan

Helen Crane, This is Money’s consumer champion, replies: You thought you had sorted out your late husband’s affairs a decade ago, and I am sure it was difficult to dig out documents such as his death certificate again after all these years. 

Old workplace pensions have a habit of being forgotten, especially those which were accrued many years ago when workers weren’t automatically enrolled. 

It is especially easy for pots to go missing in a time when records were still kept on paper. 

With pensions dating back as far as the 1980s, it is possible companies involved never transferred these on to an online system. 

If someone wants to find a lost workplace pension, the Government’s pension tracing service is a good place to start. 

Those who want to find out whether they are entitled to a deceased person’s private  pension should contact the pension provider or employer involved as their first port of call. 

But to do that, they need to be aware the pension existed in the first place.  

Jim may not even have been aware that he was paying into a pension while he worked at Chubb, and the sums involved would probably have been small. 

But with almost 40 years of potential investment returns since then, that small seed of cash could have grown into a significant sum.    

Pension funds have an obligation to make sure any unclaimed money finds its way into the right hands – even if it does take many years, as in your case. 

Today is one year to the day since you first contacted the tracing firm. 

The funds sometimes appoint tracing companies, whose job it is to track down the next of kin of deceased pension holders and encourage them to claim what they are entitled to. 

You were intrigued when you were asked to get in touch with Buck – which became Gallagher in the year that you dealt with the company. 

But your initial hope turned to frustration, when many months elapsed without any confirmation one way or the other. 

In August, you were told that your case had been passed on to the Chubb pension trustees for approval in February, but that there was still no update to give you. 

You contacted me in November as you felt you had hit a brick wall. I decided to contact Gallagher to help you untangle this pension web. 

I am glad to report this kicked the firm into gear. It said it would look into your case urgently, and shortly after you received a phone call and a form to complete. 

A spokesman for Gallagher said: ‘Following a full review of [S.O’s] case, we can confirm that unfortunately there was some delay in the provision of a response to the information she requested. 

‘[She] has now been provided with all the information she needs with regards to her scheme benefits, along with a formal apology. 

‘Customer service remains a top priority for Gallagher, and we regret that we fell short of our own standards on this occasion. 

‘We would like to take the opportunity to once again sincerely apologise.’

A week later, and almost a year since you first got the letter from the tracing company, you finally received your payout from Jim’s pension, which totalled just under £2,000 after tax.  

Although it arrived in sad circumstances, I hope the windfall still makes your Christmas a little brighter. 

Coach company restored my Christmas cheer 

I wanted to share a good story about small company whose customer service made my chaotic Christmas travel plans a little easier. 

Last month, I booked a £21 coach ticket to visit family near Bristol just before Christmas, travelling on the local Taunton coach firm, Berrys Coaches. 

I’d usually catch the train, but baulked at the cost of almost £100 for a return ticket – with no guarantee of a seat on a busy December Friday. 

But my plans changed this week after a friend ended up in hospital in Birmingham, and I needed to make a stop-off to visit them first. 

Berry good: Coach company gave me a refund when my travel plans changed (Image: Geof Shepard/Creative Commons)

I contacted Berrys to ask if there was any chance I could get a refund – but without much hope, as this was just a couple of days before I was due to travel. 

To my surprise, they said I could get my money back, minus a £5 admin fee – or get a credit note for another journey with no charge. 

That’s much better than on National Rail, where tickets booked in advance for a specific timed train aren’t eligible for a refund at all – and it costs £10 to change the time or date. 

Bravo, Berrys, for giving me some much-needed festive cheer.