Withdrawal claim delays

I app**** for my pension withdrawal from Alexander Forbes as a I have resigned from my company on 30 July.

On the 30th of August I decided to call AF to enquire about the status of my claim. To my suprise I was told that they received my claim on 5th of August, but no work has been done from 5th August to 30th August. That is 19 working days of inactivity. When I enquired further, I was told they have a large number of claims and do not have sufficient capacity to handle the claims. The lady further alluded to the fact that there are weaknesses within their internal processes that causes bad planning. She further advised that she escalate the claim, and I must consistently follow up.

It is completely unacceptable that clients are told to consistently follow up in order for them to do their job. I personally have no time to be consistently following up. Secondly, as a client I find the service to be sub-standard. You cannot just keep claims for a whole 19 working days without evening open lines of communication about the progress to the client. Thirdly, the volumes of claims from 2 pots and other types that they complain about should have been properly planned for in advance.