Unresolved Funeral Claim and Extremely Poor Customer Service

I am extremely disappointed with the handling of my mother’s funeral claim and the customer service we have received.

My mother contacted the call centre regarding her funeral claim and was advised that additional information was required. She completed the outstanding information, and the required documents were submitted on her behalf on 31 July 2026.

Since then, we have received no feedback or communication regarding the claim.

I called the call centre this morning and waited approximately 50 minutes in the queue. The only reason for my call was to establish whether the updated documents had been received and whether the claim was progressing, as nobody had contacted my mother since the documents were submitted on 31 July.

I understand that I am not the main member and that, for privacy reasons, there may be limitations on the information that can be provided to me. However, I was simply trying to establish whether the documents had been received and whether there was anything further required from my mother.

During the call, I provided the pension number as requested. I was then advised that there was an error with the documents. I asked whether my mother had been informed about this, as this is important considering that the documents were submitted more than a month ago. The consultant could not confirm whether anyone had contacted my mother and instead advised that the matter was merely noted on the system.

When I tried to clarify the situation, the consultant became increasingly dismissive and eventually told me, in an angry manner, that I am not the main member, and then ended the call while I was still trying to speak to her.

I completely understand and respect the need to protect the main member’s information. However, that does not justify the lack of communication regarding the claim or the manner in which I was treated on the call.

My main concerns are:

The updated documents were submitted on 31 July 2026, yet there has been no feedback. We have not been properly informed if there is an issue with the documents. There appears to be an outstanding error on the documents, but it is unclear whether my mother was ever notified. After waiting 50 minutes to speak to someone, the call was handled in an unnecessarily rude and dismissive manner. The call was ended abruptly while I was still trying to obtain clarity.

This is a funeral claim involving someone's family at an already difficult time. The least we expect is clear communication, reasonable assistance and respectful customer service.

I would appreciate for the claim to be investigated urgently, for my mother to be contacted directly regarding exactly what is outstanding or incorrect, and for clear feedback to be provided on the current status of the claim.

Please provide a reference number and confirm what is required from my mother so that this claim can be finalised without any further unnecessary delays.