Old Mutual refusing to honour a claim when they confirmed it's active

This company refused a claim that their representative said is valid, we have a funeral to arrange and only now they tell us stories that were not asked afew weeks ago during claiming for my mother's funeral, yes they had separated but by time of death they had reunited and I for one asked to confirm if the policy is still active just in case it wasn't then we would have made a better plan which is even now Im beginning to question the validity of all the remaining policies which I had a belief they are for my family's security. Now we have already planned for this weekend burial and they broke the whole arrangements