An adviser has hit "numerous" dead ends while trying to place an annuity with Scottish Widows.
According to the adviser, every time he has tried to call Scottish Widows, he has been directed to automated messages asking for the policy number.
"I don't have a policy number, obviously", said Julian Pruggmayer, principal of Financial Risk Management. "I'm trying to get one. But there is no other option being presented to me and the phone just cuts off each time."
He told FT Adviser that he had sat down with the client and gone through iPipeline's annuity product comparison tool, Assureweb, to find the most appropriate policy.
While the Standard Life Pension Annuity offered a slightly higher payout, there were no guarantees attached.
The second ranked product was the Scottish Widows Annuity, which offered a "good payout" and guarantees.
Pruggmayer said: "After talking through this with the client, he agreed that certainty and security was more important to him, so he wanted the Scottish Widows annuity."
But then came the difficulty in actually placing the business with the company, which has recently asked for feedback from advisers on improving various parts of its service.
Pruggmayer said he originally logged into the area designated for advisers, but found he could not place the business online. So he rang the number given on the Scottish Widows' adviser website, under the annuities section.
"The number given there is 0330 845 0099, but she told me I was on the wrong SW website and gave me the number of 0345 755 6557.
"But when I dialled this, it asked for a policy number. If one is not forthcoming - as obviously I couldn't give one yet - it cuts you off.
"I then rang the switchboard number (0131 655 6000) and got through to another a recorded message. It answered, asking for a policy number. As I did not have one, after a few seconds I was cut off."
Round in circles
Pruggmayer said he felt he was going round in circles trying to place the business for his client, so he decided to call the complaints team and get a speedy resolution.
"But oh no, you think that would help. It didn't. I called complaints on 0345 716 6777 and was answered by a recorded message asking for - guess what? A policy number.
"And no prizes for guessing what happened when I didn't have a number? Yes, I got cut off."
When asked if he had called his BDM, Pruggmayer said he did not have one and there he could see nothing on the adviser site that could direct him to a named person with a phone number that he could call.
The public-facing site also shows options for placing annuity business - but only if you are an existing customer (see screen grab).
