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I hold power of attorney for my elderly widowed aunt, whose ill health required her to be admitted to long-term nursing care. In 2001, she and her husband paid £100,000 into a long-term care bond with Phoenix Life for exactly this eventuality. Last November, I tried to initiate a claim to fund her care, but have so far not succeeded. In frustration I contacted a solicitor who wrote to Phoenix on my behalf and eventually managed, with difficulty, to initiate a complaint in March. It has not been addressed, the claim has not been processed, and my aunt’s financial situation has become critical. Documents have been requested several times despite being sent by registered mail, there is no direct email to contact the company, and the complaints department supplied a phone number that is not available. The process is so obtuse I do not know how any elderly person could successfully make a claim and, meanwhile, my aunt’s money is running out.
LM, Lisburn, Ulster
This is a devastating situation for you and your aunt, who took such care to provide for her old age, and Phoenix’s indifference to her plight is breathtaking. The timeline you have compiled makes dismal reading. Your many phone calls chasing for updates were kept on hold for 30 minutes at a time, and you were several times then directed to a new number and forced to begin the wait again.
When the company failed to log your power of attorney document, you were advised to Google a webpage where you could register it online – a service not, in fact, available in Northern Ireland. Phoenix allowed itself up to eight weeks to respond to the complaint from your solicitor, then failed to respond at all. It only appeared to acknowledge that an 89-year-old invalid might be left unable to pay for care after I intervened.
It says: “This case has fallen well below the standards we expect and we are deeply sorry for the obvious frustration and upset this has caused, particularly given the customer’s circumstances which we totally recognise will have caused additional worry and concern.”
It has now retrospectively paid the sum owing for the last eight months and your aunt will continue to receive just over £1,300 a month towards her care. It has also stumped up an extra £1,500 to reflect the distress caused by its incompetence, and £150 in late-payment interest, and has offered to refund your legal bills so that neither you, nor your aunt, are left out of pocket.
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