A photograph of a traditional village post office and shop. There are two red post boxes, one free-standing, one in the wall. A black and white dog is waiting for their person to come out of the post office.

By Tony Chamberlain, director of GBPensions

The Post Office Horizon IT scandal has been described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history. Hundreds of sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses were wrongly prosecuted for false accounting and theft. Many lives have been ruined, financially and emotionally. At least one pregnant mother was imprisoned, and four people actually took their own lives.

So much trauma, even though the Post Office knew darned well from as early as 1999 that the software was faulty.

ITV’s excellent adaptation of this disgraceful affair is now streaming on TVNZ+. Starring Toby Jones, Will Mellor, Monica Dolan and Julie Hesmondhalgh, it is an absorbing watch – which, if you’re anything like me, will have you shouting at the television. There is also a documentary, “Mr Bates vs The Post Office: The Real Story“, which, of course, is even more gut-wrenching.

Why am I writing about this for the GBPensions blog page?

Well, it occurred to me that the wilful ignorance displayed by the Post Office is unfortunately similar to the dealings we have with the UK pension companies on an almost daily basis.

A promotional banner for Mr Bates vs. the Post Office, featuring Toby Jones and several other actors.

I’m not suggesting there is any sort of deliberate cover-up afoot, but I am convinced there is a culture of incompetence and obstruction against individuals wishing to access their funds.

There’s always been an element of reluctance or hindrance. It often feels as though we’re pushing a huge rock up a mountain for our clients. That shouldn’t be the case, of course. This is our clients’ money to which they have a legal right. Nevertheless, the transfer process is now more prolonged than ever, regularly at least six months and often closer to twelve.

Late night phone calls between GBPensions and the UK companies can last for hours. The wrong forms are supplied to irrelevant /non-existent queries. Deadlines are treated with indifference.

Currently, confusion around the abolition of the Lifetime Allowance (LTA) is being used as an excuse to try and put any pension transfer activity on hold.

The situation has now reached the point where 25 per cent of our UK admin service is dedicated to complaints on our clients’ behalf. Frustrating, yes, but also satisfying when the pension companies admit their shortcomings and offer compensation.

Whatever happens, we’ll persist. In fact, these extra barriers only make the team and me all the more determined to achieve the results our clients want and deserve.