Six-month fight to get mums pension paid left me in tears, daughter says

A retired accountant said she was left in tears after spending six months trying to get her elderly mothers private pension paid.

Mervis Stanley had previously been receiving a widows pension from her husband Georges time working at Gillette in Reading.

But the 87-year-old had not received any money since June 2024 and was not given a reason why by pension administrators Aon, her daughter Annetta Stanley claimed.

After being contacted by the BBC, Aon said it would start paying Mrs Stanleys pension again, plus the money she was owed.

"The experience has left me in tears," Annetta said.

"Im fighting really hard on behalf of my mother but Im really worried about the impact that not having the pension is having on her. "

Ms Stanleys father George came to the UK in the early 1960s as part of the Windrush generation that relocated to fill post-war labour shortages and rebuild Britains economy.

His wife, Mervis, and daughter, Annetta, followed a year later and the family lived in Birmingham before moving to Reading, where George worked in the Gillette factory.

The couple retired to Jamaica in 1995 and Georges work pension passed to his wife after his death in 2006.

Monthly payments of about £500 went to his widow for 19 years but, after Aon took over as administrators of the scheme in 2024, the money stopped, said Ms Stanley, from Herefordshire.

"My father worked really hard for that money so I feel very cross that someone can just stop it and not give me an explanation why," she said.

"My parents came to the UK to help rebuild the economy. Its appalling that weve been treated this way."

Ms Stanley, who has power of attorney for her mother and deals with all her financial affairs, said she had contacted Aon dozens of times by phone, email and letter since February, to establish why her mums pension was stopped.

"Im currently paying her bills from her state pension but if I need to take her to the hospital, the money isnt there," she said.

"Shes an elderly woman with health issues who relies on carers to assist her with her daily tasks.

"Its stopping her carers from doing what they can for her because they realise that money is short.

"She likes going out but shes stuck in her house. "

A spokesperson for Aon said "some of the paperwork it had received was not legally acceptable in the UK" and the company was waiting for some more information to be able to resolve the situation.

They said they could not comment on individual cases but it was crucial to verify contact details to ensure that an individual had not died.

Their statement added that its priority was "to pay the correct pension, to the correct recipient, at the correct time and we apologise for any distress to a member (or their family) where we are unable to do so".

The company added that payments could be paused if items of post were returned unopened and that this was usual practice amongst UK pension schemes, designed to protect members and make sure that the correct people received benefits.

Ms Stanley said her mum had not received any post from Aon.

"Her carers have regularly checked at the post office. Shes received letters about her state pension but nothing from Aon," she said.

The 68-year-old said nobody from the company had apologised to her or her mother.

"They havent spoken to me in six months so Im not expecting them to ring and apologise," she said.

"Its so frustrating, I came to the BBC for help because there didnt seem to be anyone else who could help me. Things wouldnt have progressed if I hadnt.

"I worry that the same thing could be happening to other people. Ive worked in finance for 40 years, so I knew what to do, but its been a difficult fight."

A spokesperson for Aon said, after the BBC contacted them about Mrs Stanleys case, that, after receiving some more information, they have reinstated her pension and the company had arranged for her to be paid the money she was owed.

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