Mr P: How one mis-sold pension transfer turned into a £322,200 payout

One bad piece of pension advice led to years of stress, lost paperwork, and endless delays – but with the right support, Mr. P secured a £322,241.41 payout.

The problem

Back in February 2005, Mr P waved goodbye to his British Rail pension scheme, transferring £119,562.07 into a Scottish Widows personal pension and Section 32 policy – recommended by his financial adviser, Sesame Ltd.

Mr. P joined forces with Spencer Churchill Claims Advice many years later, on 18 August 2022, after realising something wasn’t quite right with his original pension advice. After digging into the details, our experts quickly found solid grounds for a mis-sold pension claim.

Sesame Ltd. got their official complaint letter on 19 April 2023 but conveniently declared they’d lost crucial information in June 2023, shutting down their internal investigation. Coincidence? We think not. Sensing a classic delaying tactic, we escalated the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) on 16 November 2023.

The solution

Once the case landed on the FOS desk, Sesame Ltd. suddenly decided Mr. P’s claim was “out of time,” attempting another crafty manoeuvre to dodge responsibility. But we fought his corner and won. On 28 April 2024, the FOS confirmed the claim was well within time.

When the FOS took a closer look at the actual advice given, they soon realised on 19 June 2024 that Sesame Ltd. had, indeed, given Mr. P totally unsuitable pension advice, pushing him into a risky transaction. Sesame Ltd. were given time to respond but chose radio silence instead. The FOS eventually finalised their decision in his favour on 20 November 2024.

The result

Even with an official ruling, Sesame Ltd. didn’t exactly spring into action. Data gathering turned into a marathon, dragging into January 2025 without a clear finish line. We applied constant, unapologetic pressure – because, frankly, Sesame Ltd. needed a push.

Then Mr P told us he’d recently suffered a mini-stroke. That was the final straw. We immediately turned up the heat, making Sesame Ltd. very aware of his health situation on 20 February 2025. Miraculously, within just five days, the compensation offer landed on our desk. Funny how quickly things can move when the spotlight gets uncomfortable.

After all the unnecessary drama, lost files, delaying tactics, and endless chasing, Mr P finally secured a substantial compensation offer – £322,241.41, to be exact. Not a bad return, considering the stress and hassle Sesame Ltd. put him through. Just another day in the world of mis-sold pensions. But it’s one with a happy ending, thanks to persistence, expertise, and knowing exactly when and how to push back.