Capita tells civil servants to wait for chatbots to fix pension portal woes

Capita has told users of its ailing UK civil service pension portal to wait until new chatbots go live before contacting it again about problems. In November 2023, the UK outsourcer was awarded a £239 million ($322 million) contract to run the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS), which includes 1.7 million members and manages …

[Bebu sa Ware]

Crapita was "working tirelessly to deliver the [crapita] experience"

Doubtless.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Crapita was "working tirelessly to deliver the [crapita] experience"

No no. El Reg misread the press release.

It actually said they were too tired to work to deliver the experience.

[FirstTangoInParis]

Re: Crapita was "working tirelessly to deliver the [crapita] experience"

Their PR is working through their long lunch to come up with ways to blame everyone and everything except the managers on point to deliver. It may well have gone live on the day the contract said but it was woefully incomplete and should never been allowed to go anywhere. But of course there are bonuses at stake so it went live.

[Acrimonius]

Need to create a new Account yet again

It says this at the top of the page. There is nothing below. I have already set up a new account and now I have to do it again. Pathetic!

If this is the first time you have accessed the member portal since the 25th of November, you will be required to create a new account (please see below) . Once the new registration process has been completed, please wait a minimum of 15 minutes before attempting to log in. This will ensure your account is fully set up. Thanks for your patience.

My Payslip, P60 and Nominate Beneficiary all say 'We cannot load your data at the moment.Try again later or contact help and support' Clicking the link seemingly did nothing but it was clearly busy finding the page and after about 30sec the page loaded. If it's going to be this slow a popup to say please wait while we load would help. The site seems to have regressed - worse that what is was when it launched

[Anonymous Coward]

Agile baby

We delivered ontime (only a manager or sales droid can say that an unfinished and non working product was delivered on time)

However, borked to fuck and now we can do sprints/releases to slowly fix all the parts that do not work and hope to get it done by the time you need your annual statement

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: Agile baby

But what happened to that bit of Agile that said "We value working software" or words to that effect?

Long forgotten, I suppose.

[Yorick Hunt]

Re: Agile baby

Their "agility" lies in ducking and weaving, not in developing and delivering.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Agile baby

Well, if you'd read the epic correctly, you'd see that the MVP of having a user story of "Valuing working software" was agreed, worked on and completed, the whole team swarmed on that one. Delivering working software wasn't in the backlog and not MVP. Our velocity was up and we went the extra mile this sprint and we delivered a site you could ping, which wasn't even due for a couple of sprint's time.

[TimMaher]

Re: ping

You just need to feel the vibe.

[AbominableCodeman]

Re: ping

A local model running on an RTX 2030 (with a VRAM fault) is probably more competent and efficient than Crapita. Maybe they internally sourced it from some bored TV licence collectors, because that's where it would appear they found the additional 50% staff from.

[eamonn_gaffey]

Re: Agile baby

We need to remove the pull factors for gross incompetents in tendering for these public contracts ..... like no real world consequences of delivering non functional rubbish.

But hey, Agile innit ?

[Paul Herber]

Helping to make "Lower Your Expectations" one of your life mantras.

[TVU]

Indeed, and these chatbots won't have a clue about more complex questions. Capita will no doubt also make it more difficult to actually access a competent person on cost reduction grounds.

[Anonymous Coward]

What the hell

Why is this story all about errors and poor delivery.

Surely the most news worthy point is that Capita has, once again, met expectations and maintained a consistent level of service and delivery.

Capita excels at this and should be held up as a shining example in the sector.

You know where you stand with Capita.

[Sir Sham Cad]

Re: What the hell

The part of TFA that I picked up as the main take-away was, basically, this:

!) Capita lost the contract because they were, er, Capita, and were replaced by MyCSP

2) MyCSP contract ended and a Public Procurement Exercise to find a new provider was undertaken.

3) Fuck it, Capita it is again, then. They've pinky sworn to be better this time.

The reason the same bastards keep getting these huge contracts is because they know how to complete a Public Procurement Tender rather than actually provide the service.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What the hell

The reason the same bastards keep getting these huge contracts is because they know how to complete a Public Procurement Tender rather than actually provide the service.

And because nobody asked the scheme members. I'm pretty sure if the scheme membership were asked "would you like Crapita to run your pension scheme?" the answer would be a resounding no. I'm a scheme member, I certainly would have voted to block Crapita's involvement.

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: What the hell

I suppose procurement were also scheme members. It will be a learning experience for them but, as I keep saying, experience is a dear teacher but there are those who will learn by no other.

Maybe other government procurement departments are also staffed by scheme members....

Fortunately I'm in the NICSP scheme.

[Radgie Gadgie]

Re: What the hell

Government procurement (and frankly most corporate procurement) teams don't have enough foresight to participate in pensions.

"What's the cost of the pension that offers £1m in 20 years? 10p per month? I see.

And the cost of the scheme that offers £3.50 and a kick in the balls? 9p per month ?"

"Make it 8p per month, so I can claim the 11% reduction to the board to justify my salary and you're on"

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What the hell

True. Even comparatively small public sector contracts require a mountain of paperwork to submit a bid and when you see who won the previous stage you realise it’s a pointless and expensive exercise.

[Radgie Gadgie]

Re: What the hell

A mountain?

A bloody mountain range.

[MachDiamond]

Re: What the hell

"The reason the same bastards keep getting these huge contracts is because they know how to complete a Public Procurement Tender rather than actually provide the service."

There should be a liberal arts major in that sort of thing. Take out all the student loans you like as there will be jobs ready and waiting if the curriculum is up to scratch.

[Ken Hagan]

Re: What the hell

"The reason the same bastards keep getting these huge contracts is because they know how to complete a Public Procurement Tender rather than actually provide the service."

No. The reason this happens is because no-one in government knows how to create a Public Procurement Tender. They keep missing out the penalty clauses for non-delivery.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What the hell

We have looked at a few PPT and we are confident we could implement and deliver what is required.

However the wording of the tender document is such that we just don't have the time and money to do the actual job.

The costs are consumed by the process so that only those that have done something similar before can afford to bid.

It's almost as it the jobs are already assigned to a particular winner...

[Excused Boots]

Re: What the hell

"It's almost as it the jobs are already assigned to a particular winner..."

Surely not.....!

[Mimsey Borogove]

Re: What the hell

Surely not.....!

Stop calling me Shirley!

[MachDiamond]

Re: What the hell

"The reason this happens is because no-one in government knows how to create a Public Procurement Tender. They keep missing out the penalty clauses for non-delivery."

It's still a massive slog to get awarded those contracts as there's so many requirements and if you leave out an "important comma", it gets binned. When I was in aerospace, the company I worked for would be bids in for many sorts of research and the paperwork took more time than the investigation.

Even if there were penalty clauses, they'd also need to have somebody checking up that the work was done and to contract specs as well. The daycare facilities in Minnesota received a pile of money and there's big questions on whether children were looked after and if the ones listed even existed/were on several different roles. I suppose as long as the paperwork was in order, nobody asked any questions.

[Radgie Gadgie]

Re: What the hell

Disagree; the problem is the penalty clauses are there - the problem is that they are so convoluted as to be uninterpretable. Or so mendacious as to make any chance of delivering successfully impossible.

The problem is that they (procurement) have no idea WHY this is.

[eamonn_gaffey]

Re: What the hell

....and it helps if you have mates in the right places :-(.

[Oh Matron!]

Not sure if this is due to....

Capita's Modus Operandi, or AISlop

Answers on self addressed envelope to...

[Aladdin Sane]

Re: Not sure if this is due to....

Why not both?

[Radgie Gadgie]

Re: Not sure if this is due to....

They don't accept white mail anymore.

[retiredFool]

Tirelessly, ok

FTS managing director Chris Clements said Capita was "working tirelessly to deliver the experience". OK Chris, we are going to have armed guards in rotation while you work tirelessly at getting this thing to work. And I mean 24x7 with guards have been told to taser you anytime you fall asleep. Best Luck.

[MachDiamond]

Re: Tirelessly, ok

"OK Chris, we are going to have armed guards in rotation while you work tirelessly at getting this thing to work."

Sounds like what publishers had to do to get Douglas Adams to (start writing) finish a book. Worked a treat too. Douglas would put off working on a book forever and then be able to crank one out in a week or two with guards looming over him.

[Pascal Monett]

"a website that works"

And a hallucinating bullshit generator is supposed to help how, exactly ?

Honestly, if any governmental service stoops down to that level to solve its problems, it's time to shut it down, erase everything and start over from scratch.

Without any "helpfull" suggestions from any management-level, government-decorated morons who think they know how things should work when they haven't worked a day in their lives.

[MachDiamond]

Re: "a website that works"

"Honestly, if any governmental service stoops down to that level to solve its problems, it's time to shut it down, erase everything and start over from scratch."

Don't forget the massive problem of scrapping the old systems before the new ones are in testing or shown to work.

[hoola]

Re: "a website that works"

I am absolutely sick of websites and self-service portals that have these utterly useless chatbots that are incapable of doing anything. Most cannot even cope with directing you to a minimum wage outsourced "human chatbot" in the Far East.

Everything is designed to make people just give up. Chat Bots always have been and always will be useless, AI is useless and will continue to be because it has been fed on a diet of utter bullshit with no sane person actually checking anything.

The only winners on this route to complete breakdown (we are not far off as it is) are execs that just spout crap to other execs and if not public sector, shareholders.

Another perfect example of just how shite a chat bot/ AI is:

I needed to update my details for BUPA as the title was completely wrong.

I could not do it on the profile page.

I spent 30 minutes going in circles because the "Virtual Assistant" was incapable of directing me to link or real person.

Then I phoned and wrestled with some automated system to try and speak to a human.

That takes me to another gripe - voice recognition phone systems that cannot understand the simplest of answers, What is your postcode "llnn nll" "sorry I did not get that", repeat several times with each response "sorry I did not get that" please try another option. The only other sodding option was to put the phone down!!!!!!

[Pascal Monett]

Let's try to see the good side

Maybe, just maybe, if the companies abusing this pseudo-AI bullshit notice that their subscriptions are falling through the floor, the board might just wonder what they need to do to keep their bonuses business to continue to make profits.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Let's try to see the good side

In all too many circumstances (like this one), the end user is captive and stuck, so "leave for another provider" isn't an option.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Let's try to see the good side

Time to go on strike perhaps ?

[ComicalEngineer]

Re: "a website that works"

One of my best friends is trying to get a pension value out of them, and has been for 3 months as he wants to retire at the end of Q1 this year.

So far he has not had any success in getting his pension details out of Crapita and no success in speaking to a human.

Several other prople in his organisation are in a similar position.

And we get the same old BS:

"Due to the significant backlog inherited from the last provider, we have experienced several times the normal volume of contacts since launch."

That plus your utter incompetence would be causing the problem

[abend0c4]

Members have been advised to delay accessing the new portal

If it couldn't cope with everyone attempting to register simultaneously when it was launched, how is it going to cope when they all register simultaneously to view their annual statements? And would it not be useful for all those personal details to be verified before those contractual documents are produced?

I know these are obvious questions, but given it's Capita...

[Acrimonius]

Re: Members have been advised to delay accessing the new portal

It's already mind-numbingly slow to load. Takes you back to the dial-up days

[Jon 37]

Re: Members have been advised to delay accessing the new portal

They know they have N pension members.

A competent engineer would want to do a load test "what happens on launch day if all N pension members log in for the first time".

Most managers would say that testing is a waste of time - "oh that won't happen, not everyone will log in at once". They won't have any evidence for that, but will be unshakable in their belief.

[StewartWhite]

If it's not Fushitsu being s***, it's Crapita being crap

"They said the volume of scheme members attempting to set up logins and view pension information ... was a contributing factor."

Exactly who do these scheme members think they are!? Trying to login and view their pension information - what do they think the site is for!? Oh wait, that's literally its purpose.

[wobball]

Re: If it's not Fushitsu being s***, it's Crapita being crap

Yes, we, the users are to blame, having been told we had to check our details with two weeks to go before bang time.

I mean, it's only your pension so why stress, eh!

Unbelievably deaf corporate tone from someone showing all the intelligence of an apprentice marketing twonk.

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: If it's not Fushitsu being s***, it's Crapita being crap

"all the intelligence of an apprentice marketing twonk"

Are you sure? An apprentice won't have had the intelligence beaten out of them yet.

[zappahey]

Re: If it's not Fushitsu being s***, it's Crapita being crap

Yes, we, the users are to blame, having been told we had to check our details with two weeks to go before bang time.

I wasn't told at all. The first I knew of it was when I tried to log on the the old system to get my payslip.

[AdamWill]

"They said the volume of scheme members attempting to set up logins and view pension information "just to check" whether their details were correct was a contributing factor. Members have been advised to delay accessing the new portal until early spring when annual statements are due, unless they have a particular issue they wish to resolve or query."

How are they supposed to know whether they have a particular issue to resolve or query if the system can't cope with them logging in to check?

[MGJ]

Incentives

So, the portal now doesnt even show my length of service and there were rumours before christmas that existing pensioners might not be paid in December. As a suggestion, when anything doesnt work and someone loses out, the compensation should come from the DG in the Cabinet Office that signed this contract off. From his salary, and later his pension. Might focus the mind somewhat.

[Excused Boots]

Re: Incentives

Excellent idea - naturally will never happen!

[Rich b]

I have applied to go partial retired and was expecting my figures to come through in December ready for me to go partial. Not received anything and will go on half pay from 1st of March. This will have a financial impact on me and my family..I know other staff who have been waiting since October. Post office scandal repeating.

[Derezed]

Apart from the lack of jailed pensioners. I think comparing a fucked up rollout to the biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history is reaching.

[Disgusted of Cheltenham]

The PO part of miscarriage has at least been recognised as such; the underlying problem with the way the law works with digital evidence is still with us, and the discrimination encouraged by this and the last government to make landlords and employers favour those with unverifiable digital credentials (their own, someone else's or made up) may turn out to have the PO as just the warm-up act. HMLR's enthusiasm for digital certificates replacing witnesses was bad enough before AI was fashionable.

As for 'jailed pensioners', colleagues facing real hardship because their pensions have not started when they should have done might not be identified as pensioners.

[JAParty]

Cheesed off

I went partial beginning of December. I put application in on time. But surprise surprise no pension payments a month on. I have called numerous times and am sick of the jazz music. I have been told my case has been escalated but no idea when I will receive payment. I have bills to pay, I'll just tell them as I've been told, you'll get it when you get it. No letter will be issued it will just arrive. But they cannot tell me when. Totally mismanaged handover. They should have been aware of those about to retire/part retire and ensure everything was set. Oor management at its worst. How can someone have given them the contact which such a poor record. If civil service departments were this badly managed people would be looking at capabilities.

Poor communication is also an issue. Not once have I been contacted, I have done all the legwork

No pension, not happy. If anyone is taking a collective action against Capita, sign me up

[Blackjack]

This should be illegal.

[Tron]

The pivot to digital is Lemming based.

Absolute proof that it has AI at its core... It's bollocks.

As with most digital government projects, they could have done it all for 10% of the cash, on paper, with people, and it would have worked better.

Maybe I'm being mean. Perhaps this is just two well-meaning entities not quite communicating.

-We want to buy a pension portal from you.

-We want to sell you a comprehensive piece of software with AI at its core.

-Er...well... it will work won't it?

-We start with the AI core. Successful functionality comes under additional features that we will bolt on at a later date in the aftermarket beta-testing phase.

[Fruit and Nutcase]

My my

My Case, MyCSP, OurCrap System

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: The pivot to digital is Lemming based.

Pension systems have been digital this last long while. Pivoting to Dunning-Kruger machines is definitely Lemming based. Fixing what wasn't broken is manglement based and as old as the hills.

[James Anderson]

Failed to deliver

They failed to deliver using 20 years old database plus web site technology which is proven and works for hundreds of organisations. So now they are trying with new unproven tech which is known to work for 0 (zero) organisations. Classic Crapita.

[Anonymous Coward]

Relax guys

We’ve put our best vibe coding AIs onto it while management and the floor staff go on a team building week*

* Not to the same location of course!

[Frank.Spencer]

Wrong figures to HMRC

My tax code has just changed because Capita posted incorrect earnings data which HMRC is treating as underpaid tax. Only Capita can sort this out. It is a basic error...they have made it appear to HMRC that I'm receiving twice the pension I actually get. I would expect better from a company of this size.

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: Wrong figures to HMRC

"I would expect better from a company of this size."

You might hope for better. You certanly shouldn't expect it.

[TheBigCheese]

Re: Wrong figures to HMRC

Yeah, I have same. Got HMIT text on NYE to say my Tax Code had changed. Logged on and found a garbled mess that derived from them now having me down as receiving TWO pension. It was basically the same pension duplicated but for some reason there was slightly different YTD figures - suddenly I'm in 4K arrears.

I noticed one pension uses my CSP pension reference and the other uses my CSP pension number (why have these bozos concocted two numbers for the same pension? I rang HMIT they were useless and frankly nasty.. their stance is my "employers" have filed two separate sources of income so I must pay what I owe. All efforts to talk sense with them were aggressively shut down.

Couldn't get through to MyCSP on phone but sent them a message.

Meanwhile, on their Portal I couldn't access any payslips or p60s yesterday and today I have a p60 history showing zero income/tax for each year??? I presume this is Capita wrangling with my record to correct it.

Why can't they put a message up online or oh their socials to advise about this issue?

[Anonymous Coward]

More importantly, the pensions themselves haven't transferred properly

My pension has been converted to a widows and dependants pension

Capita have told HMRC that I am receiving both my normal pension and the widows pension. As a result my 'new' pension is being taxed at 40% and I owe HMRC £7,000 on the original pension. I fear I won't receive any pension in January.

When I got through, after a two hour wait on the phone, the agent wasn't surprised - they'd had lots of similar calls.

[TheBigCheese]

Re: More importantly, the pensions themselves haven't transferred properly

Me too. Seems they have duplicated my pension to HMIT under two different reference numbers, one using my pension number and one using my pension reference. HMIT have put me on BR code fir one and adjusted my normal code to claw back over £4K I owe on the phantom pension.

As of today, all my p60s on the portal show zero income or tax - I presume this is Capita scrabbling about trying to unravel the mess they have put je in with HMIT.

[goodjudge]

Meet the new Crapita, same as the old Crapita

"New chatbots and ways to contact CSPS will be going live in the coming weeks. As such, if your enquiry is not urgent, we kindly ask that you wait until these go live in the New Year before contacting CSPS again."

Here's a novel idea. Why not employ real people and *train* them properly? Rather than yet more AI nonsense that doesn't and isn't able to answer the actual question you want to ask.

[Zakspade]

Clements of Capita promised "one of the biggest services in the United Kingdom with AI at its core."

Two things. 'Capita' (They ain't known as 'Crapita' for nothing) - and 'AI'

The two worst things I can think of in IT being used together.

Still, as long as those bonuses keep being paid (deadlines were met - just not with a finished or tested product), all will be happy.

[localzuk]

Another basic database system... failure

How do these providers, who's bread and butter is basic business database software, consistently manage to mess it up?

Yes, it will have various moving parts, but at its core the system is a CRM, with added data. How are they so bad at this?

And how does asking people not to call to place queries going to affect the implementation of fixes? Are the developers answering their phones?

[Blue Sky 65]

Capita should be fired!

Disgraceful service. Sign up with no info to view...phone the call centre and stuck in a queue all day 148, 76, 53, 44, yes, this is disgraceful.

Also, I'm looking to retire, I want an idea of numbers without having to give 4 months notice and basically resign, and if the figures don't add up I might get re-employed...it's a big risk! Madness!

Next March we've been told the portal might be up and running, that's too late for me!

I got through once, but they can't give me any figures. How comes other pension providers can but not my CSP!

[aaronmdjones]

"going live on time"

It is neither live (it's still broken) nor on time (it's still unfinished).

What reality distortion field are these people living in?

[Stevebrokeb]

Civil service thiefs

I applied for my pension in February 2025 I am still waiting, no explanation from myCsp, no help whatsoever from capita if anyone has any suggestions of how to get help let me know!

[manalive]

Going live on time...

The email claims the service was "the largest ever transition of a public sector pension scheme to a new administrator going live on time."

On time - debatable, going live... no. A half baked broken website is not "going live".

[Beaz126]

Registration - still unsuccessful

It took me 5 hours on hold to speak to someone yesterday and even with that we were still unable to resolve my registration issue. I am stuck on the terms and conditions page which won't let me complete my registration. Was asked to wait until the update in March!

[Anonymous Coward]

I am a Civil Servant of 37 years who partially retired on the 1st of December. I applied to retire 7 months ago. I have not received a penny in lump sum or my monthly pension payment. I have been constantly lied to by Capita and they are unable to tell me when my application will actually be processed. I am part of various discussion threads on social media, where past and current Capita employees have told me, that the IT systems that Capita use to administer the pensions were clearly not ready on the 1st of December and still do not work. Staff in their back office are apparently twiddling their thumbs as they are unable to process customers pension applications and pay them the amounts they are due. This is fraud at its highest level with the Cabinet Office as Capita 's partner in crime. Shocking!

[Stevebrokeb]

Nearly a year

I applied for my pensionin February 2025 to start in June 2025 I have received nothing. I was emailed by mycsp in August to say they were finalising my pension and I should hear from them in a few days well we are now in January 2026 and I have had no further communication from them I have contacted them by phone regularly since September and since capita have taken over things have got worse as they seem to have lost my account and are now impossible to contact by phone or via the portal or email

[Mark Ruit]

Not just Civil Servants?

For historical reasons I have four, small pension pots. All four are now paid out by a company which specialises in taking over 'closed' pension books (ie pension being paid, no more contributions). Of those four 'pots' three were with one original provider.

For the fourth pension, I receive a P60 annually as required under Regulation 67* of 'The Income Tax (Pay As You Earn) Regulations 2003'.

For the other three pensions, and apparently starting when their Crapita system went live, I have not received a P60 (in any form) for either of the last two years. All they can provide is a letter giving the figures. This is a clear breach of the Regulation.

The pension provider now has a shiny new website. When I tried to interogate that website for the P60 information for one of those three pensions, what was actually displayed was the page's raw HTML Somewhat less than helpful.

How does a company, known to fail to comply with Regulations, get goverment contracts?

Curiously, the provider recently offered to 'buy-out' those three small pensions. The offer was derisory - about 70% of what would be paid out if I were to achieve my current life expectancy (and the consequent tax bite would be worse than simply continuing). I assumed at the time that this was a cost-cutting exercise (with payouts as small as they are, the admin costs must bear heavily). But now I'm inclined to think that it might have been a way of solving their regulatory non-compliance.

*It would normaly be a "substitute" - ie not using the actual paper form available from HMRC, but a facsimile.

A P60 substitute can be hard-copy or a software file: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2682/regulation/67

[Mark Ruit]

Not just Civil Servants?

For historical reasons I have four, small pension pots. All four are now paid out by a company which specialises in taking over 'closed' pension books (ie pension being paid, no more contributions). Of those four 'pots' three were with one original provider.

For the fourth pension, I receive a P60 annually as required under Regulation 67* of 'The Income Tax (Pay As You Earn) Regulations 2003'.

For the other three pensions, and apparently starting when their Crapita system went live, I have not received a P60 (in any form) for either of the last two years. All they can provide is a letter giving the figures. This is a clear breach of the Regulation.

The pension provider now has a shiny new website. When I tried to interogate that website for the P60 information for one of those three pensions, what was actually displayed was the page's raw HTML Somewhat less than helpful.

How does a company, known to fail to comply with Regulations, get goverment contracts?

Curiously, the provider recently offered to 'buy-out' those three small pensions. The offer was derisory - about 70% of what would be paid out if I were to achieve my current life expectancy (and the consequent tax bite would be worse than simply continuing). I assumed at the time that this was a cost-cutting exercise (with payouts as small as they are, the admin costs must bear heavily). But now I'm inclined to think that it might have been a way of solving their regulatory non-compliance.

*It would normaly be a "P60 substitute" as defined in the Regulation - ie not using the actual paper form available from HMRC, but a facsimile.That facsimile can be hard-copy or a software file:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2682/regulation/67

[JulesL]

Unpaid pension payout

In June 2025, I followed all required procedures to claim my pension, which was due to be paid on 31 December 2025. This was formally confirmed by the provider in September 2025. However, the payment date has passed, no funds have been received, and my pension portal now shows no record of the pension.

For the past three months, I have made every reasonable effort to contact the provider:

• I have sent emails and portal messages since October 2025; all have been ignored.

• I have spent hours on hold on numerous occasions. I have repeatedly moved from high positions in the queue (e.g., 66) down to the final few (e.g., 6), only to be cut off.

I managed to get through on 7/1/26 but it filled me with more worry than before , as the information they could give was useless . Essentially they stated that since they transferred providers user data has yet to transfer across and they can’t see the payment. All she could do was escalate it to a manager . She could not give me any more information or a time line for resolution.

I gave notice in a well paid job once my pension was confirmed it would be paid on 31st Dec (due to my health -lymphoma) with a view that I would be ok managing on my pension. I worked my last day in employment but now I’ve now got no income coming in. I could still have been at work!

[wolfie882]

I have tried contatcting the CSPS helpline several times - no joy. Last time I tried I was told by the auto message that I was 100th in the queue!

Tried clicking on the Recover Password link on the new portal, and it opened a screen which asked me to enter the password "associated with your Comet account"

Comet!!! Is this the same Comet as the electrical retailer that collapsed 14 years ago!??