Pension pot dippers not shopping around under new freedoms

A Citizens Advice report found that a quarter of consumers (24 per cent) who stayed with their pension provider did so because they thought the product they were offered delivered the best value - despite not looking at options with other providers.

The national charity is warning that if consumers do not look at a range of different pension products they may end up with a poor value product which does not meet their needs.

Based on a survey of over 500 people who have accessed their pension since the freedoms were introduced, the report reveals the reasons why people are choosing to stay with their existing provider:

Consumers who buy annuities are more likely to shop around with over half (57 per cent) checking products with other providers. This compares to two in five (39 per cent) who bought a drawdown product and just 14 per cent for those taking cash. Citizens Advice is calling on the government to create a tool for consumers to compare pension drawdown products in the one place, similar to the one which exists for annuities.

The new report ‘Drawing a pension’ is also based on in-depth interviews with people who have used the new pension freedoms, and finds some consumers aren’t shopping around because they are worried they will be hit with excessive fees if they move away from their current provider.

A 68 year old woman who was interviewed for the research said she checked her pension after divorcing from her husband as she wanted to check whether she had enough savings to support herself. She found out her pension had significantly dropped in value because her provider had moved it into a higher risk investment. Despite the negative experience, when the woman came to making a decision she stayed with her provider because she thought switching would incur larger fees than staying put.

The new Citizens Advice analysis reveals up to 160,000 people have paid fees when accessing their pension since the freedoms were introduced. Those with smaller pots are the group which has been hit the hardest, as people who have pensions of £20,000 or less who have faced fees are paying an average of £1,966. For some consumers this can mean they have lost 10% of their retirement savings to charges levied by providers.

While the FCA has recently proposed to cap exit fees for current pension schemes at 1 per cent of a person’s pot value, Citizens Advice believes this cap is too high and is calling for a standard £50 charge to cover provider’s administration costs.

Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice said: “Picking a pension product is one of the biggest financial decisions people will ever make, so it’s worrying that so many aren’t shopping around.

“More and more consumers are choosing drawdown products but our research shows they aren’t checking whether they’re getting the best deal. The Government and industry needs to work together to make it easier for consumers to compare drawdown products and choose the one which best meets their needs.

“The threat of excessive charges can also put people off making the right pension choices for them. A standard £50 exit fee across all types of pensions will mean consumers can make the most of the pension freedoms.”