Aware Super (page 4 of 7)

I have found First State Super to be stuck in the past, beurecratic no customer service. They are not competitive and have a very antiquated way of doing business. They recently took a premium of over $400 out of my account with out my permission despite not having any insurance. I have contacted them on a number of times and could not even talk to a manager. I would definately look elsewhere when considering First State Super. They are fine if you dont have to contact them when they make a mistake they are very slow to fi
x it. I am still awaiting my refund.

I had a query about the contribution tax in my transaction history. The FFS staff were quick to respond and gave me information that was accurate. I am also satisfied with the way my superfund is performing, knowing the volatility in today’s markets. My super has rebounded quite well since late last year.

Keep up the good work FSS

Been with the fund for 50 years! They refuse to acknowledge I was charged fees for no service and all they are concerned about is avoiding any responsibility and compensation (the critical point I have continued to impress upon them is that I was never told I was being charged for the services I continually declined). They have absolutely no reciprocal loyalty for their clients and do not address personal issues. I would be interested to know how many of the 40000 odd clients they are assessing get compensation and what their circumstances were...

Took a year to receive payment of a death benefit.... sent details 6 times and they claimed to have not received them.

Completely unfair as we had funeral expenses to pay and are now completely out of pocket due to incompetent administration and inefficient handling of a claim.

Still waiting on payment despite it all being approved etc.

I did casual work and had not choice but to put my super into a First State Super account. The super amount was $43.57. Although it is not a lot of super, it was taken by First State Super due to their stealthy opt out insurance policy. Because I did not know I had to opt out of their imposed insurance. I lost all my super.

$43.57 into super fund 31/07/2017
$0.29 interest earned
$6.54 - tax
$5.63 (Direct fee (net of tax) Not sure what this fee is for.
$31.69 Insurance premium I never asked for. My life and permanent disability insurance is with my main super fund. Who in their right mind puts a $31.69 insurance fee on $43???

Balance at 29/1/2018 $0.00

I have two super accounts because different funds offer different investment options. First State had a good performing property choice. My other fund has an excellent infrastructure choice but not a good performing property one. I wanted to combine the two but First State does not have a dedicated infrastructure choice. In fact their individual choice of investments are quite limited compared to other funds. Not only that, they only allow one free change of investments a financial year, after which changes incur a $50 fee. They have not kept u...

I joined FSS's based on historical returns and the low fee. I was not looking for 10-11% "high growth" returns but a stable and secure investment and therefore opted for "balanced growth". Over the last one and a half year my net returns [(current balance)/(employer contribution - contribution tax)] were 2.7%. I could have got 2.8% with ING's Saving Maximiser account. I am disappointed and moving to another super fund.

Disappointing results on the growth fund June - Dec 2018 resulting in about 4% loss + inflation rate of near 2%... surely no CEO xmas bonuses went out this year. I've been with FSS, my employer default fund for 12 years and salary sacrificing for the past 5 years. With these results I think I should consider other options.

Something smells.
My account has been losing money very rapidly.
$4000 in the last 3 weeks.
The last 6 months lost approx $9000

It is like getting blood from a stone when trying to get information.

The person i spoke to on the phone indicated it was bad investments.
Really!
I hope whoever is making the investment choices is looking for a new job. ...

My husband and I have been with StatePlus since 2014. Our financial adviser left and we were not told by Canberra Office. This office used to be responsive but since the move to Nishi it is very difficult to get anything out of them, let alone a return phone call. Both my husband and I have left messages for contact with no results. We are both considering moving our money out of this fund to a more customer-focussed fund that has better returns and lower fees.

I first sent my application for release of my super on compassionate grounds in on the 22nd of October. Evidently, once my application reached your offices it sat on someone's desk for FIVE DAYS before someone even bothered to contact me and tell me I needed to provide further identification prior to my application being processed (I had in fact already provided the ID it just wasn't certified for the love of god).
This was on the 31st of October which I sent in that day using priority post.
It is now the 14th of November and I am yet to rec...

Am a new member and find the returns to be very poor and my fund is decreasing despite being assured that as a retiree drawing a monthly pension, my funds are in safe portfolios. I get the impression that the fund managers are not managing the funds well and hence their investments are risky. I am disappointed having them manage my super.

Letter received saying my account has been closed and they would like me back. I have not closed and had consolidated 2 other fund accounts with them at the beginning of the year.
I feel physically ill.
Stolen IP Fees of ~ $3,000, offered $300 in return....still waiting....

Been in Allocated Pension (Balanced) for many years, paying for financial advice that I didn't really need. Now moved to the Fixed Income Plan product which includes billable financial advice (ie: if no advice, no fee). Returns are lower than Australian Super (7% / 12%), but exposure to risk would be lower. Admin performance lets them down.

Very disappointed with high fees and lousy returns. Much information in my view withheld particularly in relation to what was laid bare by Royal Commission.

I was with this super fund for nearly 30 years and came out of it recently with less than impressive funds. I have since rolled the sum into another fund associated with a new job so hopefully things might build. You expect ups and downs with the markets etc but you rely on the fund manager (with experienced finance people) to make the appropriate investment choices and changes continuously over time for the strategy they have recommended for your age etc. One of the most frustrating and I think wrong actions is when superfunds automatically ta...

As superannuation is confusing to even the most academic person, the laws do change every financial year. My experience with dealing with First State Super has been really efficient. I found the website and online account option really helpful and user friendly. Each superannuation company will vary from another though. It is worthwhile to take the time to research the site to find the answers you are looking for,

With telephone calls with First State, the staff have always been very kind and professional. And unlike others, they do ask...

Still in my email inbox sits the email of 10 September 2018 stating that I should disregard all previous mentions of my 2017-18 annual statement and that it would be ready shortly. Nothing has happened. Every two weeks I ring the 1800 number to a call centre which seems to be fielding queries from all sorts of funds, each time to be told it will be ready shortly. Anyone joining this fund nowadays must be nuts!!! Warn your heirs and successors, fellow retirees. It was good as State Super Financial Services, seems shonkier by the week ever since as we are merged and acquired and are told the new logo/service/location/login/website are all "exciting".

I deposited a rather large personal contribution after confirming with FSS that the amount will be allocated to the super account on a particular date. The amount did not arrive on the date they promised and that resulted in a loss of $2300 to us. FSS repeatedly refused to honour their promise that led us to deposit the money in the first place and told us to screw off. We told them we had 25 week old premature twins that need attention after having lost a child before that and no empathy at all. Clear cut intention of rip off and stealing. Fin...

I have been with FSS for over 10 years and found them good, but loging into my account is impossible. When you log in on your site a message comes up saying Um.. This isn't super. Please help.

If you like to waste your money and your time this is the answer ( First state super).I have been with them for 3 years now, horrible experience with their service team, sneaky and nasty and refused to pay my money back. Best thing they do is ignoring you enquiries and they are masters in deception. I will get heart attack soon because of them.

I have exactly the same experience. FSS created a duplicate account in my married name when I got married. They did so without my consent and without any documentation. I have been unable to combine the accounts over 14 years while they have merrily charged me double fees. Every time I have tried there has been a problem. I am currently trying to do it again and transfer the balance elsewhere. They tell me they will not consider the refund of fees if I close the account. I have been trying to do so for over 1 month. Despite giving them m...

Can't understand all the negative feedback around customer service. I have always found FSS representatives to be courteous and prompt. No complaints over the past 10 years what so ever.

Ive had FSS for several decades as a legacy of what was forced on me for government work.

Since 2012 I have been in a horrible cycle of enquires attempts with a 2 week turn around to get a standard form letter automatically generated eMail back all of which list all these things available to me if I only ask, and ignoring that yes I have actually asked can you please answer. Lots and lots of long winded information, nothing informative!!!

This has ranged from trying to nominate beneficiaries that they reject. Ive also been trying to fin...

Hi have a FSS fund due to working as a police officer, I have made a claim for TPD as per the insurance offered via FSS, I have been told even though they took money out of my fund for coverage, that TAL life claim I am not covered by them, and MetLife claim I am not covered by them, the two insurers involved with FSS. FSS claimed they were going to sort it out within 6-8 weeks or the matter goes to tribunal. It has been over three months, the case manager [name removed] doesn't respond to emails, and I haven't heard anything from FSS. So where...