Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Empower Retirement's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Empower Retirement

  8515 E Orchard Rd Greenwood Village, CO 80111-5002

• 

  Empower Retirement

  11500 Outlook St Overland Park, KS 66211-1804

• 

  Empower Retirement

  7 Shattuck Rd # C-20-C Andover, MA 01810

• 

  Empower Retirement

  PO Box 1700 Denver, CO 80201-1700

• 

  Empower Retirement

  333 Willoughby Ave Juneau, AK 99801-1770

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/23/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hello,Ive been trying to get my pension paid out from Empower for going on 2 months. They keep giving me the run around and telling me different answers.I was told I was going to get my pension paid out on 8/1/24.Then I was told it was going to get paid on 8/9/24.Then I was told it was told it was going to be paid out on 8/23/24. (I actually have an email of this one.)Today is 8/23/24 and i was not paid out. I was told by one agent I should have it this afternoon. Afternoon came and I called back and the agent said I have to wait 3 more weeks and Ill get it in 9/13/24.They keep giving me wrong answers and wont let me speak to a supervisor.I need my money now!!! This has been a terrible experience.I also escalated this with my previous employer via HR today and theyre going to be looking into this as well. Please help because I need my money!They have my direct deposit information. I dont know why they wont just deposit my money. This company seems like a scam and they dont care about the members.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/30/2024

  Thank you for bringing BBB Complaint #******** dated August 24, 2024, to our attention. Upon conducting a thorough review of the situation, we responded directly to the customer in our letter dated August 29, 2024. While we are unable to share the details of this response with the BBB due to privacy concerns, the customer may share this response with the ******************** at their discretion. We again appreciate you bringing this matter to us for review.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Empower

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/21/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been trying to roll over my retirement account from ********************** to Fidelity for the last 8 weeks.Empower has been a complete customer service disaster. Each time I call I get a different person. Each person gives me a different reason they have not completed the transfer. No one seems to know anything. All the necessary forms have been completed. I have spent about 20 hours on the phone at this point. My investment advisor has been on the phone with them (and me) as well, with no success.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/04/2024

  Thank you for bringing Better Business Bureau Complaint # ******** to our attention. Upon conducting a thorough review of the situation, we responded directly to the customer in our letter dated September 4, 2024. While we are unable to share the details of this response with the BBB due to privacy concerns, the customer may share this response with the ******************** at their discretion. We again appreciate you bringing this matter to us for review. 
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/11/2024

   
  Complaint: 22174861
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  While it is true that the *** rollover and transfer has taken place, my complaint is with the customer service and the lack of knowledge/training they have.  My complaint is to help the company be more customer friendly / helpful / useful.

  The seemingly outsourced customer service agent one reaches when calling has the following issues:

  No idea what the problem is or how to diagnose the problem.

  Unwilling to transfer to someone who might be able to help (from their actions it seems that is a negative **** on the employee if they transfer).

  If I ever do get someone knowledgable, they say they will fix the problem but are unable to email me and are unable to give me a direct line or any means of reaching them...I must call the general number that gets me to the outsourced agents.

  I sent ***** hours over multiple calls in the same loop of non-support.

  If I had planned to stay with empower, this alone would have convinced me to leave.

  And lastly, the hold music is three times as loud as the phone call.  At the least you could fix this...that should be easy.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/19/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My mother passed July 2023. The case with her retirement account was handed to the children in Jan 2024. It is now August, and they continue to put us off: tell us to call back in a week, keeping us on hold for an hour and they hung-up on me today; after talking with a representative, I was placed on hold. After 5 minutes, a message came on "Thank you for calling Empower. Goodbye." I'm not sure why they won't distribute the account funds, but it is obvious they are stalling.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/20/2024

  Hello. We apologize for the issues you have encountered.Unfortunately, we are unable to assist with resolving the issue as we cannot locate an account using the information provided.  If you still require assistance, please provide us with the full name of the original account owner and the name of the employer associated with the account. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/18/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Beginning in June of 2024, I noticed an undisclosed amount of fees that were applied to my 401k retirement account. The fees totaled $356.10 as "auto debited plan fees".I reached out to both Empower support and my plan sponsor (former employer) about the issue to understand these fees and why they were applied despite having no notice of them and no terms and conditions that speak to these fees. I have been with Empower since 1/1/24 when my former employer migrated my retirement account to their platform with zero changes applied to my contributions and elections. Over 30 days have passed since I discovered this issue and Empower have yet to refund my fees, despite my escalation of the issue and their team confirming that they are working on a plan to reverse them. Within the attached email chain, you can also notice a private response from the HR department of my plan sponsor (*******) who states that the Empower team may have unjustly applied these fees to my account due to an alleged overdue bill to the sponsor. This would not only be questionable, but potentially illegal.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/29/2024

  Thank you for bringing BBB Complaint # ******** dated August 18, 2024, to our attention. In order to protect the privacy of our account holders, we will research the situation and will respond to the customer directly in writing. We again appreciate you bringing this matter to us for review.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/29/2024

   
  Complaint: 22159915
  
  I am rejecting this response because I have not heard any update in writing or via phone from the business since Tuesday August 13th 2024 and my issue is still unresolved. I have tried calling and the customer service department told me that they are not authorized to provide me with the answers to my questions, despite being a customer.

  Sincerely,

  *********************

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2024

  Thank you for bringing this again to our attention.  We have contacted the customer, and the issue is now resolved.  Due to security, we are unable to provide specific account details.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/26/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/16/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I requested to close out my account and cash in my pension on 7/11/2024 and still have not received the packet to do so. They are holding close to $6000 of my funds that I need and I cannot speak to an agent in the ***, except for *******, I have tried to reach her back and continue to get told they can't transfer me or get a message to her. I have asked to speak with a Supervisor and have been told that they cannot let me speak to one either. I need my funds and I the run around needs to stop!

  Business Response

  Date: 08/26/2024

  Thank you for bringing BBB Complaint #******** dated August 16, 2024, to our attention. We are conducting a thorough review of the issue and will provide the customer with a written response once our review is concluded. While we are unable to share the details of this response with the BBB due to privacy concerns, the customer may share this response with the ******************** at their discretion. We again appreciate you bringing this matter to us for review.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Empower

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/15/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I requested my funds in November 2023, again in February 2024 have not received them. I contact them and they keep telling me I will receive in three to five business days. Contacted again on August 5, 2024. The representative assured me I will receive my money. He gives me a reference number and or ticket number. I call back on August 15, 2024 and the representative tells me the ticket was closed and he doesnt know why. Gives me another reference number and tells me it could take another 5 days. Every time I contact Empower they tell me their management team is looking at it but wont tell me what the hold up is in getting my money. I just want the funds in my account, I no longer work at the place that had my retirement funds. Empower is holding my funds and I keep getting the run around.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/29/2024

  Thank you for bringing Better Business Bureau Complaint # ******** to our attention. Upon conducting a thorough review of the situation, we responded directly to the customer in our letter dated August 29, 2024. While we are unable to share the details of this response with the BBB due to privacy concerns, the customer may share this response with the ******************** at their discretion. We again appreciate you bringing this matter to us for review. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/14/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have a 403b retirement plan with Empower. I have recently switched employment and have been trying to get Empower to release my funds so that I can open an IRA ******** Unfortunately, theyve been giving me the run around for 4 months. The first issue was they couldnt find my account and said that my address was listed. The problem with that was they have been sending detailed itemized fund performance documentation quarterly. So after a month of me giving them my plan and contract number, they finally found my ******** Then they said the reason it was difficult to find was because my birthdate was incorrect on the form. I sent over the paperwork for the change and a copy of my state ID through next day mail. I asked if this was the only thing wrong with my account and they answered yes; and it would take 3-5 business days to process and have my check sent.After 3 weeks of waiting, I finally called back only to be told that my social security number on the form was incorrect and thats why they were still having an issue with sending a check. This seemed strange to me because what SS# were they comparing it too? But Mentally exhausted, I went ahead and faxed a copy of my #SS card on two separated occasions because they said they couldnt see all the numbers. Again I waited a couple of weeks only to be told that I needed to direct mail it. After another week, I called to check the status and now they are saying that I didnt put my name on the form. I took pictures of the form and my name, date and #SS number is on all the forms. I told her I can email the form as proof. She told me they dont have an email to send it to; I cant text it or scan a copy. They dont have a brick and mortar building so I cant come in and drop off the paperwork.My only recourse is to fax it (just so they can tell me they cant see it) or overnight it again, Just to have them tell me that something else is wrong). They are giving me the runaround

  Business Response

  Date: 08/28/2024

  Thank you for bringing Better Business Bureau Complaint # ******** to our attention. Upon conducting a thorough review of the situation, we responded directly to the customer in our letter dated August 28, 2024. While we are unable to share the details of this response with the BBB due to privacy concerns, the customer may share this response with the ******************** at their discretion. We again appreciate you bringing this matter to us for review. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/12/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My Mother passed away a year ago DOD 8-10-23. I am 1 of 4 beneficiaries. I have compleated all the forms and sent in my birth cirtificate and copies of all my personal information and the company refuses to pay out my portion of the Death Benefit. Everytime I call they ask for more information I send it and when I call they tell me that the other beneficiaries must complete their information before they can pay out my portion. This is wrong since when I call they have already told me . I would be paid out once my paper work is completed and sent in . I have done that . I need help in collecting my benefit form my mothers estate. Please help. My Mothers name is ******************************* DOB 2-10-29. This company is playing games and is refusing to pay out a death benefit. I am entitle to. Thank you for your help in this matter. ***************************

  Business Response

  Date: 08/21/2024

  Thank you for bringing BBB Complaint #********,dated August 12, 2024, to our attention. Upon conducting a thorough review of the situation, we responded directly to the customer in our letter dated August 21, 2024. While we are unable to share the details of this response with the BBB due to privacy concerns, the customer may share this response with the ******************** at their discretion. We again appreciate you bringing this matter to us for review.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Empower

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/27/2024

   
  Complaint: 22128460
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  I was on a bank call with my bank representative as my account manager. And I was there when he asked specifically if I provided the information requested that the distribution of the funds would be released to each of the beneficiaries. And we were told YES.!! I didnt have to wait for other beneficiaries to provide their information or ID for distribution of the funds. Now a year later I have fulfilled my obligations to the estate of my mother the story has changed. If funds are not released to me within 30 days. I will be retaining the services of an estate attorney to sue EMPOWER . Not only for attorney fees but also court costs and any other costs associated with the release of funds from my mothera estate. Lets stop with this nonsense and pay out the funds to the beneficiaries of this estate.

  Sincerely,
  ***************************

  Business Response

  Date: 09/16/2024

  Thank you for bringing the customers additional concerns to our attention. Empower provided our response to the complaint on August 21, 2024, providing the reason for the delayed distribution of the original account holders assets.
  
  While we are unable to provide the full details here,in brief: As a directed recordkeeper and not the fiduciary of the retirement plan (the Plan), Empower must follow all of the Plans established guidelines and all direction from the Plans sponsor/fiduciary. As the Plans current guidelines require all beneficiaries provide the needed information to establish their beneficiary accounts before any beneficiary accounts are established, we must wait for the final beneficiary to provided the necessary documentation before the original account holders account can be segregated. This is to ensure that each beneficiary receives the correct award amount before the original account is divided and prevent further disputes regarding the award amounts.
  
  Following Mr. ******* original complaint,Empower contacted the remaining beneficiary who had not yet provided the required documentation, who confirmed they were aware of the requirement and were actively attempting to obtain those documents in order to submit them.Once those documents are received, the account will be divided amongst all beneficiaries as soon as administratively feasible.
  
  While we regret the inconvenience **************** has experienced, there is no further action we can take at this time.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Empower

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/12/2024

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On multiple occasions, your website and team have failed to update and correct my login info to return the correct value for my username. After going through the process of entering all the necessary information to reset password, your website continues to spit back that my username is my SS# which is incorrect. Your team was supposed to remove an old account and stop the username being sent back as my SS#. I am fed up with this and am worried my SS# is floating out there for others to use. I am seeking a monetary amount to cover damages that can come from identity theft.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/16/2024

  Thank you for bringing BBB Complaint # ******** dated 8/12/2024 to our attention. In order to protect the privacy of our account holders, we will research the situation and will respond directly to Mr. ********* We again appreciate you bringing this matter to us for review. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/09/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This retirement company is who my employer uses. I was not told if I didn't contact them to cancel any contributions, this c*** company would still be authorized to take money out of my paychecks WITHOUT A SIGNITURE! I called Empower on July 24th, 2024 to cancel my account for good. I was told there wouldn't be any more money taken from my paychecks. The very next paycheck they took money and the recent one pending on 8/13/24!!! The person I just spoke to said they do not have record of who I spoke with although the conversations are recorded?? She then said she'd transfer me to someone to possibly get my money back. I was conveniently disconnected!! Approximately $86 dollars was taken from my money WITHOUT MY SIGNATURE AND CONSENT!! THAT'S ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/23/2024

  Thank you for bringing Better Business Bureau Complaint # ******** to our attention. Upon conducting a thorough review of the situation, we responded directly to the customer in our letter dated August 23, 2024. While we are unable to share the details of this response with the BBB due to privacy concerns, the customer may share this response with the ******************** at their discretion. We again appreciate you bringing this matter to us for review.