Old Mutual faces backlash despite apology

Despite issuing an apology on Tuesday, Old Mutual’s efforts to explain why it had not paid a
customer their pension have been met with public outrage and scepticism.

This follows the company’s public relations crisis after Sebabatso Molefi accused the
company of defying a court order to pay her mother’s pension. Since the allegations
surfaced on social media, Old Mutual has received backlash from the public.

Molefi’s post opened up a wave of other people sharing negative experiences with Old
Mutual. According to Molefi, she and her mother’s lawyers met with the company on
Tuesday to discuss payment options. “The meeting was positive. Old Mutual tabled two
options towards a full and final settlement of the matter,” she said.

Old Mutual released a statement of apology “for the way the issue was handled”. The
company acknowledged the positive outcome after meeting the Molefi family but stated “Old
Mutual’s reluctance to engage and debate on X stems from the complexities of the case and
our duty to protect personal information.”

“The sheer number of customers that have voiced their unhappiness on X with regards to
our levels of service is of huge concern to us. We apologise unreservedly to all customers
who have been unhappy with the service we have provided and we are continuously looking
at ways to improve this,” the company stated.

Despite the apology, many customers have voiced scepticism online about Old Mutual’s
commitments to improve customer service based on previous negative experiences with the
insurance giant.