The insurer Phoenix Life is indifferent to the fate of my elderly aunt

I hold power of attorney for my elderly widowed aunt, whose poor health forced her into long-term nursing care. In 2001, she and her husband paid £100,000 into a long-term care bond with Phoenix Life for exactly this eventuality. Last November, I tried to initiate a claim to fund his care, but so far have been unsuccessful. Frustrated, I contacted an attorney who wrote to Phoenix on my behalf and eventually managed, with difficulty, to file a lawsuit in March. It was not processed, the application was not processed, and my aunt's financial situation became critical. Documents were requested on several occasions although they were sent by registered post, there is no direct email to contact the company and the complaints department provided a telephone number which does not is not available. The process is so obtuse that I don't know how an elderly person could manage to make a claim and meanwhile my aunt's money is running out.LM, Lisburn, Ulster

This is a devastating situation for you and your aunt, who have taken so much care to provide for her old age needs, and Phoenix's indifference to her fate is to be cut the breath. The timeline you've compiled makes for dismal reading. Your numerous phone calls seeking updates were put on hold for 30 minutes straight, and you were repeatedly directed to a new number and forced to start the hold again.

When the company did not register your power of attorney document, you were advised to search Google for a webpage where you could register it online - a service that is actually not not available in Northern Ireland. Phoenix gave itself up to eight weeks to respond to your attorney's complaint and then failed to respond at all. He only seemed to acknowledge that an 89-year-old invalid might find himself unable to pay for treatment after my intervention.

He said: "This case fell well in below standards we expect and we are deeply sorry for the obvious frustration and upheaval this has caused, particularly given the client's situation which we fully recognize will have caused further worry and concern." /p>

He has now retrospectively paid the sum due for the past eight months and your aunt will continue to receive just over £1300 a month for her care. an additional £500 to reflect the distress caused by his incompetence, and £150 in late payment interest, and offered to reimburse your legal costs so that neither you nor your aunt would be left behind.

Send an email to your.problems@observer.co.uk. Include an address and phone number. Submission and publication are subject to our terms and conditions.