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Like many UK citizens living in South Africa around 2009/10 I was persuaded by DeVere SA (Tim Sant) to transfer my UK pension funds into an off-shore QROPS account. A significant portion of this was deposited into the now defunct Strategic Growth Fund. I am still paying fees as if the fund is still growing, which, as the fees are far more than the residual growth, will ultimately deplete the total value of my investment.

I have read various press articles about the SG fund fraud and dodgy dealings of DeVere executives in South Africa, and now read that, unsurprisingly, there are no recoverable assets from the Fund. To be honest I would like just to draw what little I have left in the two remaining small QROPS deposits.

My contact at DeVere in South Africa was Richard Pretorius, who no longer replies to emails. I spoke to Nathan Lennox at DeVere UK who was very helpful and explained the details of the issue around the SG fund, but which in effect was 'your f**cked!' It was not worth his while to deal with such a relatively small investment.

I will try to contact the Sovereign Trust in Guernsey directly, where my funds are managed, but not being in any way financially savvy, it would be nice if DeVere were to offer some final assistance for an unhappy former customer in order to close this sorry affair. Ian James

How can the Ombudsman sleep at night when he allows the Devere group to carry on trading? T.W.M.

In 2010, my wife and I received a request from the DeVere representative handling the account to switch a significant part of the mutual funds we had to a group of new funds. This included allocating a quarter of the proceeds to the Strategic Growth Fund.

Three years later, came the debacle which over the last 4 years became a disaster, as it is now almost sure that we have no chance of money recovery. Therefore, under the advice of DeVere, we lost at least a quarter of our savings.

We have contacted DeVere officially, and their response has been simply shocking, denying first any involvement from DeVere, and when confronted with the facts, recommending to seek legal advice !!!

I was lied to by the Devere rep that signed me up. I've lost a lot of money (for me) based on their advice in a fund that was "frozen" for a number of years but my fees still continued.

I've now reached the 8 year point which gives me the right to get out and I've spent 3+ months getting the run around from a Callum Gracie on what was needed to close the account. I've sent in form after form. Waited for undue time for responses. Then told more forms were needed.

Two weeks ago I asked him to clearly and specifically tell me what forms were needed for a currier to pick up. He sent a list and the currier picked them up as arranged.

Today I receive a list of additional forms that are needed. They are either scamming me or highly incompetent.

I have had an uphill battle with this company without any light at the end of the tunnel. My investment advisor has provided absolutely no advice, my investments have depreciated by over 50% over a period of 10 years and the only solution is to withdraw the funds and take the loss.

Unfortunately the small print says that the funds will only be released once the investments have been sold. So for the next 10 years or so, the management fees and commissions will be paid until I suppose the investment ceases to exist. They should be strung up and shot for manoeuvring behind the smoke and mirrors of their marketing lies. I have subsequently been told that my financial advisor was thrown out of Qatar and the UAE, imprisoned in Oman and has left the company.

Through other avenues, I discovered that he still works for the same company but behind a connect "separate" entity. Perhaps all the people that have been fleeced by this company should pay a personal visit to their offices.

In response to your email enquiring if DeVere have contacted me

De Vere have never contacted ......me other that to sell more investments and the caller seemed to think I had taken 37,000 out of the account rather that the real 21,000 of which 15800 was A pcls

There has never been any contact prior to my complaint

I cannot withdraw any more ( over 5 quarters since last payment because the agent set the payment too high and the account will implode if I withdraw any more ) from the pension. one agent called to sell a qrops to my wife and in response to my problems said this is too complicated. ( email ) I have emails showing that the agent was aware that I wanted a PCLS but somehow the trustee did not get the instruction

The docs sent to my wife show a fact find doc making 2,version one official and not seen before August 2018) and signed by me and one hand written and not seen by me prior to 22 august 2017 De Vere have chosen to use the hand written one to reject my complaint and have ignored all the other entries on the hand written version

De Vere say there has been considerable contact from themselves, if so my letter box and telephone line must be as broken as DE Vere . The one call I have had was to sell more and he thought I had withdrawn 37k , Now I have found my wife (who also is a big loser to DV but offered £500 in respect of possible a 4k loss and which she refused) has been sent confidential documents ref my qrops .

my comments about compliance 30 day cooling off commenced 8th mar but I was supposedly sent it on the 29th mar and there is so much more, it has taken me a long time but I have dug out the emails from the advisor.

question ?

would any savvy investor take on a fund with 5% initial charge and 3.07% annual charges had they known about them I don't think so ! a letter from the advisor says he didn't know of the charges so how then could he have declared them?

I had as many as 6 advisors and each of them does not recognise the mistakes made by the prvios one.

The customers compliance office in itself dos tel lies, claiming that my pension investment was in profit when in fact it was in a large loss and suspended but deVere is still in denial.

Come on DeVere owe up to your responsibilities and not just give boastful answers

My husband and I purchased a Generali "Vision Plan" #9403**** in Abu Dhabi through Devere Group, in July 2013. We are Americans who were both consulting in the UAE at the time.

For the past 9 weeks (starting on 5/21/18), we have been trying to cash out our policy, having been fully paid in all fees and having an account in good standing. Devere Group and Generali REFUSE to release the the full surrender value of our plan, despite us following every ridiculous instruction.

The Devere Acuma group in Abu Dhabi (evalyn.gomez@***e-acuma.com and jason.ambayec@***e-group.com

Tel: +971 * 509 ****, Mobile:+971 52 9** **39) required an ENORMOUS amount of forms and documentation, all originals with original signatures, to be couriered to Abu Dhabi. Evalyn and Jason received the documents, confirmed that the documents were all correct, and stated that they will forward the documents to Generali in Ireland. Then the Ireland HQs REFUSED to speak to us.

They received the documents and claimed that they were not the right documents. They (Thomas at international number 00253906****) further claimed that the plan we clearly have is illegal to purchase in the UAE. Therefore Devere broke the law selling it to us despite accepting our $3600US monthly payments for nearly 4 years. Thomas further stated that "he doesn't care what we were told." I think that is a side scam, b/c they are still asking for a completely different set of documents such as an original active lease, original utility bill, drivers' license, and a certified copy of my husband's passport...ALL TO PROVE OUR ADDRESS is what Thomas said.

I have DOZENS of emails to prove our experience with Generali and Devere. We are initiating a lawsuit against Generali and Devere for refusing to release the full surrender value of our policy.

qrops de vere did not declare the biggest fees and the advisor by his own admission did not know of the spreads , initial fees that The trustee applied . the 30 day cooling off period in reality was 9 days had it been sent. In reality it was sent by email 60 days after the 30 day cooling off period expired. in addition the De Vere advisor falsified my signature no less than 3 times.

De Vere response to that statement was that a international handwriting expert was required

Total loss 11,000 in 30 months, compliance seemed not existent

Nor was the DE VERE advisor truly independent in that he had only high charging funds to choose from

Over the years, I have noticed that they come in waves - Continuous cold contact from people in different European offices in deVere group. Mail, LinkedIn and phone calls in double digit numbers per day.

Persistent contact that does not take notice that that one is simply not interested in their services, nor a long winded discussion as to why.

Such persistence implies that the company's interests are based on a deal and not my personal well being.

Having never once provided my contact details to deVere, having changed phone number to avoid cold calls, and not having ever consented to deVere calling me, I would like to know how one can arrange to have one's contact details definitively removed from the groups numerous databases.

A simple question to which one hopes to receive a simple, timely and concise response.

To head off the standard, one is tired of being told to "tell the person calling to place you on the DNC list". The person calling has zero interest and my interest is to not be on any list in deVere, yet alone an ignored "do not call" list.

Colin Kneale, a senior partner with deVere Group (Geneva) called me in August 2010, telling me he understood I was a British citizen now resident in Switzerland.

He asked whether I had pension savings back in the UK and, if so, with how many different institutions. I confirmed that I did, and explained these funds were spread across four different funds.

He then told me that I could benefit from the QROPS programme, established by law in the UK in 2006, which allowed UK citizens no longer resident in the UK to move their pension savings into offshore accounts that met specific criteria. He explained that by doing this, I could consolidate those various savings into a single account, making things easier to manage and make my money “work harder”.

I agreed to meet him to discuss.

At that meeting, he asked me to provide details of my UK pension accounts and to sign a letter authorising him to act on my behalf. I did this.

A few months later, he told me that my UK pension funds had been consolidated and had a total value of £154,947.

He then asked what level of risk I was willing to take with those funds and I explained, several times, that as these were my pension savings, my appetite for risk was very low.

Colin recommended a plan with Providence Capital, the trustees of which were Sovereign Trust Limited. He assured me this investment was low risk, ideal for pensions as it would ensure the funds kept pace with inflation. The fund was established in February 2011. Of the £154,947, Providence Capital invested £153,197 in a bond with Royal Skandia International and deducted £1,750 for first year Trustee fees.

Royal Skandia subsequently invested those funds in Four Elements Strategic Growth Plus securities.

In March 2012 I received a valuation of the fund for year end 2011 which showed a slight decline to £145,684. At the end of 2012, the fund had reduced to £134,130 . At the end of 2013, the valuation was £109,087. At no time did anyone from deVere advise me to move my funds elsewhere. By the time I received the 2013 statement and sought to do so, I was told the account had been frozen. Today, it appears there is virtually no hope of recovering any of my savings.

Given that (a) this entire event was prompted by an unsolicited call from a deVere agent, (b) I gave specific instruction that the investment vehicle for my pension savings be low risk and (c) at no time did deVere advise me to move the fund's elsewhere (advice that was offered to other clients), I believe deVere has failed in its duty of care. I would therefore ask the company to restore my pension fund to its start value, as defined in the annual valuation certificate I receive from Sovereign Trust.

Many thanks