Are you a member of ARF Superannuation? If so, BEWARE!!!

ARF Superannuation will NOT pay my benefits.
Since 3 March I have been trying to get ARF to pay my super benefits. It's now 7 June and they still have not processed my paperwork. ARF continues to fob me off with lame excuses. I've just been told it will be paid next week. I was told that two weeks ago. Is it to do with the merger with STA? Or is it that ARF cannot afford to make payments? Below are the facts...

ARF/STA Merger
The Australian Retirement Fund (ARF) and the Superannuation Trust of Australia (STA) will merge on 30 June 2006 to become AustralianSuper - one of the country's largest superannuation funds.

The ARF website says, "...ARF and STA have researched the merits of a merger, and have come to the decision that to merge the two funds would be in the best interests of members and employers. There were three key reasons behind this decision:..."

Whatever ARF's reasons are for the merger, and if this merger is in the best interests of its members, why won't ARF pay my benefits which I've been trying to get paid since 3 March 2006?

The facts are:
1. I ceased full time employment on 22 December 2005 and am over 65, thus entitled to apply for payment of my super benefits.

2. On 3 March 2006 I applied to First State Super (FSS) to transfer my member benefits from ARF to First State Super. On 9 May 2006 FSS notified me that "Despite several requests to ARF we have not yet received your benefit from them". To date ARF has not replied to any correspondence from FSS.

3. I phoned ARF and was told that as my previous employer, XSIQ International Pty Ltd had not paid my superannuation contributions since the end of June 2005. I had already notified ARF that this was the case, that I had lodged a complaint with the ATO, and that my previous employer is unlikely to pay my contributions.

4. I was told that I had sent inadequate proof of identity so more delays until they received more documentation. Each time a letter is sent to ARF it is scanned but no one processes the paperwork for days after the scanning.

5. I phoned ARF again and the person I spoke to at ARF suggested that I leave my account open with $1,500 in it and withdraw the rest.

6. More delays as the requested the form was posted to me. I lodged it with a statement that the required, certified proof of identity was on file at ARF.

7. Approximately two weeks ago I phoned ARF to find out when my benefit would be paid, and was told that it would be paid within five working days.

8. Today 6 June I phoned ARF to be told yet again that they could not pay the benefit because my previous employer owed contributions. Back to the start of the process so more delays. When I complained I was put on hold and left. I phoned a second time and asked to speak to a Manager. When a Manager named Darren came to the phone he told me that the issue of unpaid contributions had now been resolved but ARF could not pay me because I had several addresses. (I previously resided in my units at ………………………………, but upon retirement moved to my farm at ………………………………, a change of address that had been provided to ARF on several occasions and one which had never previously been questioned by ARF.)
The Manager Darren then told me to fill out a Statutory Declaration about my address and to FAX it to ARF. I said I would do that today and phone tomorrow to check the status of my benefit payment, to be told by Darren not to phone until Friday. Had I faxed the Declaration and waited till Friday to phone the Declaration would not have been legal and there would have been yet more delays. I posted the Statutory Declaration in an Express envelope.

ARF has been stalling me now for over three months.
What I'd like to know is:

Is ARF stalling payment of my benefits until after the merger at the end of June 2006?
Does ARF intend to pay my benefits at all?

I have lodged a formal complaint with ARF management but there is a 90 day waiting period before I can initiate action by the Industry Ombudsman.

I strongly urge members of ARF to beware!!!

If you have had similar bad experiences with ARF or can offer me some advice, please email me or leave a message here.

You can read messages left by others about ARF here.