Windsor Life

Advantages: trouble free investments
Disadvantages: not managed by company

...Introduction: I have been a customer of Windsor Life for about 15 years so I thought it might be useful for me to share my experiences with you. I took out a private pension and a long term Additional Wealth Plan with them shortly after buying my home. A little background on Windsor Life: Windsor Life Assurance was purchased in 2004 by Swiss Re Group, which has been a well known insurer to other insurance companies since 1860. Its headquarters in the UK are in Telford and has managed more than 75 million in funds under management. It specialises in investments be they lump sum, regular savings, life insurance or pensions. When I took out my policies it was with General Portfolio, however they then changed name to GAN and then were taken over or sold to Windsor Life. My good experiences with the company: I have been...

limara111 06.09.2008 · Read review
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Review of Windsor Life Assurance Co Ltd

Steer clear of Windsor Life - voted the worst in paying out

Advantages: None
Disadvantages: Too many to list. They steal your money. Non-existent complaints procedure.

...Windsor Life has just been voted the worst for not paying out annuities in new research published by 'Which' (June 2009). They were also slammed as 'duplicitous' by David Blunkett for not paying out money due to a penniless widow (May 2009). It is clear why they are slow in paying out. They hold on to your money to make money for themselves. That is stealing. I personally have had very bad experiences with Windsor Life. They delayed in paying out my endowment policy and really screwed up my plans. Their projected forecasts are also nothing like their final payment - be prepared to let them run away with thousands of pounds of your hard earned money to pay bonuses to their staff. Unfortunately Windsor Life have taken over many old endowment policies. Their customers never chose them in the first place but they are saddled with them...

napoleon31 23.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Windsor Life Assurance Co Ltd

Quality Life Cover

Advantages: price
Disadvantages:

...Always on the look out for a bargain, the last thing I expected to find was Life Assurance in an M&S store! M&S do very competively priced life insurance. I found this out by accident when I was waiting for my partner (she was trying on the complete summer range of something or other). Sitting, reading through the easy to understand documentation, I thought I would get a quote. The premium was as good if not better than the nationally recognised companies and the professional service was as good as you would expect from M&S....

mcfarlane 14.08.2000 · Read review
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Review of Marks & Spencer Life Assurance Limited

Don't go and die on me yet!

Advantages: professional service, wide range of products, reasonable premiums
Disadvantages: none

...There comes a time in everyones life when responsibility sets in, you settle down, buy a house and end up with a stonkingly huge mortgage to pay off. This is what I did followinhg what can only be described as my wild 20s and needed to get some life cover in place should the worst happen and I die. Essentially, if I died without cover in place the mortgage debt would fall on my partner as it is in joint names, who on her own would not be able to keep up with the repayments so for peace of mind, we opted to scour the life insurance market with the help of a broker to get a joint life, first death life insurance policy to cover our £172,000 mortgage. So, in the event of either of us dying, there would not be the additional worry of how the hell am I going to keep the house on top of the grieving process. We received a number...

belgian.waffle 23.04.2007 · Read review
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Review of Barclays Life Assurance Co Ltd

MANN Countrywide (part of Countrywide Assured)

Advantages: Erm... they didn't smell too bad
Disadvantages: Takes advantage of the first time buyer! never calls - see below for rest of story...

...emotions to get a quick sale. Lee also managed to sell us "Countrywide Assured" buildings and contents insurance, even though the buildings insurance is included in the maintanence charges for the flat - we've only just found out, 2 years later - all that money wasted :`( And they never phone when they say they will - ever! I'll never again use them to buy or sell a property, and advise all first time buyers to take someone who has been through this process before when viewing properties/speaking to estate agents etc... and if they are told something which seems too good to be true, like wooden flooring, ask for it in writing!!! Then at least you have proof to complain if you need to....

kung-fu-jams 15.01.2004 · Read review
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Review of Countrywide Assured

Life is just a game - enjoy it

Advantages: Good family fun
Disadvantages: Rules are quite difficult to pick up at first

... THE GAM OF LIFE Mention 'games' to children today and they automatically think of Wii, X Box, Play Station or DS games. But what is better than a good old-fashioned board game that the whole family can play together? I expect that many of you reading this review played it as a young person - but have you any idea how long it has been going? It may amaze you to know that it was originally created in 1860 by Milton Bradley, and was then known as The Checkered Game of Life. The modern version was originally published one hundred years later, in 1960) by the Milton Bradley Company (now a subsidiary of Hasbro). Game of Life is, just what it says on the box, a game about living your life and making choices along the way. Luck does play a major part in the game, but there are also so important decisions that have to...

oldchem 04.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Game of Life

Aramis Life - Men's Aftershave

Advantages: Good for everyday, general use.
Disadvantages: A little expensive. Can be overpowering.

...ungrateful, its because I genuinely am. If a school-age kid failed to grasp what I?ve been telling my nearest and dearest for donkey?s years, they?d probably be assessed for learning difficulties. A lesser man would wonder whether a subtle message is being missed here ? but I can assure readers that I wash and shave on a daily basis and have no doubt that my personal hygiene is of an acceptable standard. Having been happily married for almost eight years now, the days when I was single, footloose and fancy free are well behind me. How is that relevant? Well, it seems the days when my choices were wholly and undeniably my own are also firmly in the past ? things changed irrevocably, it appears, when I uttered those fateful words ?I do?. Life, to me , is broccoli ? a vegetable which I hold in the highest contempt and disregard. Growing up, I...

Hishyeness 20.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Aramis Life Aftershave

Quitable

Advantages: None now
Disadvantages: money loss

...When I first made my investment with equitable life assurance, I was convinced I was doing the right thing. Assured by the fact the company was in fact Britains oldest mutual society, added weight to the argument. However, a little ove a year down the line and things have changed dramatically. Only a a little while ago in the house of Lord's it was ruled the society had to pay back a lot of money due to something or other to do with pensions. I looked on my account with them (online) and low an dbehind a couple of thousand pounds had been taken from me. The company explained their way around it. Now it has been reported that the company is in dire straits, and is possibly to be insolvent. Equitable seems to be more like a QUITABLE company right now....

dabmim 06.12.2000 · Read review
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Review of Equitable Life Assurance Society

That's Life

Advantages: A couple of big tunes
Disadvantages: Inconsistent

...The Psychedelic Funk/Rock/Soul band Sly & The Family Stone released ?Life? as their third album in 1968. It was their second album of the year, and so saw minimal musical progression from the band that to this day still get sampled in the Hip Hop world and covered by R&B musicians. 1. ?Dynamite!? Getting the album underway you see that they get down to one which has them driving down something which was heard on their last album as you have one which appears to take on the style which was prominent in the Pop-based work coming out of Motown at this time. I wasn?t all that into it, but I can see the appeal in the uplifting song. **Two Stars** 2. ?Chicken? Here you have the topic of the music continue through into this ne as they perform on which concerns what kind of girls they see and how they tend to be reluctant to get into...

XICripZ 25.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Life [Digipak] [Remastered] - Sly & The Family Stone

Life on Skye

Advantages: Lots to see
Disadvantages: Admission charges

...of the dwellings that stood here over a thousand years ago and historical evidence suggests that this community has existed for much longer than that. It is assuring to know that at least some of this way of life has been preserved. I would definitely recommend a visit to this place and I think that the admission charges about right. It's the sort of place where you would spend a couple of hours rather than a full day and it can be visited even if its raining as most of what to see is inside buildings and it's only a short hop between each building. Having said that I visited on a lovely sunny day and there were plenty of people sat on the grass picknicking or simply soaking up the stunning views. The only downside of my visit was that it was spoilt somewhat by two coach loads of American visitors that completely took over the place, pushing...

micksheff 27.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of Skye Museum of Island Life, Isle of Skye