A recent study of superannuation fund call centres exposed poor customer service across the board, with advocates calling for mandatory standards across the sector.
A mystery shopping study, commissioned by CHOICE’s partner organisation Super Consumers Australia, made 1,000 calls across 20 different funds between August and October 2025.
The study, conducted by Customer Service Benchmarking Australia, gave the industry a “failing grade” of 49.9%, with no fund scoring above 55% overall for how callers were treated or how queries were addressed.
No fund [scored] above 55% overall for how callers were treated or how queries were addressed.
Super Consumers Australia CEO Xavier O’Halloran says this research was commissioned so people can hold super funds to account and vote with their feet if they’re not happy.
“When you’re retired or have lost a loved one, your superannuation fund is kind of like a bank,” he says.
“I think people would like to know before signing up to a fund that they’re going to take care of them when they have a problem.”
Vulnerable and grieving customers laughed at
Funds performed particularly poorly on calls to customers experiencing vulnerability, like when somebody passes away and their family needs to access their super for financial support.
After one caller said their mother was dying and needed money to travel and visit her, the agent said, “okay, can you spell your surname?”
Four other callers in vulnerable scenarios reported that the agents laughed or scoffed at their distress.
“Horrible customer service can be really harmful to people who are grieving and throws them into further vulnerability,” O’Halloran says.
“Not just because they have lost a family member, but now they might be struggling to pay the bills because super funds are hard to contact.”
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Some funds fail to even pick up the phone
Scores from two funds couldn’t even be included in the study as they often failed to pick up the phone within 15 minutes. AustralianSuper, the country’s largest fund, connected just 10% of the time, and Team Super only 52%.
An AustralianSuper spokesperson says the study was conducted when the fund was transitioning to a new call centre provider. They say members were contacted about delays and their average answer time is now less than two minutes.
O’Halloran says other funds transitioning from the same provider at the time did not score as poorly.
“If they’re happy with their customer service being poor for ten weeks of the year, that’s really not good enough.”
Given the study’s results and recent regulatory action taken against AustralianSuper, O’Halloran believes Australia’s biggest super fund has a systemic issue of poor service.
Australia’s financial regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), is currently suing AustralianSuper in the Federal Court over the delayed processing of nearly 7,000 death benefit claims. In some cases, it took years to provide money to families after a member’s death.
Super Consumers Australia’s study found that funds gave particularly poor customer service to callers in vulnerable circumstances.
Last year, ASIC successfully sued the fund Cbus for similar delays in claims handling. A June 2026 report from ASIC found that while some funds have picked up their game, improvements have been inconsistent across the sector.
“We are particularly concerned that some trustees have not actioned basic process improvements and continue exposing grieving beneficiaries to harm at times of heightened emotional and financial distress,” ASIC Commissioner Simone Constant stated.
Funds respond to Super Consumers’ findings
Blake Briggs, CEO of the retail fund peak body Financial Services Council (FSC), says the FSC respects the findings of Super Consumers’ study. He claims it’s important funds invest in the quality of their customer service and deal sensitively with vulnerable customers.
However, the Super Members Council (SMC), which represents profit-to-members funds, told CHOICE the mystery shopping study was flawed as testers were not actually members and did not progress past the verification phase.
“Real super fund members expect their funds to take identity security very seriously, and they know that funds must do appropriate identification checks with callers before having in-depth discussions,” an SMC spokesperson says.
Super Consumers’ O’Halloran says the study was not designed to validate membership, but to test how the funds interact with callers, show empathy and triage consumers with cultural diversity or in vulnerable circumstances.
Both FSC and SMC support the introduction of government-regulated industry standards.
Government standards still in limbo
In January 2025, the federal government announced it would introduce enforceable and mandatory service standards in the sector, but has not indicated when these standards will be finalised or implemented.
Horrible customer service can be really harmful to people who are grieving and throws them into further vulnerability
Xavier O’Halloran, Super Consumers Australia
Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Daniel Mulino told CHOICE the government will be seeking feedback on draft legislation soon.
“We’ve been consulting with industry, consumer groups and regulators on better standards,” Mulino says.
O’Halloran says in addition to claims-handling timeframes, Super Consumers is calling for standards around how funds communicate.
“We want to set some standards around how you communicate. Obligations to treat customers like human beings and engage with the person in front of you,” O’Halloran says,” he says.
“We want to make sure services are accessible for a range of needs across the community, whether that be around language or if you live in remote parts of the country.”
Barriers faced by First Nations customers
Acting Director for Mob Strong Debt Help at Financial Right Legal Centre Mark Holden says Australian needs specific mandatory standards for First Nations consumers who face additional barriers in accessing super, such as when trying to prove their identity.
Holden says many First Nations people were not issued birth certificates or don’t hold driver licenses, or their names are translated differently into English differently across identity documents.
Despite federal guidelines expecting financial providers like super funds to use a combination of alternative identification for First Nations consumers like community ID cards or letters from community services or elders, Holden says there isn’t a uniform application of standards.
“One lady we spoke to in the community had two different funds. One was happy to accept a student card and an expired driver’s license and joined us in the field [sending staff to meet in-person] to verify that. The other fund required a certified copy of her driver license, birth certificate or passport, and the client didn’t have any of that.”
[Super funds] should also be considering what the cost is of depriving the most vulnerable people in the country of their own money
Mark Holden, Mob Strong Debt Help
A 2025 report by Mob Strong and Super Consumers surveyed 99 First Nations consumers in East Arnhem and found 53% were unable to even contact their superfund or understand what they were told, and only one in four had email or MyGov access.
Additionally, Holden says there is a ‘digital gap’ for First Nations customers, including lower digital literacy among elders, lack of access to reception or devices, and barriers for remote residents trying to certify documents.
“The nearest post office or Justice of the Peace might be six hours by four wheel drive. During the wet season, there’s no travel at all.”
Holden says if funds are willing to accept money from First Nations customers, they need to help them access it.
“Super funds might say it’s going to cost resources, but they should also be considering what the cost is of depriving the most vulnerable people in the country of their own money.”
Assistant Treasurer Mulino has not committed to First Nations-specific requirements, but told CHOICE, “the standards will cover some of the biggest issues that members face including issues that have disproportionately affected First Nations people”.
James is a Master of Journalism student from the University of Melbourne. He has published in Cosmos, The Citizen, and has created podcast series for We Are Explorers and Protect Our Winters Australia. James has a particular interest reporting on science, environmental and social issues, and was a recipient of a JEERA Ossie Award for his journalism. LinkedIn
James is a Master of Journalism student from the University of Melbourne. He has published in Cosmos, The Citizen, and has created podcast series for We Are Explorers and Protect Our Winters Australia. James has a particular interest reporting on science, environmental and social issues, and was a recipient of a JEERA Ossie Award for his journalism. LinkedIn
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