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Sanlam
Verified Business
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Scores reflect the Overall AI Score for each category
Scores reflect the Overall AI Score for each category
Based on recent customer reviews, Sanlam customers describe widespread frustration across claims processing, communication, and consultant accessibility. While occasional praise emerges for named advisors who deliver attentive service, the dominant narrative involves prolonged claim delays, unanswered calls and emails, debit order errors, and broken promises on turnaround times. Customers across funeral, gap cover, retirement, and provident fund products report similar systemic service breakdowns affecting their financial wellbeing during vulnerable moments.
TrustIndex
3.3
Ranking
#33
in Investments & Wealth
NPS Score
-70
Recommended: Unlikely
Jul '25 - Jun '26
Based on recent customer reviews, Sanlam is facing widespread dissatisfaction across nearly every service touchpoint. Customers describe long waits, unanswered emails, ignored claims, and broken promises spanning funeral, retirement, gap cover, and trust products. While a small number of named agents earn praise for going the extra mile, the dominant experience involves prolonged delays, poor communication, and a perceived lack of accountability when clients need help most.
The most common complaint about Sanlam, based on Hellopeter's AI analysis of recent customer reviews, is Customer Service & Professional Guidance. Customer Service & Professional Guidance (1.5). Customers repeatedly describe rude, dismissive agents, dropped calls, and a lack of ownership. A handful of named consultants like Tando, Thomas Minnie, and Griffin Pillay receive strong praise, but these are exceptions in a sea of negative interactions.
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Share Your Experience1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Sanlam could do way better to communicate and interact with it's clients. Their emails and website seem intentionally designed to confuse clients. Last month I discovered I have extra cash in my account, which I usually do not touch until two or three days after my salary is deposited. I missed a payment and, as a reminder, all I received was one email with confusing instructions and steps to login to their portal to download a more confusing Pdf with further instructions to make the payment via manual bank deposit or eft. I tried whatsapp which was of no help at all, the chat-to-consultant option is not available after mid-day. When calling the client services the bot asks you to 'speak' your ID number, which it does not recognise and then asks you punch it in and hangs up on you. I was finally able to pay via Eft but still waiting for confirmation but ultimately the expirience left me feeling that they intentionally designed their system to see us fail.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Sanlam could do way better to communicate and interact with it's clients. Their emails and website seem intentionally designed to confuse clients. Last month I discovered I have extra cash in my account, which I usually do not touch until two or three days after my salary is deposited. I missed a payment and, as a reminder, all I received was one email with confusing instructions and steps to login to their portal to download a more confusing Pdf with further instructions to make the payment via manual bank deposit or eft. I tried whatsapp which was of no help at all, the chat-to-consultant option is not available after mid-day. When calling the client services the bot asks you to 'speak' your ID number, which it does not recognise and then asks you punch it in and hangs up on you. I was finally able to pay via Eft but still waiting for confirmation but ultimately the expirience left me feeling that they intentionally designed their system to see us fail.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I am extremely disappointed with the service I have received regarding my retirement fund transfer request, which was submitted in February. Despite multiple attempts to follow up, I have not received any meaningful communication or update on the status of my withdrawal/transfer to my new employer’s fund. I have also tried calling several times, but the phone line continuously rings with no response. This lack of communication and delay is concerning, especially when dealing with sensitive financial matters such as retirement funds. I expected a higher level of professionalism and responsiveness. I am requesting urgent assistance in resolving this matter and receiving clarity on the current status of my funds.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I am extremely disappointed with the service I have received regarding my retirement fund transfer request, which was submitted in February. Despite multiple attempts to follow up, I have not received any meaningful communication or update on the status of my withdrawal/transfer to my new employer’s fund. I have also tried calling several times, but the phone line continuously rings with no response. This lack of communication and delay is concerning, especially when dealing with sensitive financial matters such as retirement funds. I expected a higher level of professionalism and responsiveness. I am requesting urgent assistance in resolving this matter and receiving clarity on the current status of my funds.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Our client submitted a claim for an Income Protection Benefit with Sanlam for a claim period of just over two weeks. All supporting documents requested by claims were provided timeously. The client was thereafter requested to submit a copy of his bank statement directly to the claims department, which was done almost two weeks ago. We were subsequently advised that the SLA for feedback is 10 working days from the date the last document was submitted. That period has now effectively lapsed, yet there has still been no feedback or indication of progress on the claim. I called the claims department today for a follow up and remained on the line for 20 minutes and 20 seconds, after which the call automatically disconnected. Unfortunately, we still have no update or feedback to provide to our client regarding the status of the claim. While we fully appreciate the need for proper claims assessment and due diligence, concerns arise where all requested documentation has been submitted, no further requirements have been communicated, and extended periods pass without meaningful feedback or updates. This is particularly important in the case of temporary income protection claims, where clients may already be experiencing financial strain due to an inability to work. From an adviser perspective, delays in communication and turnaround times unfortunately impact confidence in the overall servicing experience and make it difficult to reassure clients who have placed their trust in both Sanlam and their adviser during vulnerable periods. This ultimately affects the client experience and the trust placed in the claims process as a whole. Our client has now reached the point of questioning the value of continuing to pay premiums for this benefit, based on the current claims experience. We respectfully request that this matter be urgently reviewed and that feedback be communicated as soon as possible.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
Our client submitted a claim for an Income Protection Benefit with Sanlam for a claim period of just over two weeks. All supporting documents requested by claims were provided timeously. The client was thereafter requested to submit a copy of his bank statement directly to the claims department, which was done almost two weeks ago. We were subsequently advised that the SLA for feedback is 10 working days from the date the last document was submitted. That period has now effectively lapsed, yet there has still been no feedback or indication of progress on the claim. I called the claims department today for a follow up and remained on the line for 20 minutes and 20 seconds, after which the call automatically disconnected. Unfortunately, we still have no update or feedback to provide to our client regarding the status of the claim. While we fully appreciate the need for proper claims assessment and due diligence, concerns arise where all requested documentation has been submitted, no further requirements have been communicated, and extended periods pass without meaningful feedback or updates. This is particularly important in the case of temporary income protection claims, where clients may already be experiencing financial strain due to an inability to work. From an adviser perspective, delays in communication and turnaround times unfortunately impact confidence in the overall servicing experience and make it difficult to reassure clients who have placed their trust in both Sanlam and their adviser during vulnerable periods. This ultimately affects the client experience and the trust placed in the claims process as a whole. Our client has now reached the point of questioning the value of continuing to pay premiums for this benefit, based on the current claims experience. We respectfully request that this matter be urgently reviewed and that feedback be communicated as soon as possible.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I am extremely disappointed with the way Sanlam has handled my Retirement Annuity paid-up request and the subsequent refund process. I submitted a request on 20 February 2026 to make my RA policy paid up after SARS regulations limited the tax deductibility of contributions above a certain threshold. After waiting more than two months, I was informed on 28 April that the value had to be recalculated and that I needed to reapply, which I did immediately. Despite the policy already being in the process of being made paid up, Sanlam still debited my bank account on 5 May 2026 — and for an increased contribution amount. When I contacted Sanlam, I was told that communication between departments was “too lengthy” and that the debit order department had not been informed of the paid-up request. I was assured that the debit order would be cancelled and refunded. Instead, on 12 May, I was asked to provide written confirmation guaranteeing the debit order would clear before the refund could even be processed — despite the money already having left my account days earlier. Since then, communication has been extremely poor: * Repeated follow-ups result mostly in automated responses * Response times of up to 30 days are quoted * No meaningful written updates are provided * I have had to spend long periods waiting in call queues for basic information As of 26 May 2026, I still had no formal written confirmation regarding: * the status of the paid-up request, or * the refund of the debit order. For a financial institution entrusted with retirement savings, this level of administrative inefficiency, poor interdepartmental coordination, and lack of customer communication is deeply concerning. This experience has significantly undermined my confidence in Sanlam as a credible financial institution. The lack of communication and broken business processes makes me think I a dealing with a ponzi scheme.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I am extremely disappointed with the way Sanlam has handled my Retirement Annuity paid-up request and the subsequent refund process. I submitted a request on 20 February 2026 to make my RA policy paid up after SARS regulations limited the tax deductibility of contributions above a certain threshold. After waiting more than two months, I was informed on 28 April that the value had to be recalculated and that I needed to reapply, which I did immediately. Despite the policy already being in the process of being made paid up, Sanlam still debited my bank account on 5 May 2026 — and for an increased contribution amount. When I contacted Sanlam, I was told that communication between departments was “too lengthy” and that the debit order department had not been informed of the paid-up request. I was assured that the debit order would be cancelled and refunded. Instead, on 12 May, I was asked to provide written confirmation guaranteeing the debit order would clear before the refund could even be processed — despite the money already having left my account days earlier. Since then, communication has been extremely poor: * Repeated follow-ups result mostly in automated responses * Response times of up to 30 days are quoted * No meaningful written updates are provided * I have had to spend long periods waiting in call queues for basic information As of 26 May 2026, I still had no formal written confirmation regarding: * the status of the paid-up request, or * the refund of the debit order. For a financial institution entrusted with retirement savings, this level of administrative inefficiency, poor interdepartmental coordination, and lack of customer communication is deeply concerning. This experience has significantly undermined my confidence in Sanlam as a credible financial institution. The lack of communication and broken business processes makes me think I a dealing with a ponzi scheme.
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I wish there was a zero star option. on hold with the claims department for 45 mins waiting 3 weeks for a claim to be paid ? but Im sure I wont be allowed to be 3 weeks late on making a payment totally unacceptable level of service
1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
I wish there was a zero star option. on hold with the claims department for 45 mins waiting 3 weeks for a claim to be paid ? but Im sure I wont be allowed to be 3 weeks late on making a payment totally unacceptable level of service
Sanlam scores 1.1 out of 5 on Hellopeter's AI analysis of service quality in Investments & Wealth, compared to the Investments & Wealth industry average of 3.5. Their strongest theme is Consultant Quality (1.5); their weakest is Communication (0.8). The top AI-rated Investments & Wealth business on Hellopeter is T4Trade (4.6). How is the AI Score calculated? →
Sanlam has a TrustIndex of 3.3 out of 10 on Hellopeter, based on 1,458 reviews in the last 12 months. Hellopeter has tracked Sanlam across 10,327 total reviews. How is the TrustIndex calculated? →