Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/22/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I requested a roll over to Fidelity. Fidelity did not receive it. Where did the funds go? Slavic customer service response is horrible, they do not answer the phone . Literally on hold for 2 hours each time. No reply from e-mails either for days on end. Got lucky one time and left a voice mail , they did call back once but I was unavailable. Since then nothing. Now the voicemail does not even offer a call back. On hold forever with no response. Is this a real company?

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/23/2022

  Hi *******,
  
  We apologize for the wait on the phones. Our team is taking every step we can right now to limit the wait time during this time of year and we understand your frustration. As for your rollover check, our records show that the money from your account was traded on 10/27 and a check was issued to Fidelity. We also verified it was sent to the correct Fidelity address. We are unsure why Fidelity did not receive/cash the check. Since the check has not been cashed, we are submitting a stop payment order on the check and issuing new one. The new check has been expedited by management and will be sent via overnight mail. Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/28/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/20/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I put in a request on December 1 to cash out my 401K that I had with my previous employer. I have attempted to contact customer service multiple times without success. I have received one email letting me know that they have contacted my previous employer to get verification of my employment. I responded to the email AND forwarded the email to my previous HR company so that they would be able to verify my employment. She also responded to the email letting them know that she would be able to verify/validate my employment. I have emailed, called and left messages, called customer service waiting on hold for way too long. Very frustrating. I just need to know that this is going to be resolved ASAP. I deserve to get my money out of the 401K account. A customer should not have to jump through hoops to get a resolution and get the money that is their money.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/03/2023

  Hi *******,
  
  Thank you for reaching out about this and we apologize for the wait times on the phone. I reached out to our distributions team and was able to get more information on this for you. The delay in processing your distribution request is because we are missing documentation from your previous employer that proves a distributable event occurred. This is necessary to ensure the distribution is complaint with IRS guidelines. Your previous employer was sent a MEP exit form upon being acquired by your new employer. We are still waiting for this form to be returned as it outlines the type of acquisition that was made between your previous employer and your new one. Without this form being returned to us, we cannot proceed with processing your distribution as we cannot determine what type of sale occurred and if it qualifies as a distributable event.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/20/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Seems impossible to connect with a live person, after being on hold multiple times for over an hour with no luck each time. They're also not available on weekends or anytme after 5, further limiting the ability to connect with anyone. I understand that they may be busier than usual per a recent review, but this serves no help when you're dealing with potential time-sensitive suspicious activity on your account like an unauthorized distribution request that I did not request and have no idea to who or where the funds are going. There doesn't seem to be a way on their website to even view the exact details of when this request was made or how it was requested besides the day and the status of the request and their is no other option for support besides via phone either. Very unhappy with the inability to get any type of assistance with such a pressing and concerning matter.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/20/2022

  ********************, 

  After speaking to customer service about your account, I can confirm this is not fraudulent activity. You received that distribution notice because your payroll provider has determined your account is no longer eligible to be part of its 401(k) plan and the money has to be moved.
  
  This most commonly happens happens if: A) you have left the employer providing the 401(k) or, B) your employer has left the payroll company providing the 401(k) and the amount in your account does not meet the threshold and has been left dormant in the account. However, there may be other reasons as well. 
  
  You should have received instruction on how to move the money out of your account a while back. Since no action was taken, you should have then received a 30 day blackout notice notifying you that the money is being moved. If you did not receive these communications, please make sure your most current mailing address is on file with your payroll company.
  
  Your money is being moved to a company called ********* (*********.com) and is being deposited into an *** account in your name. This is what triggered the email you received. You should also receive communication from ********* about your new account with them. You will have access to your money to move, cash out or leave in the ********* account as you please. If you have questions, please refer the blackout notice you should have received in the mail. There should be a specified contact person/department on that notice who would be your point of contact. If you don't have a copy of the blackout notice, please let me know and I will see if I can track down a copy for you. Hopefully this helps.

  Kind regards,

  Slavic401k

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/21/2022

   
  Complaint: 18617121
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  I did not receive any notice of this occurring from my payroll provider or Slavic and confirmed my contact information is accurate via both providers. Whether the responsibility was of the payroll provider to notify me or not, the only email I received from Slavic was notifying me the distribution request had been made and finalized the next day. The emails also clearly state to reach out if you did not authorize the distribution request which I did not and therefore is why I was inclined to reach out since I did not receive any prior notice. If that messaging had been originally presented in the distrib. request emails, or had I received any confirmation emails of this request being made as it seems to be implied via the distribution request process, this would have been avoided from the beginning. It being impossible to connect via phone or other avenue other than here or ******* does not help either. 

  I would like to receive a copy of the blackout notice with my point of contact information so I may obtain my funds via the mentioned provider. No one has reached out to me via phone or email (besides a bare "transaction confirmation" of the distribution request being seen by me for the first time, stating the transaction was completed yesterday at 12:25 PM...) so I'm unsure how to further communication so I may receive the notice other than rejecting this notice. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/22/2022

  Hi *****,
  
  Attached is a copy of the notice you should have received from our compliance department. The records from our compliance department indicate this notice was sent to you on 9/2/2022 to this address: 265 ***********. Fl 2, ****************** 07032-1529. Since no action was taken, the balance of your account has been sent to ********* and an *** account will be set up in your name. Within the next few days, they should have an account set up for you there. You will be able to contact them using the information in the notice attached if you wish to move your money out of that account. We hope this provides additional clarity. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/19/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 12/19/22 I attempted to call this company to inquire about my 401K. I was left on hold and then I utilized call-back option. Heard nothing for several hours. Attempted to create an on-line log in and was informed a 6 digit PIN would be sent to my phone. Received no such PIN.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/20/2022

  ****************,

  Thank you for reaching out. After further research, the phone number you have in this complaint *************) is different than the number in our system (which is ************). That is why you never received a pin. If the number in the account is incorrect, you will need to reach out to your employer to have it updated, which will then update your account and you will be able to receive the *** pin.

  Any further questions, please do let us know -

  Kind regards, 

  Customer Service

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/21/2022

   
  Complaint: 18609203
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I am still unable to log into my account. Communication is continuing with the business.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/21/2022

  Hi there -- 

  I do have confirmation that you account has been verified and the information has been updated. A member of our staff will follow up to see if you need additional assistance, but you should be all set by the end of the day today.

  Customer Service

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/22/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/17/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company is a 401k provider. I have gone through their process to enroll in a 401k plan. But when I try to create an online account on its website, I keep receiving an error message: "Your session has expired. Please try again." My emails to the company have gone unanswered and I'm currently locked out of my account, unable to adjust my 401k contributions or do anything else.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/19/2022

  ******************,

  Thank you for reaching out. Unfortunately, you do not have online account access until your plan effective date of 1/1/2023. If you would like to make changes to your original enrollment, I've included your plan document with the proper form for completion. If you could, please fill out pages *****, and my colleague ******************* will take care of any changes you send over to him. His email address is *********************. Please include in your subject line, BBB Complaint Assistance.

  Should you need anything else, please do let us know.

  Many thanks,

  Slavic401k Customer Service

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/19/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********. If what the company says is accurate, this resolves my complaint. However, I'd like to note that a customer service rep previously gave me an entirely different reason why I was frozen out of my account. She said there was no phone number attached to my account, and therefore I need to send them copies of my ID and latest billing address. I did that via email but received no confirmation that it was received or that anything was done with that information.

  I hope the company's response to the BBB complaint is accurate, and I will try to log in on Jan. 1, 2023, as they suggest.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/14/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This is a 401k company. This company has no communication options with its clients who have their money invested. They do not answer phones or emails. They take forever for distributions. They have terrible reviews on ********** I lost my job, asked for a distribution 20 days ago. Still NOTHING! I just spent 3 hrs on HOLD before I finally gave up!! I want my money and I want it now! I feel like this company is a fraud and based on ****** reviews!! I'm petrified I won't get my money!!! And after reading other peoples reviews, it makes me even more nervous!!!! If this was FIDELITY, I would have had a check in 3 days! SLAVIC....I WANT MY MONEY NOW!!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/15/2022

  ****************,

  Thank you so much for reaching out. I am so sorry to hear about your experience with us and your recent job loss. Our service team has pulled together information on your account. According to our records, you submitted 3 requests -- 2 through your plan with Engage and one for the plan under ***** (which had $0 balance). On 11/16 you requested a loan to purchase a primary residence, with no proof. There is a note in our customer portal that states, "must provide copy of good faith estimate or sales contract" when submitting the request online. We understand you spoke with 3 customer service agents (11/21, 11/22, and 11/28). On 12/1, our processor emailed asking for proof of home purchase. Loan request was canceled on 12/7 as we did not receive proper documentation, and you were no longer eligible for the loan since you were terminated with your employer. 

  Our distributions manager is working on the other request for funds and should have it done today, so, you should have your funds some time next week. I apologize for any frustrations we have caused and appreciate the opportunity to rectify the situation. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to help.

  Kind regards,

  Customer Service

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/13/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company collects 401k money through *********. My experience has been that it is impossible to contact anyone through their customer service email or phone number. I am locked out of my account and their 2-factor authentication does not work. I've been on hold for hours on multiple days with NO answer. I've sent emails only to get a reply to call their customer service. I thought they seemed sketchy but because they were a part of *********, I thought they were vetted. I want to move my money out ASAP as it sounds like that is another issue people are dealing with. This is serious. This is people's retirement money. There should be some kind of regulation to make sure customers have easy access to their money. Also, after ending employment, ********* is no help, you're on your own.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/15/2022

  Good morning ************, 

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I have spoken with *********************** who you also reached out to on LinkedIn and we have a team working together to troubleshoot/resolve your issue. Please feel free to reach back out here should you have any further problems.

  Kind regards,

  Customer Service

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/12/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I got a new job and requested a disbursement from Slavic in early-mid September. I was initially sent two checks separately one for my regular 401k, then another for my ****. Then, I was sent *another* **** check. An exact copy of my **** check - date, check number, and amount all matched. I called Slavic because I was confused why I had two of the same check. They said they had stopped payment on my **** check and would re-issue. I then received, instead of a new **** check, a copy of my regular 401k check. I called again. Another "wow that's weird" and agree to send me a newly issued **** check. Instead, they sent me a new 401k check. I have received 5 checks total so far. Only one is able to be deposited. All I need is a newly issued **** account check. This company is a dysfunctional joke. I will also be complaining to my former PEO ********* about them.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/27/2022

  Hi ********,
  
  Thank you for reaching out and we apologize for the confusion on this. I was able to talk with our distribution team and it sounds like you spoke with ******** on 12/12 who assured you that you can go ahead and deposit either the original or the copy of the **** check you received. Either check should work for your **** account. As for your pre-tax 401(k) check, the original check did have a stop payment issued on it. The second check that was issued (it is dated 12/5) is the one you will need to deposit. ******** said she confirmed with you on the phone that you had the check issued on 12/5 in your possession. Again, we apologize for the confusion and extra checks you received. You should have what you need to make the deposits. Please reach back out if this is not the case. Thank you. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/27/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/09/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I submitted a request on December 1st to rollover my 401k funds into my *** at another institution. Slavic 401k estimates ***** days per request and were at about half that time with 0 movement so far. *** submitted a request before that took forever getting out of the initial stages so I cancelled it, I figured this new request wouldnt be any different. Ive called in twice this week to customer service (another dead end) and sent multiple emails to get more information + speak with a supervisor to speed this process along. Any reputable company takes a week at the most to process a rollover or withdrawal of funds. And after seeing these complaints of people claiming their withdrawals taking MONTHS I feel this is my only option to receive the attention needed to speed things along. I shouldnt have to chase money that is rightfully mine. Do better Slavic.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/19/2022

  **************, 

  Thank you for sharing this information with us. We received your request and understand it may be frustrating to not see any movement once you submit the request. Our portal does note the time it generally takes to process a distribution -- ***** business days. Your account was traded after 7 business days. And then it takes another 3 days for funds processing to send the funds.  That is within the stated timeframes. 

  We are, however, looking at how to better improve the customer experience to help better manage expectations throughout the distribution process to eliminate any question or frustration.

  We appreciate your feedback. Should you need anything else, please let us know.

  Kind regards, 

  Customer Service

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/08/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Slavic is holding my retirement ******************************************************************************************* order to get the phone number changed, they are holding my account/401K hostage for 5 business days.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/19/2022

  Dear Ms. ******************* you for sharing this information with us.The reason for the 5-day hold on the account is to protect our account holders from fraudulent activity. Without processes/procedures like these, we open ourselves up to fraudulent activity. As such, to ensure your savings are protected, these are the measures we have in place.
  While we understand it's not the answer you may want to hear, especially if you are trying to expedite a transaction, we do hope you understand.
  Kind regards, 
  Customer Service