Australian Retirement Trust (ART) is one of Australia’s largest industry super funds, managing over $200 billion in retirement savings for more than 2 million members. It was formed in 2022 through the merger of Sunsuper and QSuper.
While ART generally has a good reputation, I’ve recently seen some concerning allegations and complaints about it potentially being a scam or having scam-like elements.
As a retirement savings expert helping Australians grow and protect their nest egg, I wanted to dig deeper into these claims. Is there any truth to the idea that ART could be shady or scamming members?
In this honest review report, I’ll analyze the key points critics have raised about ART. These are facts gathered from members across review sites and social media to capture all angles.
Let’s see if there is real evidence of Australian Retirement Trust is a scam, or if complaints stem from misunderstandings, a rocky merger transition, or standard super fund issues.
Overview of Australian Retirement Trust Scam Allegations
The most common Australian Retirement Trust complaints and scam accusations fall into a few key areas:
- Poor customer service: Long wait times, unhelpful staff, delays responding to inquiries
- Login/app issues: Difficulty accessing accounts, repeated locks outs, Technical glitches
- Hidden fees: Fees not transparent or buried deep in website/app
- Underperformance: Investments/returns lagging industry averages
- Early access excuses: Rejecting hardship claims without clear reasons
Additionally, some members felt ART’s call center staff seemed suspiciously pushy about account security despite not initiating contact.
However, when analyzing the specifics around these complaints, I found no concrete evidence ART is stealing from accounts or otherwise scamming members. Most issues boil down to a rocky merger transition, understaffing for 2 million members, app bugs, or standard super fund policy.
Now let’s examine the leading Australian Retirement Trust scam claims area-by-area. Examining actual complaints sheds light on what’s perception vs reality.
Poor Customer Service Fuels Scam Suspicions
By far the most common Australian Retirement Trust complaints relate to poor customer service and issues contacting the fund.
On ProductReview.com.au, ART has just 3.5 out of 5 stars based heavily on bad service feedback. And across app reviews, the most upvoted complaints cite long hold times, unresolved issues, and frustrating interactions.
Here are some examples:
“Massively buggy app! Tried to log in and it asks me to verify if my contact details are correct. I hit confirm and it still takes me to update my details. I hit update or back and it just takes me back to the same place 😒”
“Contact centre is local in Brisbane, app and website pretty straightforward and they have face to face member centre in cbd…You could probably do a bit better but you could definitely do a lot worse.”
“Stay well clear of Australian Retirement Trust… Absolutely appalling Customer service, if they offer any really at all… No structure, Untrained staff, they have major delays in responding to any forms of communication….”
The sheer volume of bad service feedback makes some members suspect ART is stalling or avoiding helping purposefully while scamming accounts behind the scenes.
But looking closer, these extensive customer service issues largely stem from recent mergers. Sunsuper and QSuper had teams used to handling their individual member bases. Combining two massive super funds likely caused understaffing struggles handling double the volume of inquiries.
As one reviewer put it: “The merger appears to have been a disaster for the customer.”
So while the bad service leaves a bad taste for members, it more likely links to a poorly handled expansion rather than proof of scams. The reality is that most large funds grapple with call wait times and ticket backlogs proportional to their member size. Australian Retirement Trust needs to play catchup post-merger.
The good news is we see users confirm Australian Retirement Trust’s Brisbane team is friendly and helpful once reached. Contact delays trace more to internal growing pains instead of dodging account questions maliciously. Reviews also praised ART’s physical branches for smooth in-person assistance.
In short: Australian Retirement Trust’s awful customer service fuels scam suspicions but largely boils down to understaffing, not evidence of shady behavior behind the scenes.
Login and App Issues Further Heighten Distrust
If reaching a live person is one frustration for Australian Retirement Trust members, merely accessing accounts can be another.
Across both Google Play and Apple App Store reviews, the most common complaint about Australian Retirement Trust cites regular technical issues and login failures.
For years as SunSuper, the app earned notoriety for crashes, forced updates, repeated password requests, and random logouts. These problems clearly carried over after Sunsuper’s merger forming ART:
“Password access annoying, just remember my password when I want to access not that hard.”
“it expects updates all of the time and I then have to verify my password every other time.”
“Got asked to verify numerous times in the app despite having done it numerous times.”
Reviewers also describe Apps freezing on launch, security PINs failing after updates, and inconsistent Touch ID/biometrics.
Several members turned to Uninstall/Reinstall only to have problems persist:
“deleted app and reinstalled for the same thing to happen.”
“Not sure why it is hard to get a clear overview of all infos […] Taxes and fees, who gets that money. Sorry, claiming to be a top notch company, miles to go and proof it…”
Like customer service complaints, the login and app issues lead some members to feel ART has shady security practices or something to hide.
But looking closer, these technical problems clearly stem from a rocky app merge combining SunSuper and QSuper’s systems. Merging apps and accounts for millions of members would inevitably cause transition issues. Reviews confirm the legacy SunSuper app had reliability issues for years before its merger into ART.
And importantly, members reporting security pin or password problems were still able to regain account access through standard account recovery steps. So while a frustrating user experience, the technical glitches show no sign of members actually being locked out or scammed.
ART needs to smooth out technical issues for better member trust. But temperamental access likely links to messy merger growing pains rather than proof of scamming or inaccessibility. We see users retain control through standard security protocols when needed.
In summary, complaints around login and app problems fuel distrust given ART holds retirement savings. But evidence suggests short-term technical glitches from merging systems, not suspicious account locking or scamming.
Are Australian Retirement Trust’s Fees and Performance Truly Suspicious?
Two other common Australian Retirement Trust complaints relate to fees and investment performance:
- Hidden fees that eat balances through non-transparency
- Returns consistently lagging industry averages (“underperformance”)
These issues also make some members feel ART is scamming through shady fees or bad investments.
For fees, the main complaint is a lack of clear fee/cost visibility in account views:
“Just be straight forward and present everything up front.”
“Shows all essential information. Easy to use and light on storage.”
Some reviews alleged the app and account views highlight positive transactions like contributions while burying deducted administration fees deep in monthly statements. This fuels suspicion ART makes fees intentionally hard to spot.
However, looking closer at ART’s fee structure and product disclosure, costs seem fairly standard for the industry:
- $1.20 weekly admin fee
- 0.10% annual admin fee
- Typical investment management fee based on assets
These ongoing admin and investment fees get deducted from balances directly rather than show as “transactions”. So while ART should better illustrate fee costs upfront, the amounts align with competitors. No evidence shows ART charging unusual hidden costs.
For performance, some members insist returns lag competitors:
“I was compulsory transferred from another super fund to ART. My super balance was increasing by app $40/day in other super fund, ART, with the same investment category split, is losing $20+ a week out of my Superannuation.”
Historical returns data on ART’s website shows the Balanced option returned 8.4% over the past decade. ChantWest also positions ART’s offerings ahead of 92-95% of super funds over 7-10 year periods.
So while some members feel balances lag, ART’s long-term returns beat most competitors. No evidence shows widescale underperformance or investment scams. And with over 70 options to choose from, self-guided investors may simply need to select better performing assets aligned with their risk.
In summary, ART’s lack of fee transparency fuels some scam suspicions. But its costs seem industry standard. Returns also outpace most rivals over the long haul – poorly chosen options likely cause isolated balance shrinkage. There is no clear proof of ART skimming or underinvesting.
Hardship Claims Denied, But No Proof of Dodging Liabilities
A final theme seen occasionally in Australian Retirement Trust complaints relates to denied early access and financial hardship applications.
A few members over the years report applying for early superannuation access due to medical reasons or general financial hardship only to have ART repeatedly reject claims without clear reasons. This includes cases where people insist supporting documentation met standard hardship criteria.
Denied claims led some applicants to suspect ART avoids early payouts to retain assets under management. However, looking closer at complaints shows no obvious scamming to avoid liability.
Each early release claim includes nuances per the member’s situation, documentation quality, assessment team’s judgement, etc. ART shows no obvious patterns of blanket denials against odds.
And even among complaints, we see users acknowledge Australia’s strict superannuation access laws before age 60 outside extenuating health or hardship exemptions:
“Offers of easy access to your super before you reach preservation age.”
So while psychologically painful, ART denying certain edge-case early withdrawal claims follows industry norms. No evidence shows illegally avoiding payouts solely to retain funds under management.
In fact, Australian Retirement Trust CEO recently called for broader early super access reform, hardly the viewpoint of a fund scamming to block withdrawals.
In summary, while some Australian Retirement Trust members complain of rejected early access claims, details show no clear neglect of liability payments illegally. As an industry fund, ART appears to manage early release requests similarly to retail fund competitors, aligned with existing regulations.
The Verdict: No Clear Evidence ART is a Scam Despite Complaints
While Australian Retirement Trust has fielded its share of concerning allegations in 2022 after a messy mega-merger, examining specific complaints shows no evidence of material scamming or illegal activity.
Poor customer service and buggy apps understandably fuel member distrust given retirement savings are at stake. But context clues link frustrations to transition growing pains rather than proof of malicious fund mismanagement, hidden fees, or denied liability payouts.
In virtually all instances, we see members retain account access and fee/return transparency equivalent to industry averages – even if that transparency still needs improvement after scattered system merges.
In the end, Australian Retirement Trust suffers mostly from short-term merger integration issues on its way to becoming a retirement juggernaut. There is no smoking gun evidence ART is a scam compared to any other profit-seeking fund.
And with $200 billion under management, a clean regulatory history, and 5-star Canstar rating, member frustration signals needed improvements more than institutional corruption.
So based on extensive complaint analysis, I advise members:
- Remain vigilant for any fee spikes, performance drops or denied liability releases as fund balances grow. No major red flags yet but retirement savings deserve monitoring.
- Call out needed app upgrades so ART fixes legacy reliability bugs harming the member experience
- Similarly, advocate for better staffing and account support after merger growing pains subside. Good access and service ease scam concerns.
- Consider adjusting investment options if returns underperform your old super fund’s same-asset mix. ART offers 70+ choices – select wisely.
Overall I suggest frustrated Australian Retirement Trust members make their voice heard to improve real shortcomings rather than accuse the fund of illegal scams without cause at this time.
A messy merger strained things, not concealed malice. Improving transparency around fees, performance and service would go a long way until ART’s mega-fund transition smooths out.
Summary: Key Takeaways About Australian Retirement Trust Complaints
✅ Extensive complaints fueled allegations about ART possibly being a scam, covering issues like poor service, bad apps, hidden fees and denied claims
✅ No evidence suggested ART illegally siphoning money or outright denying member liability payouts without cause
✅ Analysis indicates most issues tie to typical megafund growing pains around mergers strains and understaffing
✅ Members should continue calling for improvements around transparency, apps, call center resourcing to ease concerns
✅ Returns and costs seem competitive overall with no proof of concealed fees or investing illegally
✅ Retain records of any withdrawal denials for ongoing review, but limited signs ART avoids claims improperly
✅ Australian Retirement Trust looks positioned for long-term growth, but needs better pr around recent merger disruptions
Finally, while Australian Retirement Trust faces member distrust following its mega merger, examining complaints shows no clear proof of unlawful behavior compared to retail super funds. Short-term growing pains like buggy apps most likely fuel scam suspicions rather than concealed skimming.
With pressure for better service, transparency and reliability, ART may yet grow into its promise helping millions of Australians retire in comfort. But until integration smooths out post-merger, frustrated members should advocate for upgrades rather than assume the worst.
Also Read:
- Monetrizer.online Reviews – Scam or Legit?
- Talbots Online Sale Scam or Legit?
- Unmasking Unicity Scam: Everything You Need To Know (Update)
