A Master Builders Christmas Story

Finding yourself in a position where you are able to deliver exceedingly good news to somebody has to be among life’s greatest pleasures. Rob Pengelly, the manager overseeing the Master Builders Employee Benefits Office, recently enjoyed such an experience.

Rob received an e-mail early in December via the contact form on the masterbuilders.co.za website.  The email was from a lady who wanted to enquire whether her retired father, who had worked in the construction industry, was eligible to apply for a possible surplus benefit payout.  Included in the e-mail was the ID number of the gentleman in question, which enabled Rob to trace his history.

Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal are the administrators for three Building Industry Retirement Funds.

Rob and Winnie (Rob’s retirement fund administration assistant) were able to determine that the father had contributed towards a pension fund scheme which he had never claimed from, and if they could produce the paperwork relating to what was previously known as the Building Industry Pension Scheme, Port Natal, he would be eligible for a substantial payout. 

The search for the paperwork began and over this period there was ongoing communication between both parties.  Rob and Winnie did everything in their power to assist and much to everyone’s joy, in the end the lady was able to find a document that served as the evidence needed to prove that her father was the rightful beneficiary and payment was promptly made. 

The family that this story relates to were going through a particularly difficult time. The father had long been retired and his daughter had fallen victim to violent crime which had left her partially disabled in one arm. The news that Rob and Winnie were able to deliver on behalf of the Master Builders Association, was a great Christmas present and we believe a life changing experience for them.

Ernest Roper | Regional Manager Durban