The introduction of the new pension freedoms has been "alarmingly chaotic", reckons Nigel Green, chief executive of the financial consultancy deVere Group.
He said: "The implementation of changes appears to be being rushed in a cynical attempt to woo older voters ahead of May's election."
Others in the pensions industry have expressed similar concerns, with many warning of a potential scandal that could engulf hundreds of thousands of people each year if they make the wrong decision about their retirement savings.
The new freedoms give people aged 55 or over several choices. The first is to take all their money from their pension pot as a cash payment.
Or they could buy an annuity, as many do under existing rules. Or they could keep money invested in their pension fund and draw an income from it.
Tom McPhail from adviser Hargreaves Lansdown reckons most people will do a bit of all three.
But he warned this week that anyone interested in taking money from their retirement savings in the days or weeks after the new freedoms come into force, on April 6, should phone their pension company as soon as possible.
"Insurance companies and occupational pension schemes are struggling to get their systems organised in time to meet the likely demand from their customers.
"In many cases they don't have the necessary computer systems, trained staff or regulatory procedures to enable them to do what their customers want."
Part of the problem is a lack of ability to change systems, he said.
"Many providers need to learn how to manage an income-drawdown arrangement, pay an income from invested funds, or explain tax liabilities and investment risks to customers," Mr McPhail pointed out.
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