BestMed? More like NoMed

<p>The first sign that BestMed's customer service is a problem should have been when I initially phoned and was transferred to 4 wrong departments before being referred back to a sales consultant (Jaco Sacco). He then did an initial profile (for a new membership) and recommended that I apply for the Pulse 1 scheme, which I did. At the time, he assured me the transfer would be smooth from my current medical aid to BestMed with access to my chronic medication and specialists from 1 January 2017 since I was on a medical aid at the time. I submitted the application and did hear anything further until I contacted him and BestMed services over a week later to find out what was happening. I received a generic apology and was told that I should have been updated on the application (I still don't know by whom) and that I needed to submit another document. The time wasted in the interim was a concern for me - especially since I was having to pay out of pocket for medication and specialists at that point. </p> <p> </p> <p>Over the month that has followed, I have had to beg for information and updates: the consultant never gets back to you and apparently no one but the original consultant can assist you. Requests to speak to the team leader/supervisor are ignored. When I finally received confirmation (2 weeks ago) that my application had been approved, I was shocked to discover that I would now be subject to 12-month exclusions on all my current medication and conditions. This completely contradicted what I had been told in the initially conversation. I requested clarification on why these exclusions were begin implemented since I had been on a medical aid at the time of application. It took nearly a week to get an answer and more than one email from my side again begging for information, which is unacceptable. </p> <p> </p> <p>It turns out that the sales consultant was not entirely accurate in the information provided to me in the initial conversation. However, he has been kind enough to send me emails with several language errors, redundant points highlighted and questions unanswered - all of which is unprofessional and simply poor business communication s****s. Surely a company like BestMed can afford to send its staff for training in how to respond to (potential) clients and provide error-free templates. Moreover, it's condescending to respond to a client with parts of an email highlighted when you haven't addressed what the client is actually asking. </p> <p> </p> <p>I again requested that his team leader contact me and indicated that I would be contacting the ombudsman if I did not hear from the team leader by 20 January. When I finally spoke to the team leader, I was told that an investigation would be done into the phone calls and he would get back to me - still waiting for that call as well. I was also told that the reason for the exclusion was that I wasn't considered a continuous member of my previous medical aid; this wasn't clarified by Jaco Sacco in the initial conversation. Thus, with the information the consultant was given in the initial profile, he recommended a more expensive plan either knowing that I would have exclusions for a year, which would be ********* practice for him to then recommend the plan, or he is so poorly trained that he really should not be advising potential clients of plans. Either way, this is concerning. Even more concerning is that BestMed seems to think that it bears no responsibility here!</p> <p> </p> <p>The exclusions policy exists so that people do not sign up for medical aid schemes only when they get sick. Since I was on a medical aid that covered my chronic medication without a question, it is illogical that BestMed is now insisting on a 12-month exclusion. Moreover, while on the previous medical aid, I was diagnosed with what is now a pre-existing condition; once again, it is illogical that in transferring from a medical aid to another medical aid, BestMed is now implementing the exclusions policy, which medical aids have certain discretionary power in implementing - particularly when information has not been clarified or even fully provided by the provided as is the case here. </p> <p> </p> <p>After speaking to the team leader on 20 January, I asked to change the plan for which I had app**** and was told that another consultant would phone me that afternoon. No call was ever made. I did, however, receive a very generic email from Patrick Chauke with 2 pages of the application form and a brochure attached along with the line to contact him if I needed any assistance. He doesn't respond to emails. I have now contacted him at least twice, trying to complete this application. </p> <p> </p> <p>Legally, you are not allowed to deny anyone medical aid, but there are loopholes. It would appear that BestMed's approach to dissuading people from signing up with them is simply to not respond to problematic applications. There is an overt reluctance in the company to avoid potential clients contacting anyone beyond a sales consultant or their team leader. It seems that the hope is that if no response is provided, people will simply get fed up and seek application elsewhere. </p> <p> </p> <p>BestMed does not seem to be willing to resolve issues within its own company and there appears to questionable practice in regard to recommendations for people to apply for more expensive plans when the consultants making those recommendations should have the knowledge of the service to provide detailed and accurate information to people regarding what is considered to be a contiuous member for example. Since BestMed does not appear to willing to communicate with potential clients in a timely and appropriate manner, it would appear that there is a need to involve the ombudsman at this stage. </p>