Oh Dear Bonitas did it again!

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding my recent experience with Bonitas Medical Aid, which has left me highly dissatisfied and disillusioned with your services.

As per my previous post, I must reiterate: STAY AWAY FROM BONITAS.

Bonitas has developed numerous tactics to avoid paying for claims, which I find utterly frustrating and unfair. Recently, I needed to undergo an eye test, which revealed that I require glasses. In an attempt to utilize my Benefit Booster for my medical expenses, I followed the required steps to unlock the funds by completing a wellness screening at Dischem's nurse station. However, I was unpleasantly surprised when I discovered that Bonitas does not fully cover the wellness screening as part of the Benefit Booster, and instead, I was charged R247.20 on top of my regular membership fee.

Here is where my frustration grows—your marketing and communication around the Benefit Booster are misleading. According to your description of the Benefit Booster, it is supposed to be an additional out-of-hospital benefit, available for claims such as GP visits, over-the-counter medicine, X-rays, and blood tests. However, there was no mention that optical and dental claims would be excluded from this benefit. The complete absence of this crucial information on your website or in your communication is unacceptable and deceptive.

The Benefit Booster is advertised as a savings program to help clients reduce out-of-pocket costs, but it feels like Bonitas has found yet another way to avoid covering legitimate claims. Instead, your response has been to offer countless excuses for why claims will not be paid and to refer to restrictions and exclusions that were never made clear to me when I signed up for this plan.

Moreover, your treatment of members is equally concerning. Bonitas forces clients to use your selected pharmacies or face a 40% co-payment if they choose to use their local pharmacy. This feels like a monopolistic tactic that disregards the rights of your clients to choose where to receive services.

As if that wasn’t enough, I received an email response where not only was my name incorrectly addressed, but the content of the response showed a lack of attention to detail. After having followed all the necessary steps to activate my Benefit Booster, I received no acknowledgment that this had been checked or confirmed on your side. Instead, your team continued to explain how to activate it, showing a complete disregard for the process I had already completed.

To conclude, I have lost all faith in Bonitas and, quite frankly, in medical aid services in South Africa as a whole. Your practices are disingenuous, and your lack of customer care is appalling. The entire experience has been a nightmare, and I will be sharing my complaint with every possible platform to warn others about the way Bonitas operates.

I demand a clear explanation as to why my claim for glasses was denied, and I urge you to review and address the miscommunication regarding your Benefit Booster to ensure that your future clients are not misled in the same way.

131224QP24MY - Re:Quintus Dippenaar (***) - *** [MI***]