Horrible client service to new widow in time of grief! Totally unacceptable

I'm sharing my mother-in-law's experience with Discovery. But first I have to say I can not believe they can treat her this way after her husband's death and during a pandemic. She and my father in-law have been loyal discovery members for 22 years, Discovery is this how you treat your member's during a time of grief and tragedy? My Father in-law who was the main member passed away, and instead of assisting my Mother in law as the dependent on the medical aid you completely throw her under the bus?! This is absolutely unacceptable!!!!!

This is her experience: " My husband and I joined Discovery as a medical aid in January 1998, twenty two years ago. My husband died on the 30th of May. In August I realized that the medical aid payment was done from my husband’s account and the payments were in arrears. I called Discovery, send a copy of his death certificate, paid the outstanding fees and completed the forms to become the new main member. All of this was done before the cut off date of 90 days after his death. I received no email communication from Discovery. I continued to send emails and make phone calls to the call centre. On the 29th of October and 4th of November I made further payments. In November they told me that I would be better off to start a new medical aid and somebody completed all the details over the phone with me. Only at the end of the conversation did she tell me that my while I will enjoy medical aid cover and have the benefit of hospital cover again in three month’s time, at the end of January 2021. I protested and said that I feel it is irresponsible for me as a widow to be without hospital cover for three months. I requested again to have my original medical aid re-instated with myself as widow, being the main member. In December the debit order did not go off. My payments have now been refunded to me. Nobody ever called me back or answered my emails. The more I requested to be reinstated and was willing to pay the arrear amounts, the more they refused that I do that. It seems that Discovery is only interested in signing up new members and not in delivering good service to someone that was a member for twenty two years. This is the worst possible treatment I could get as a widow in my time of grief. At 61 years of age I am now without medical aid and hospital cover. I cannot believe that the largest medical aid company in South Africa can rend such poor service and show total lack of support to a widow."

Annette de la Porte