Vitality ******* Policy No client consent

I'd like to highlight how discovery conviently fails to inform its medical aid members that should the main member add any additional persons onto the medical plan that AUTOMATICALLY THE ADDED MEMBER WILL THEN BE PLACED ON VITALITY AT ADDITIONAL COST WITH NO CONSENT

I addressed this with discovery health and vitality and the response is an ARROGANT ONE TO SAY THE LEAST

THE RESPONSE IS "THATS THE WAY IT WORKS "

IRRESPECTIVE OF THE FACT THAT NO WHERE IN THE MEDICAL AID APPLICATION TO ADD A PARTNER OR DEPENDENT TO THE SCHEME DOES DISCOVERY INFORM THE MAIN MEMBER THAT THE NEW MEMBER ADDED WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE ADDED NOT ONLY TO VITALITY BUT AT AN ADDITIONAL COST GIVEN THERE IS AN INCREASE FOR THE ADDITIONAL MEMBER WHICH IS OBVIOUS BUT AGAIN NOT STIPULATED AND NO OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE CONSENT AS THEY JUST DO IT ON THIER OWN ACCORD

IS IT NOT ******* TO INCREASE ANY PREMIUM , ANY DEBIT WITHOUT CONSENT ?

Further more DISCOVERY NOT ONLY FAILS TO HIGHLIGHT THIS IS WRITING

BUT THEY ALSO FAIL TO INFORM THE MAIN MEMBER THAT THE NEW MEMBER ADDED CAUSES VITALITY REWARDS TO BECOME A JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN THE TWO MEMBERS ON THE MEDICAL AID PLAN

meaning rewards goals are now a joint venture which means more money for vitality as now the original member has to ensure the partner has to achieve rediculous point thresholds in order to achieve what the original member has achieve for years previous

So effectively it means the new member must now pay R2000 joining fee for virgin active in order to achieve points or alternatively a couple thousand rand for a fitness monitor to assist earning points

In my case my partner has to accumulate 45000 points on her own accord to keep my status of gold achieved for the past 3 years

15000 through as*****ts which cost money

And 30000 points through activity 30000 divided by 52 weeks in a year means she effectively would have to achieve 600 points a week I have been with vitality for a couple years now and my general points achieved per week is 500 so how can it be expected of a brand new member to achieve this especially given my partner does not have a gym membership nor fitness device

Yes you can do park runs for 300 points but Vitality and Discovery fail to understand people have lives and cannot be expected to do a park run every weekend

Vitality is supposed to care about health , there is absolutely nothing healthy about obsessing over unachievable goals as is the case in the situation

600 points a week can be broken down as such

That's 3 gym visits (100 x 3 ) and a 300 point park run every single week I'm sorry that is not realistic for new vitality member to achieve especially with no gym membership or fitness device

So I must forfeit my gold status which would have been 3 years in a row this year taking me to diamond status which I have worked hard toward

Because vitalitys structure dictates the new member and principle members vitality is joined it's rediculous how many divorces vitality must have caused through partners fighting over vitality points

They say they structure it to ensure the partners are more active collectively

In all honestly it's a way to make more money plain and simple

Medical aid is medical aid

How is it that when you sign up for discovery medical aid vitality is not automatically app****

It is effectively app**** for separately at an additional cost YOU HAVE TO FILL IN AN APPLICATION AND GIVE CONSENT TO ADD IT

Yet when you add a spouse to your medical aid plan

Vitality is automatically app**** forcing you to pay more without consent

Further more the complicating the vitality rewards program and benefits making it virtually impossible to achieve given what was achieved previously by the principle member is not necessarily achievable for the new member added

We are individuals and should be treated as such

Discovery has put this in place to force anyone who actually wants to achieve to effectively pay more money

It's obscene given you already paying double to have your spouse on the medical aid as it is

Then without your consent the partner is added automatically to your vitality at a higher cost

Now to recieve the same benefits as previously you have to pay twice as much

Biokinetisist visit x 2 to activate your yearly cash back benefits

Pay 2000 rand virgin active fee for gym membership for the new member to earn points Or additionally a fitness device

Moral of the story discovery dictates to its members with no consent and if you want to achieve goals achieved previously or maintain its simple you have to pay more and more money

It's greedy

THE FACT THAT DISCOVERY DOES NOT INFORM IN WRITING IN THE APPLICATION TO ADD A SPOUSE WILL AUTOMATICALLY ADD THEM TO VITALITY AT AN ADDITIONAL COST IS UNACCEPTABLE IT IS EFFECTIVELY A CONTRACT WITHOUT ALL INFORMATION BEING BROUGHT TO THE CLIENTS ATTENTION

I WILL BRING THIS TO WENDY KNOWLERS ATTENTION AT CONSUMER WATCH AS IT IS MOST DEFINETLY GROUNDS FOR FILING A CPA CASE

OVER AND ABOVE THAT THE FACT THAT DISCOVERY FAILS TO INFORM THE ABOVE AND THE FACT THAT ADDING A PARTNER THROWS OUT THE MAIN MEMBERS VITALITY STATUS SO DRASTICALLY AND VIRTUALLY FORCES ONE TO PAY MORE AND MORE MONEY IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE AND MAINTAIN IS ALSO CAUSE FOR CONCERN