Discovery Vitality 3 Month Free ****! WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER!!!!!!!!!!

My partner and I got Discovery medical aid on the 1st of October 2022. A few days later a consultant called me offer both of us the free 3 month Vitality trial. I agreed to sign us both up for Vitality. I received a welcome letter stating that our membership starts on the 1st of November 2022.

The following month we get debited for the Vitality premium of R370 each. I called and explained that we were offered the free trial. The consultant said they will look into it. I called again a few days later, spoke to another consultant who confirms our Vitality membership started in the 1st of November and that we will pay our first premium on the 1st of February 2023. He then said he had put through the refund. After a week or so when I still haven’t received the refund, I called again. Again, they will look into it.

One morning early in December I get woken up by a Vitality consultant just after 7:00. She proceeded to tell me that I don’t qualify as I was a member previously. Obviously I was livid and asked to be transferred to a Manager. She then tells me it is outside of their operating hours and can’t transfer me, I have to call them at 8:00. I was gobsmacked! How do you call me outside of your operating hours but can’t transfer me to a manager.

Finally 8:00 arrives, I speak to a manger (Lebohang, if I remember correctly), I explained the situation. By the way both myself and my partner was with Discovery previously. I told her the sales consultant who called me never explained that should we have been with Discovery previously, that we don’t qualify for the 3 months free trial. Why would they even contact me is they knew this! Surely it shows on their system.

The manager tells me that she will put an escalation on the matter and will request for the initial sales call recording to be reviewed. This will apparently take 15 days. I will her this will take us to almost Christmas and then we’ll just get debited again. She assured me it will be sorted out before we get debited again.

No surprise, I haven’t heard a word from anyone since then. Comes the 3rd of January 2023 and they take their premium again but this time only for one of us in the amount of R399.

Now I don’t have a problem paying for this but I feel I was ******* into signing up for Vitality. The sales consultant blatantly **** to me on the initial call. I wanted to just leave it and let it be but how on earth do you expect any of your members to trust you and be happy with this type of ********* way of operating!

Here’s so many of your customers dealing with the same type of issues from you.

We all need to take a stand and report them to The Consumer Goods and Service Ombud, as stated on their website

https://www.discovery.co.za/corporate/contact-us

https://www.cgso.org.za/cgso/decision-tree/