Medihelp wants me to pay penalties for changing down to a lower option after offering the lower option due to COVID.

Dear Hallo Peter. I have now been trying to get ahold of Medihelp for almost three weeks. They are not responding to my email. This is my story.. Dear Medihelp

I have been a loyal customer for two years now. I have never skipped a payment. During 2020, I gave birth to my daughter. We are on the Unify option. We have a savings account of R11000. So it came to be that medihelp paid one of the doctor's at the hospital by taking the money out of our savings account. This was done incorrectly as it should have been paid by us through gap cover. So we contacted them and medihelp said sorry it was their mistake. We asked if we could then put the money back into our savings account. We were told NO, as this would seem like ********** activity on their books. So we were stuck with this arrangement, with no money in our savings.

During the covid period, Medihelp sent each of their members a form that consisted of two choices for covid relief. One could move down to a Netcare option, or not pay for three months. We, thinking that this was a miracle in disguise, chose the Netcare option on the form.

NO ONE CONTACTED US TO DISCUSS ANY CLAUSE THAT STATED ON THE PAPER THAT IF YOUR PREVIOUS MEDICAL OPTION WAS DEPLETED, YOU WOULD HAVE TO PAY A PENALTY FEE AND THE OUTSTANDING MONEY...NONE OF THIS WAS EVEN ON THE PAPER WE SIGNED AND NO REPRESENTATIVE CALLED US TO INFORM US THAT WE WOULD BE LAIBLE FOR PAYING R10999 IF WE CHOSE THIS OPTION. NOTHING. ON THE ONE PIECE OF PAPER IT JUST GAVE ALL ITS CUSOTMERS THESE OPTIONS. NO STRINGS ATTACHED.

Now, in October, I receive frantic phone calls and statements saying that I need to pay R10999 because of changing to a lower option?????????????????????????????????????????????

I was given a form in covid period and IT DID NOT STATE ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR PREVIOUS OPTION... I WOULD NEVER NEVER EVER HAVE SIGNED OR AGREED TO MOVE TO A LOWER OPTION IF I HAD KNOWN THAT THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY IN THAT KIND OF MONEY.

I find this ridiculous and extremely unfair and unprofessional. If Medihelp offered relief for their customers, why are they now penalizing us and asking us to pay for the previous option that was depleted. Why did no one contact us to say that we would pay these fees? We are now being attacked and hunted from all sides to pay this amount immediately or face suspension? After we have been paying every month for two years.

It is thus unreasonable to expect us to pay this amount that is all of a sudden in arrears. I will not pay back any money for I did not choose the option by myself, it was given as a covid relief and no contact was made to say that this is the situation and we will have to pay it.

I cannot pay that amount of money. I will not pay it off. This is Medihelp's mistake and mismanagement for the second time and I will no longer stand for it.

If the problem is not sorted out fast and if our medical aid gets suspended because of this and the lives, myself, my husband and my baby's life is put at risk, I will take medihelp to the Board of medical scheme's . I will use every single social media platform available to expose how customers are **** to and being treated as such. I will also contact Beeld to write and article on what happened to our family and how we are being hounded and held liable for your mistakes as well as contacting the Alberton record to collaborate and write an expose on how Medihelp handles their loyal customers.

I have been trying to call AMANDA from Finances diligently for days now, and no one picks up the phone. I constantly miss her calls because I am being called at times when I teach and cannot answer the phone.

I trust this matter will be resolved to my satisfaction. Regards Zeldine Venter I will send the form that I signed if it is called for.

I have sent this to all email addresses possible. I cannot get a hold of the finance department, they don't pick up the phone. I am not receiving any correspondence from them and the phone calls have stopped. But I am still held responsible for paying an outstanding amount and they are threatening to suspend my medical aid. This Cannot happen seeing as I have a 9 month old baby and a disabled husband.