Unjustified handover to attorneys despite account being fully paid

I submitted my resignation through my broker, and my last day of cover was 31/01/2026. My premiums are paid in arrears. At the end of January, I paid my January premium at the new annual tariff rate, as applicable for the new year. An amount of R7,902.00 was paid.

On 3 February, I received an SMS from a law firm stating that Medihelp had handed my account over for an alleged outstanding balance of R6,981.79. This is incorrect. My account with Medihelp is fully paid and up to date. The only claims submitted in 2026 were for my husband’s chronic medication, my own prescribed medication, and a doctor’s consultation for a repeat prescription.

At no point did Medihelp make any attempt to contact me regarding an alleged outstanding amount. No statements, notifications, short-paid claim details, or any form of correspondence were sent to indicate that any balance was due.

It is completely unacceptable to hand a member over to attorneys without prior communication or the opportunity to resolve the matter. This type of action can negatively impact a person’s reputation and financial standing.

Almost a week later, the only feedback received was the following email:

“Thank you for your email and for the payment received. Please note that Medihelp appointed MacRobert Attorneys as its collection partners to assist with the recovery of outstanding debts. As such, the member’s account was not handed over in a way that would incur additional legal costs or result in ITC reporting.”

This response does not address the core issue. The concern remains: why was my account handed over in the first place for an amount that was not owed?

If this is the standard of service provided when members resign, it raises serious concerns about Medihelp’s administrative processes and member care.

This experience reflects extremely poor service and unnecessary reputational risk caused without justification.