Metropolitan owes our undertaker for 5 years

As a family, we have lost all respect for Metropolitan after the treatment we have received after waiting for 5 years for a claim to be fully paid.

My sister, her husband and son died due to a car crash in July 2017. During that week we visited Metropolitan offices in Joburg and we were told by the consultant which documents to submit and we did so that week because we had to drive back to Kimberley where the funeral was going to take place. After all documents were submitted and the consultant was happy we were asked how we would like the payment to be made and we asked that the money goes straight to the service provider(the undertakers) to avoid any red tapes. The consultant agreed and said in that case we won't need a letter of authority because that might delay the process. After the agreement was reached we were then told the money will be paid out prior to the weekend of the funeral so we all left happy.

Fast forward last year March 2022 we were busy with arrangements for the unveiling of tombstones for our 3 loved ones and we went to the same undertaker who helped us with the funeral in 2017. What a shock we got when they refused to help us saying that they never received the rest of the money for the funeral services expenses as Metropolitan only paid half of the money. We then had to put our plans on hold after we had already paid R33 000 at another service provider to buy the tombstones and after inviting everyone.

We then the same month in March 2022 went to the local Kimberley Metropolitan offices where we were given proof that Metropolitan only paid half for the funeral because the accidental cover was not paid yet due to an accident report document that was outstanding. The consultant that was helping us at the local office said we need to submit the accident report and I emailed it to the head office as she advised.

A month down the line(April 2022) we again went to the local office and the same consultant said we must wait on the head office because they are still looking into the matter. I then personally called the head office and they also told me they are still looking into it. In May 2022 we went again and the same lady at the local office who helped us in April only told us then that the document we actually need to submit is the police declaration that she only then printed and gave to us, what incompetence!

Remember we are in Kimberley Northern Cape and the detective who was supposed to have received this police declaration form in 2017 is in Joburg where the accident took place. At that time the police station network was disfunctional and they could not receive emails so we had to make other means to get the document to him and had to convince the detective to go dig into his archives from 5 years ago to be able to provide us with the information and eventually he got the information we needed and helped us. We then took this document to the manager at the local office again who submitted it to head office as the final document needed.

We then never heard from Metropolitan for about 2 months then I called the head office to enquire and was again sent from pillar to post. Then on the 29th of August I decided to lay a formal complaint via email and I never got contacted, only received a system acknowledgement. On the 6th of September I lodged the same complaint again and the matter was still not attended to. We then in the beginning of December 2022 went again and were told by the local consultant who previously helped us to go get a new invoice from the undertakers so they can pay their outstanding money directly to them and we did so and submitted it.

Then few days after we received this email from the Head office and I have copied it as received. " Please note any other funds due for payout will be paid to the Estate of the deceased and not to the undertakers. Death claims are late and there is no funeral to be arranged. The spouse passed died after the main member, therefore if we can get the spouse’s LOA & Estate late bank details then we will proceed with payout.

Hope this is in order.

Kind Regards "

Then on the 27th December I re-emailed my complaint because they keep on changing their story and the next day I received an email saying they need a letter of authority for the husband to pay in his estate.

Few days after that I finally received a call from Metropolitan to adress my complaint and obviously the feedback was disappointing.

Also had the same feedback in January 2023 from Kimberley branch Manager

So after 5+ years this is the best Metropolitan can come up with. 1st of all could the Letters of Authority not have been requested somewhere during the 5 year period or atleast in March 2022 when we 1st went to follow up? Also why would money due to the undertakers be paid into the late's estate when we were told paying the service provider directly will work out easier? The undertakers have been waiting for 5 years plus we were given a full year from March 2022 to March 2023 by the other service provider to do the tombstone after which we will lose 9% of the amount we paid and indeed this March 2023 we lost a couple of thousands after receiving our money back. It angers me more that I had to resort to complaining here after I had lodged multiple official complaints to Metropolitan .

Will Metropolitan take responsibility for the money we lost from tombstones because of their incompetence? Will they ever sort out the main issue? Do they understand how much time we had to take off from work to visit their offices and sit there for hours?

The treatment we received from Metropolitan speaks volumes of what they think of their clients. Why didn't any of them ever reach out to us as a family in the last 5 years to say there is a document outstanding in order for the payment to be done? What was their motive then? What is their motive now for refusing to pay the undertakers?

In conclusion, under the FAIS act and the TCF frame work Metropolitan has not treated us fairly because they are bridging a promise they made to us of paying the service provider directly and now they are changing their story because it does not suit them anymore.