Passed away being **********

I'm astounded and horrified that a Company as large as Metropolitan Life can "con" someone into signing a funeral policy where they are actually going to lose a substantial amount of their hard-earned money.

My mother took out a funeral policy in July 2000 and diligently paid her premiums every month via debit order until she passed away on 20 September 2021.

Total sum paid to Metropolitan Life over this period amounted to R13586.56.

Metropolitan Life's pay out amounted to a meagre R5000.00 equating to a gross over-payment of R8586.46 by my mother.

Now I'm well aware that a Company is in business to make a "fair profit" however I do not believe that 171.72% can be considered a FAIR profit. (more like a “*******”) Had my mother still been alive she would have carried on adding to the already exorbitant amount of money deducted from her for an absolutely USELESS funeral policy. This policy and profit margin has to be “day light *******” in the strongest possible terms.

I would have thought that a Company like Metropolitan Life who I'm sure like to portray the image of being fair and considerate would have a premium "cut off" once a fair profit had been reached on limited pay out policies. (50% to 75% over and above the final pay out figure I'd consider fair)

Getting the measly R5000.00 pay out was also not made easy and took many phone calls (at additional cost to the customer support centre) together with numerous emails.

My questions therefore are: 1) How can Metropolitan Life justify taking R13586.46 of someone’s hard-earned cash and only pay-out R5000.00? (the actual funeral cost was R12500.00) 2) How can Metropolitan Life justify making 171.72% profit from someone and then make it as difficult as possible for a grieving next of kin to collect the mere pittance that is going to be paid out?

I have sent numerous emails to Metropolitan Life’s only email address shown on the website asking for an explanation to the above questions with no response to date. I have even tried using the “Make a Complaint” link on the web site also to no avail. Even addressing my complaint to the Managing Director did not receive an answer.

I’m absolutely disgusted with the service provided by Metropolitan Life and wonder how many other people like my mother have been “**********” thinking they are actually saving enough for their funeral costs.

In closing I’d like to point out that this posting on Hello Peter has NOT been done without making numerous attempts to contact Metropolitan Life first for a response.