Under deliver on promises

Overpromising and failing to deliver on time sums up my overall experience with Old Mutual. You are quick to pursue new contracts, with call centre agents repeatedly calling to encourage people to take out policies. However, when it is time to pay out, there are excuses.

I have been waiting since 1 November for a cashback payment on my funeral policy. Given that 1 November fell on a Sunday, I expected the payment to reflect in my account by Tuesday at the latest. More than two working days have now passed. When I called the call centre to ask about the delay, I was told that the payment still needed to be released. This explanation was perplexing, to say the least.

I fail to understand why the payment is taking so long when it was due to be released on 1 November. If the weekend caused a delay, I would have expected it to be processed on the next working day.

In the current economy, every cent counts. I have diligently paid my policy premiums for the past five years, on time and without a single failed debit order. Yet I cannot get a clear explanation for why money owed to me has not been paid. If I were enquiring about taking out a new policy, I have no doubt that the response would be prompt.

This experience has been frustrating, and the way my enquiry has been handled feels condescending, to say the least.