BUPA Cheating Their Way out of a Promo (Surprise, Surprise.)

LHimesama21 on 03/04/2017 - 15:19
Last edited 03/04/2017 - 16:24 by 1 other user

Hi guys, this is going to be a long-winded and frustrating story. But, it will be a good lesson to learn.

Medibank was running the promotion "2/6 months waiting period waived and one month (payment) free; if you sign up for hospital+extra package" last month (March 2017). On 31st March (around 11am), I went onto the BUPA website and had a chat with the rep (on the web-chat) to get them to match the promo. They immediately said okay and even threw in $50 Bupa Optical Voucher to get me to sign up.

I signed up and received the confirmation email at 1.36pm. The payment is $2089.05 for the whole year. I called after receiving the email (via 134135) to confirm that I will be getting the promo applied. The lady on the phone said that my membership cannot be viewed on their computer system because I just signed up on their website, so I should call back on Monday. So I did.

At 12.04pm today, I called them and was transferred to 3 different people.
First, the waiting period is not waived, so they did that and it's all good.
Then, they said that the payment was still being processed and now it will be $2217.80 charged from my account because I did not process the payment before the 1st of April. After much "calm conversation" with the third person Clayton, they will charge my account for $2217.80, but they will refund it and charge $2089.05 from my account. They admitted that they were at fault and will be getting it fixed.

HOWEVER!!!!
He told me that Bupa will not be applying the "one month (payment) free" as saying that there is no evidence that their consultant has promised me this promo! I told them that I have talked to their consultation online on the web-chat and they should honor it. They said it will be sent to a case manager and they will review the situation, check the web-chat transcript.

Supposedly, I should be paying only $1915.37 for my cover. Now, there is a high chance that I will have to pay $2089.05.

Lesson to be learned:
1. Save your transcript (especially in the web-chat) whenever you are dealing with these people.
2. If you are getting a "one month free" promo (or something similar), make sure that you will be paying the amount of money that you're supposed to pay. In my case, I should pay $1915.37 on the 31st March, instead of the $2089.05, thinking that they will refund it into my account. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN!!!!
3. DO NOT DEAL WITH FREAKING HEALTH INSURANCE THEY ARE A LOAD OF YOU-KNOW-WHAT.

Please comment below what i can do in this situation OR if you had similar kind of situation going on. Please be kind.

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Comments

  • k-rokfm on 03/04/2017 - 15:44
    +10

    Surely if they check the web chat history then they will realise that it was actually offered and have to give it to you. If they dont give it to you then say that you will be cancelling it under the 30 day cooling off period then as you were told you would get something and didnt.

    "We will allow any consumer who has not yet made a claim, to cancel their private health insurance policy and receive a full refund of any premiums
    paid within a period of 30 days from the commencement date of their policy"

    source: http://oshc.bupa.com.au/-/media/OSHC/Files/Change-Cover/Canc…

    • Himesama21 on 03/04/2017 - 15:48

      Yeah, they said they cannot find the web-chat history (that is linked to my application), indicating that there is no evidence that the promo was negotiated. Worse comes to worst, I will cancel my cover.

  • vinni9284 on 03/04/2017 - 16:19
    +3

    Firstly I would call speak straight to cancellation. Staff are usually trained to waffle you some life dependency on it so you can stay (usually you get fluent English speaking staff).
    Tell them that you would like to cancel and they will ask you why. Firstly, find out if you cancel is the refund immediate? For example credited on your CCard. Then explain the situation.
    I cancelled Medibank Private and it's been 5 weeks thus far and still waiting for the cheque to arrive in the mail. They must be desperate to hold on to the money to invest as they are copping an exodus and still making a profit. LOL
    Cheers

    • Himesama21 on 03/04/2017 - 16:48

      I see, I will still wait and see what they have to say. I hope you get your cheque soon. 5 weeks of waiting is a long time. :(

      • vinni9284 on 03/04/2017 - 18:25

        Yes. It is! Medibank Private has been plagued with IT issues since their upgrade. Privatisation has generated its demise imo! Please google it and there a many, many stories about their issues, disgruntled customers, ACCC investigation, Ombudsman complaints … and the list goes on.
        Cheers

    • [Deactivated] on 03/04/2017 - 19:18

      Meidbank lost some 200,000 members. Not so surprise as they are one of most profitable PHIs as of today.
      (http://privatehealth.gov.au/dynamic/Insurer/Details/MBP)

      • vinni9284 on 03/04/2017 - 20:57

        Well, with the rate of members leaving I would say that is a matter of time that this PHI will remain profitable or even sustainable.

        http://www.afr.com/news/why-medibank-private-is-losing-custo…
        https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/accc-takes-action-agai…

        I can see that they are trying to strengthen their business by adding more different types of policies, Pet, Income Protection, night and day, left and right, up, down and side-ways oxygenated insurance, furthermore adding another re-named insurance company AHM to pay their shareholders.

        But the ultimate question that the customers ask themselves? WIFM????

        With PHI's very very (very very) abstract PDS, soaring premiums, removal of some inclusions without notifying customers, how can they eventually survive?

        In my view, these PDS are very vague for a reason.

        I gave them the boot a month ago ….. Ahhh I feel better now! LOL

  • iDroid on 03/04/2017 - 17:32
    +2

    Question: what additional benefit do you hope to get that you won't be getting from medicare?

    I've stopped paying for health insurance as everything was costing me more out-of-pocket compared to sticking with medicare.

    Seems sort of crazy to pay for the privilege of paying more and I'm yet to see any real world benefit from any private health (other than the anecdotal opinions of other's justifying their own expensive health cover!!)

    I'd look past the scare tactics, social stigma, etc of health insurance and try and quantify what that $2k per year gives you.

    • Make it so on 03/04/2017 - 18:13
      +3

      The ability to receive care when you need it urgently, vs. very long waiting periods.
      Apart from that, we are fairly well looked after in Australia. I never take it for granted.

      • iDroid on 03/04/2017 - 20:25
        +2

        I've heard this a lot, but I'm not 100% convinced there is any substance to it.

        Any emergency care is always performed on a as-needed-basis private or not. Given that such a large percentage of Australians now have private cover I'm also not convinced you'll get treatment any quicker - you're on the end of the same line as every other private (and some public) insured peeps..

        I'd been keen to see some empirical evidence to support these things (they don't seem to be available that I can see). I think there's a lot more speculation than truth to this.

        Perhaps I'm just ignorant though :)

        And for what private health costs + the often extra out of pocket expenses, I'm going to speculate that anything I really didn't want to wait for (if this really ever happens) I could pay for out of my own pocket on an as needed basis and still be better off (I could be wrong here, but maybe not!)..

        For example, my father was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer (he's clear now) and only has medicare. He investigated if he could get surgery sooner if he paid out of his own pocket (ala the same as you'd get with private cover) - there was no benefit, the priority did not change and private cover would have had no effect on getting treatment sooner. Any emergency treatment is scheduled by case and not by funds or cover. The only difference would have been the cost (private cover would have cost $$$ on top of most private cover - medicare cost $0 total)…

        • kev98 on 03/04/2017 - 20:37
          +3

          Reality is you do. E.g, hernia operation. 10 months public, <2 months private. Knee replacements are also done much quicker privately.

        • Make it so on 03/04/2017 - 20:43
          +4

          @kev98: Yep. If it doesn't kill you, they reckon you can wait.

        • kev98 on 03/04/2017 - 20:44
          +1

          @Make it so:

          Pretty much!

        • cookie2 on 03/04/2017 - 21:44

          for emergency medical treatment, I'm not convinced it's required either. the problem is that diagnosis treatment and public hospital specialists, pre cancerous cell removal (as I have recently found out)and other things, do take longer. do you want to have more sleepless nights before you even get told when yous appointment is with a specialist? do you want to know there is something inside you that could potentially get worse but isn't yet deemed an emergency and just go about your normal day to day life? AI am in the process of deciding between public and private care and so far, public seems to be longer waits with no surety. just thought I'd give my input. It's hard though. Private health insurance costs a lot and still costs more even when you need to use it! :)

        • vinni9284 on 03/04/2017 - 21:59

          @cookie2: Yeah. I hear you. I guess it depends on the circumstances. Hence why many people join and their marketing tactics work very well to get you to join. I thought that PHI do not cover for Specialist appointments? I believed it was mainly for scheduled "approved" procedures & surgery, hospital stay depending on level of cover.

        • iDroid on 03/04/2017 - 22:05

          @kev98: Where do these stats come from? Given 57.1% (2011-12 so likely higher now) are covered by private insurance you're still competing for a position with half of Australians needing the same treatment.

          Is this a modern statistic or one given by someone offering you a service?

          Note, if it's really the case, you can still pay out of your own pocket to get said surgery sooner (if that's even possible in reality)

        • kev98 on 04/04/2017 - 11:45

          @iDroid:

          That is first hand experience of family and friends. Also, you can pay to have it done straight away, but as an example the hernia surgery would cost 7k

    • vinni9284 on 03/04/2017 - 18:20
      +1

      I agree, however I am a privileged higher-wage earner that exercises my "democratic" right to make a choice!
      That is pay for Private Health Insurance, or get thrashed more tax on top of what I am paying.
      Hmmm hard one here!

      • iDroid on 03/04/2017 - 20:33

        Yes this is the flaw in my thinking :)

        I too pay a significant amount in tax due to not having cover, but private health can expose me to even greater costs in a medical emergency - costs I would not incur if I did not have private cover.

        It's such a convoluted mess IMO, the choice paralysis makes me decide on medicare for the simplicity!

  • Gotchas on 03/04/2017 - 21:31

    Were you a new customer or with bupa already?

  • mattyman on 04/04/2017 - 08:34

    Personally I find insurance funds run for profit tend to be worse than those that aren't. Take a look at HBF rather than BUPA or Medibank.

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