VHI: Get out clause to avoid paying up!

babaloushka

We have VHI health insurance with Health Steps Gold. We don't have a lot of expenses usually - we avoid doctors and medicines whenever possible. We had some claims going back for 3 years, so decided to submit them a few weeks ago with the credit crunch biting. There was nothing on the VHI site or on the claim form about a time limit and we had made late claims before so we thought it would be fine.
However, it seems that now you must claim within 3 months of your renewal date - all in the member hand book that's updated every year :mad: I don't know when it changed and I know we should all read the small print every time [yada, yada] but you would expect that if there was a time limit for claims it should be clearly marked on the claim form. I rang them today but even when I said I'd be revising my options for renewal they were adamant that my claims would not be paid.
Such a shortsighted view! We pay almost 50% more in 1 year than our entire claim for those 3 years and they are prepared to lose us now by this intransigent approach. Ah well, I'll be saving from now on, so it's an ill wind!

axer

babaloushka wrote: »

We have VHI health insurance with Health Steps Gold. We don't have a lot of expenses usually - we avoid doctors and medicines whenever possible. We had some claims going back for 3 years, so decided to submit them a few weeks ago with the credit crunch biting. There was nothing on the VHI site or on the claim form about a time limit and we had made late claims before so we thought it would be fine.
However, it seems that now you must claim within 3 months of your renewal date - all in the member hand book that's updated every year :mad: I don't know when it changed and I know we should all read the small print every time [yada, yada] but you would expect that if there was a time limit for claims it should be clearly marked on the claim form. I rang them today but even when I said I'd be revising my options for renewal they were adamant that my claims would not be paid.
Such a shortsighted view! We pay almost 50% more in 1 year than our entire claim for those 3 years and they are prepared to lose us now by this intransigent approach. Ah well, I'll be saving from now on, so it's an ill wind!

3 years ago? Are you being serious?

How long do you expect to be able to claim for?

Have you looked at the agreed terms regarding claims. If it does not give a limit then you could argue your case but 3 years ago sounds like too long.

3DataModem

This rule is imposed on VHI by the hospitals and GP's etc. It means that they will always be able to contact the relevant medical institution and get up-to-date information on the source of the claim if required.

If they allowed a long time between insurable event and claim it exposes them to a HUGE amount of self-selection and moral hazard (i.e. people making stuff up or exaggerating claims).

You may feel this is unfair, but without this they get exposed to a lot more spurious claims. More of these claims = higher premiums for all.

Might I suggest you claim tax relief on these expenses? I know from experience that you can claim back several years expenses provided you have receipts.

tallaghtoutlaws

I have a booklet and it states every insurance year. I also found this on their website:

http://www.vhi.ie/members/claims/hs_gold.jsp

babaloushka

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

I have a booklet and it states every insurance year. I also found this on their website:

http://www.vhi.ie/members/claims/hs_gold.jsp

From the website: "Claims for eligible expenses under HealthSteps Gold may be made at the end of each insurance year." Nothing at all to say they must be made within any period of time - nor does it say this on the claim form itself. I accept it may be buried within the T&Cs in the handbook, but the previous claim I made for Health Steps Gold (this is for GP and other everyday expenses, not hospital related) was well outside the 3 months.
The point I was making related to the 3 months time limit now being imposed. I accept I was at fault for not re-reading the updated handbook sent every year. I'd like to know who does. Why can they not put this information on the claim form or on the site, which is where I usually go for information? I would at least have saved myself the bother of gathering everything together and filling it in, if nothing else.
I have since been speaking to a number of other people with VHI and none knew that 3 months after renewal date was the limit for claims. Given my low expenses, I am now reconsidering this aspect of my health insurance and have decided to change the rest to Hibernian Aviva.
I am expressing my disappointment with VHI by voting with my feet. I should thank them really, as I've been goaded into shopping around. Hibernian is cheaper, so it's win-win for me; we are very rare claimants, so Hibernian are quids in too. The only lose-lose party is VHI - for the sake of a few hundred up front, they will lose about €1400 per year from now on.

tallaghtoutlaws

babaloushka wrote: »

From the website: "Claims for eligible expenses under HealthSteps Gold may be made at the end of each insurance year." Nothing at all to say they must be made within any period of time - nor does it say this on the claim form itself. I accept it may be buried within the T&Cs in the handbook, but the previous claim I made for Health Steps Gold (this is for GP and other everyday expenses, not hospital related) was well outside the 3 months.
The point I was making related to the 3 months time limit now being imposed. I accept I was at fault for not re-reading the updated handbook sent every year. I'd like to know who does. Why can they not put this information on the claim form or on the site, which is where I usually go for information? I would at least have saved myself the bother of gathering ueverything together and filling it in, if nothing else.
I have since been speaking to a number of other people with VHI and none knew that 3 months after renewal date was the limit for claims. Given my low expenses, I am now reconsidering this aspect of my health insurance and have decided to change the rest to Hibernian Aviva.
I am expressing my disappointment with VHI by voting with my feet. I should thank them really, as I've been goaded into shopping around. Hibernian is cheaper, so it's win-win for me; we are very rare claimants, so Hibernian are quids in too. The only lose-lose party is VHI - for the sake of a few hundred up front, they will lose about €1400 per year from now on.

Thats fair enough that you see it that way but do you not think common sense to read the T&C should have prevailed. I always do especially when it comes to insurance and any contract signed. Not really VHI fault this time around if you ask me. If more people read the instructions and terms and conditions there would be alot less complaining. And I know after saying this people will call me a pc brigader and so on blah de blah. But when you sing yourself to something make sure you know the ins and outs in future. This is aimed at all.

babaloushka

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

Thats fair enough that you see it that way but do you not think common sense to read the T&C should have prevailed. I always do especially when it comes to insurance and any contract signed. Not really VHI fault this time around if you ask me. If more people read the instructions and terms and conditions there would be alot less complaining. And I know after saying this people will call me a pc brigader and so on blah de blah. But when you sing yourself to something make sure you know the ins and outs in future. This is aimed at all.

I appreciate what you're saying but I think you're maybe missing my point. I slavishly read T&Cs when I sign up to something and I did on this occasion too - WHEN I signed up and again when I made my first claim (which was accepted and paid at a later stage than 3 months after renewal).
What I haven't done - and I wager I'm not alone in this - is read the latest handbook from cover to cover every year since to check for any differences. In fairness, I would expect to see material changes such as time limits flagged up - on the renewal form, the claim form or on the site.
Yes, I was at fault for not doing this every year over the last 12 years I've been with VHI :eek: If anyone/everyone else is doing this, I take my hat off to them. Do you trawl through all your documentation and the small print at every renewal of every policy you have every year?

tallaghtoutlaws

babaloushka wrote: »

I appreciate what you're saying but I think you're maybe missing my point. I slavishly read T&Cs when I sign up to something and I did on this occasion too - WHEN I signed up and again when I made my first claim (which was accepted and paid at a later stage than 3 months after renewal).
What I haven't done - and I wager I'm not alone in this - is read the latest handbook from cover to cover every year since to check for any differences. In fairness, I would expect to see material changes such as time limits flagged up - on the renewal form, the claim form or on the site.
Yes, I was at fault for not doing this every year over the last 12 years I've been with VHI :eek: If anyone/everyone else is doing this, I take my hat off to them. Do you trawl through all your documentation and the small print at every renewal of every policy you have every year?

To answer your question I do. Have been doing for the last 5 years. I no longer trust insurance companies anymore on their word as I have heard some bad stories and now with the times that are in it I make sure I know the ins and outs of the policy. Boring read for sure.:D

dudara

Moved to Banking & Insurance & Pensions

dudara

babaloushka

tallaghtoutlaws wrote: »

To answer your question I do. Have been doing for the last 5 years. I no longer trust insurance companies anymore on their word as I have heard some bad stories and now with the times that are in it I make sure I know the ins and outs of the policy. Boring read for sure.:D

What can I say? You're absolutely right and I suppose I'm going to have to bite the bullet from now on I don't think I'm going to be the only one caught out with claims that will be turned down over the next few years by a variety of penny-pinching insurers. I'm still happy that I'm leaving VHI though - allow me the satisfaction of a modicum of revenge

broker2008

babaloushka wrote: »

I I am now reconsidering this aspect of my health insurance and have decided to change the rest to Hibernian Aviva.
I am expressing my disappointment with VHI by voting with my feet. I should thank them really, as I've been goaded into shopping around. Hibernian is cheaper, so it's win-win for me; we are very rare claimants, so Hibernian are quids in too. The only lose-lose party is VHI - for the sake of a few hundred up front, they will lose about €1400 per year from now on.

Just beware that the 2 other health insurers have a similar policy:
Quinn Healthcare: http://www.quinn-healthcare.com/for_members/how_to_claim.htm
and Hibernian Aviva Health: http://www.hibernianavivahealth.ie/member-info/claims/

All 3 may pay outside the year at their discretion though.

babaloushka

broker2008 wrote: »

Just beware that the 2 other health insurers have a similar policy:
Quinn Healthcare: http://www.quinn-healthcare.com/for_members/how_to_claim.htm
and Hibernian Aviva Health: http://www.hibernianavivahealth.ie/member-info/claims/

All 3 may pay outside the year at their discretion though.

Yes, I saw that when I went to their sites. The difference now is that I know the clause exists and won't be labouring under the false illusion that it was the same as it used to be. I've learned my lesson there
However, after trying unsuccessfully to get some relevant information from Hibernian today on the nitty gritty of their policy, I'm coming to the conclusion that I just might abandon health insurance altogether!
I wanted the replies in writing, but they claim that they 'are so highly regulated by the financial regulator' they would not be able to answer my queries in writing; they would however discuss it over the phone :eek: When I said that I did not want to find at some point down the road that this oral information was disputed, I was assured that they recorded all calls and that wouldn't happen. Like I trust that one :rolleyes:
I was then sent a copy of the handbook so that I could search for my own answers. I'm still no wiser, but I may well decide to just give it all up and use the money saved to cushion the next round of tax cuts to follow the pension levy. How fun it is trying to balance a shrinking budget :rolleyes:

broker2008

What questions were you asking? The type of cover is relatively clear with all 3 insurers I would have thought? no?

babaloushka

broker2008 wrote: »

What questions were you asking? The type of cover is relatively clear with all 3 insurers I would have thought? no?

I wanted to know about the choice aspect for cover in NI hospitals (I live near the border and have no hospital choice locally), what, if any, cover for outpatient consultants (not treated in hospital overnight or as a day case, but just referred for consultation by GP), timescales and acceptance details for the switchover, options to upgrade and pay extra at point of service, and if downgrading the new policy (as opposed to upgrading) also incurred penalties or waiting times. They were specific questions and I took considerable time and effort compiling them so I feel I deserved a written reply.
Why can I be told the answers over the phone but not have them written down? Just seems dodgy to me.

NuMarvel

babaloushka wrote: »

However, after trying unsuccessfully to get some relevant information from Hibernian today on the nitty gritty of their policy, I'm coming to the conclusion that I just might abandon health insurance altogether!
I wanted the replies in writing, but they claim that they 'are so highly regulated by the financial regulator' they would not be able to answer my queries in writing; they would however discuss it over the phone :eek: When I said that I did not want to find at some point down the road that this oral information was disputed, I was assured that they recorded all calls and that wouldn't happen. Like I trust that one :rolleyes:
I was then sent a copy of the handbook so that I could search for my own answers. I'm still no wiser

Two options for you:

1) Have them give the answers to you over the phone and then ask for a copy of the call recording on CD. I'd say the Data Protection Act allows you to pbtain a copy of the call recording.

2) If you can't find the answer to your particular question in the handbook, ring them when you have a copy of the book in front of you and ask them to direct you to the relevant parts that answer your query.

To be honest though, being told that they don't issue answers in writing due to the regulatory environment does sound a bit lazy. The point of regulation is to protect the customer! I don't think they are intentionally being dodgy, I think it's a combination of laziness and internal policies not allowing telephone staff to issue detailed correspondence.

I'd something similar with Hibernian when I was trying to get a quote, via email, for one of their corporate plans. I was told that, due to the high level of regulation, they had to obtain the information verbally and they couldn't do it via email. When I asked why I was able to get an on-line quote for other plans (e.g. Level 2), they went schtum and said they'd give it to me as a once off. How gracious... It's more likely that they want to restrict membership of their (better value) corporate plans. Someone needs to remind them of the concept of open-enrolment.

babaloushka

NuMarvel wrote: »

Two options for you:

1) Have them give the answers to you over the phone and then ask for a copy of the call recording on CD. I'd say the Data Protection Act allows you to pbtain a copy of the call recording.

2) If you can't find the answer to your particular question in the handbook, ring them when you have a copy of the book in front of you and ask them to direct you to the relevant parts that answer your query.

To be honest though, being told that they don't issue answers in writing due to the regulatory environment does sound a bit lazy. The point of regulation is to protect the customer! I don't think they are intentionally being dodgy, I think it's a combination of laziness and internal policies not allowing telephone staff to issue detailed correspondence.

I'd something similar with Hibernian when I was trying to get a quote, via email, for one of their corporate plans. I was told that, due to the high level of regulation, they had to obtain the information verbally and they couldn't do it via email. When I asked why I was able to get an on-line quote for other plans (e.g. Level 2), they went schtum and said they'd give it to me as a once off. How gracious... It's more likely that they want to restrict membership of their (better value) corporate plans. Someone needs to remind them of the concept of open-enrolment.

That's very useful advice - thank you. I also thought that I might get the verbal answers, write them up in a letter, and post them to Hibernian to accept or reject Still, that's a lot of hassle and in my most recent researches, I'm coming to the conclusion that any health insurance is not actually good value for me. I wish I'd come to that conclusion years ago - think of the money cushion I'd have now for the recession :eek:
Everyone is covered under the public health system - hospital costs are capped at €750 per year. The same wait in casualty applies to everyone, regardless of health cover. In the only hospital that I can attend within 50 miles, the chances of a private room are slim to none (personal experience).
The only downside I can find is the waiting time for non-emergency treatment and from what I've discovered, this is also a problem for some private patients locally. If you know of any other downside to help in my decision, I'd be very grateful.

Iago

afaik you can claim the expenses back from the tax office for up to 5 years after they occured if you haven't claimed back from your health insurance provider.

babaloushka

Iago wrote: »

afaik you can claim the expenses back from the tax office for up to 5 years after they occured if you haven't claimed back from your health insurance provider.

Yes, I'm going to try that - will get something back, I'm sure. When I cease the premiums with VHI, I'll have made all my money back within 3 months After that, I'll be quids in

3DataModem

babaloushka wrote: »

When I cease the premiums with VHI, I'll have made all my money back within 3 months After that, I'll be quids in

How could that plan possibly fail?

babaloushka

3DataModem wrote: »

How could that plan possibly fail?

Yes, it's the new VHI/Aviva/Quinn Plan 0: Zero premiums, Zero claims & Zero benefits that I will never use (maternity, doulas, teeth whitening, laser eye surgery, drying out clinics etc)

broker2008

I tried replying twice to this thread, big long winded reply and it made me log in again. In a nutshell, your proximity to the North changes the goalposts I think and I would imagine your queries are non standard. Quinn's location could be a better option.

babaloushka

Thank you for trying to post That happened me once and I just gave up. I've started looking at Quinn, but I'm also examining the value of purchasing any health insurance at all. I'm torn, but I've 2 months until my VHI is due for renewal and another 13 weeks after that to make up my mind.

JJ

3 years? I have Health Steps also, at least I did until my company switched to something else which still essentially has all the benefits of Health Steps, and I don't think I ever left any claims more than 6-9 months or so.

Daibheid

I've also got Healthsteps gold and have paid out quite a few grand on it over the years. Like the OP I went to claim a few years after the expenses and hit a wall. However I may have gotten a bit further than anyone else because they committed to me in writing that their Ts&Cs say 3 months but they actually allow 2 years grace.
You've probably already guessed that excluded my claims which is why they volunteered the information. However it may help some others on here to know this so go for it.:pac:

BTW I also found their claims handling staff obnoxious in their gleeful claim rejection notices an experience not improved by a runaround when you try to contact them - you can't even though they indicate you can get in touch. They'll even ignore letters written to them.

I do read Ts&Cs but like babaloushka I got a strong message that early claims were not welcome and nothing to warn of a cut-off date. However on this occasion I also had an actual claim form that I got from their rep at the time of the major expenditure. I was certain it had no reference to time limits and sure enough I tracked it down and it hadn't. Back for another pop at VHI who smugly referred me to the Ts&cs again. Now I think that's deliberately misleading and will be pushing further - probably with the ombudsman. Suggestions?

FYI you can go back 5 years to claim on income tax with the Med 1 form so don't delay on that. However they will ask you to complete a full tax return for the year which is a pain and you still won't get away from that feeling of paying money to VHI for several years and getting nothing back.

Finally to those who think only idiots don't claim immediately for medical expenses I'm betting you've not been in close on a serious situation when money doesn't seem a priority once you can get by at all. You might find you'll be counting your blessings rather than your eligible receipts for a very long time after the crunch. You might also find you'll baulk at asking someone who's doing well against the odds to "please find the receipts etc so I can get the money sorted and by the way how are you feeling to day or do we need to rush this...."

babaloushka

Daibheid wrote: »

I've also got Healthsteps gold and have paid out quite a few grand on it over the years. Like the OP I went to claim a few years after the expenses and hit a wall. However I may have gotten a bit further than anyone else because they committed to me in writing that their Ts&Cs say 3 months but they actually allow 2 years grace.
You've probably already guessed that excluded my claims which is why they volunteered the information. However it may help some others on here to know this so go for it.:pac:

BTW I also found their claims handling staff obnoxious in their gleeful claim rejection notices an experience not improved by a runaround when you try to contact them - you can't even though they indicate you can get in touch. They'll even ignore letters written to them.

I do read Ts&Cs but like babaloushka I got a strong message that early claims were not welcome and nothing to warn of a cut-off date. However on this occasion I also had an actual claim form that I got from their rep at the time of the major expenditure. I was certain it had no reference to time limits and sure enough I tracked it down and it hadn't. Back for another pop at VHI who smugly referred me to the Ts&cs again. Now I think that's deliberately misleading and will be pushing further - probably with the ombudsman. Suggestions?

FYI you can go back 5 years to claim on income tax with the Med 1 form so don't delay on that. However they will ask you to complete a full tax return for the year which is a pain and you still won't get away from that feeling of paying money to VHI for several years and getting nothing back.

Finally to those who think only idiots don't claim immediately for medical expenses I'm betting you've not been in close on a serious situation when money doesn't seem a priority once you can get by at all. You might find you'll be counting your blessings rather than your eligible receipts for a very long time after the crunch. You might also find you'll baulk at asking someone who's doing well against the odds to "please find the receipts etc so I can get the money sorted and by the way how are you feeling to day or do we need to rush this...."

Thanks for that - I KNOW I should have claimed earlier and hope that others will learn from our mistakes. I really don't feel there's much point in challenging this any further - even though it's buried in the T&Cs and not on any other documentation, including the claim form, I feel they've covered their a$$es legally. As you said, it's maddening considering making a tax claim now having paid all the money to VHI. I'm not sure it's worth it for the hassle
I also didn't find the claims appeal process or the letter of rejection very friendly and I am definitely leaving VHI as a result. I'm still not decided on whether I will take up health insurance with either Quinn or Hibernian or at all. I have 2 months to run with VHI and I'm busy getting my glasses renewed, visiting the dentist and checking out some acupuncture for my arthritis - might as well try and get some value for the money I've paid over the years My claim will be sent by registered post before my policy is due for renewal.
I suggest that no one else forgets to claim until after the 3 months mentioned in the T&Cs - even though VHI may have indicated that they'll cover up to 2 years I suspect that the 3 month time limit may well be strictly enforced from now on.

denisor

This subject resonates with my own experience with VHI and its Heath Steps Gold.
I am in my mid 30’s and a customer of VHI since 2003, when I joined I was offered the additional product called Health Steps Gold, whilst verbally informed then that there was no time limit on claims. I didn’t see a doctor until 2007, that year I visited a consultant 6 times for an allergy. I called VHI and asked for information regarding how the Health Steps Cover would benefit me, and asked should I claim after each visit to the consultant or at the end of the treatment, which could take 4 years (a 4 year course in desensitization to the allergy, one consultant visit per year.) I was told again there is no time limit to claims on Health Steps.

This March I combined all my receipts and called VHI for a claim form, and was told there is now a 2 year time frame for claims, I listened, then explained the earlier advice I received, I was advised to send in the claim with a cover letter outlining that previous advise regarding no time frame, put not to expect receipts from before 2 years to be covered. I wasn’t satisfied with that, so I called back and spoke to a supervisor about the conflicting information given, he said he would revert in a day, He called me back and confirmed after listening to the call recordings on my file that I was informed there was no time frame on Health Steps, but continued to inform me however that, things had changed, and unfortunately they will now only be covering the last 2 years. I asked for his supervisor to contact me to confirm this was sanctioned, considering the information they previously gave me, directly resulted in me not claiming earlier.

I was later called by the supervisor and she carefully explained that yes I was told there was no time limit, and yes that there now is, she also understood it from my point of view that the advise left me not claiming on time. Her hands where tied, she checked with the claims department and they confirmed no cover will be given. I let her know my claim was for 25% of the price I paid for Health Steps since 2003, still she understood but was not moving, and hoped I would still remain a customer.. She did tell me that the Terms and Conditions always stated that all claims must be made within 3 months of renewal, ie 1 year is covered, even thought they where entertaining 2 years in practice. I asked is it right that they can pull rules from thin air when it suits?, She couldn’t answer that, but advised 2 years is better than 1 year, and that shortly they would be changing it to an even shorter time period.

So the problem really is not the original poster here but the VHI moving the goalposts when it suits them. Here is what I learnt in short. VHI has the right to change anything with or without notice. I decided to take my business to Aviva, I am on a higher level policy for the same money as the VHI, I’m a little wiser too, I would like to make a complaint to the Financial Regulator, but really don’t hold my breath on a breakthrough. The VHI have called me 4 times since looking for me to renew with them, understandable as its people in there 30s who are the customers they want, as opposed to older high risk age groups, and on 2 of those calls, would you believe the sales reps when asked both told me Health Steps has no time limits for claims………

Toots

Denisor, please use paragraphs when posting long replies like the above. It makes for much easier reading than a big block of text

denisor

Are you serious Toots 85?,

I see 4 paragraphs in my complimentary contribution.

Toots

Yes, they're there because I edited your post and put them in.

denisor

Dooh!

Thank you for that, it was typed on my Mac in Word, with paragraphs and then copied and pasted here. Something must have slipped in the formatting.

Toots

No worries!

NuMarvel

denisor wrote: »

I wasn’t satisfied with that, so I called back and spoke to a supervisor about the conflicting information given, he said he would revert in a day, He called me back and confirmed after listening to the call recordings on my file that I was informed there was no time frame on Health Steps, but continued to inform me however that, things had changed, and unfortunately they will now only be covering the last 2 years. I asked for his supervisor to contact me to confirm this was sanctioned, considering the information they previously gave me, directly resulted in me not claiming earlier.

I was later called by the supervisor and she carefully explained that yes I was told there was no time limit, and yes that there now is, she also understood it from my point of view that the advise left me not claiming on time. Her hands where tied, she checked with the claims department and they confirmed no cover will be given. I let her know my claim was for 25% of the price I paid for Health Steps since 2003, still she understood but was not moving, and hoped I would still remain a customer.. She did tell me that the Terms and Conditions always stated that all claims must be made within 3 months of renewal, ie 1 year is covered, even thought they where entertaining 2 years in practice. I asked is it right that they can pull rules from thin air when it suits?, She couldn’t answer that, but advised 2 years is better than 1 year, and that shortly they would be changing it to an even shorter time period.

So the problem really is not the original poster here but the VHI moving the goalposts when it suits them. Here is what I learnt in short. VHI has the right to change anything with or without notice. I decided to take my business to Aviva, I am on a higher level policy for the same money as the VHI, I’m a little wiser too, I would like to make a complaint to the Financial Regulator, but really don’t hold my breath on a breakthrough. The VHI have called me 4 times since looking for me to renew with them, understandable as its people in there 30s who are the customers they want, as opposed to older high risk age groups, and on 2 of those calls, would you believe the sales reps when asked both told me Health Steps has no time limits for claims………

Denisor, if you want to take this further with the Financial Ombudsman, I'd say you have a strong case to make.

I understand that VHI are saying the T & C state three months, but if you were told verbally it was unlimited back then AND now, even though the written document says otherwise, VHI HAVE to stand by that.

If I were you, I'd first get a copy of the calls where the supervisor confirmed that you were told it was unlimited and also get a copy of the most recent sales call where you were told it was unlimited. I think the Data Protection laws allow you to obtain a copy.

Then, write to them once more and ask them to re-assess the claim based on those two conversation. Ask them to give you a Final Response on the matter. Once you receive this, assuming they don't assess the claim to your satisfaction, you can refer the matter to the Ombudsman. You can find more information about the process here: http://www.financialombudsman.ie/complaints-procedure/.

This may take a bit of time and effort, so you may decide it's not worth it, but the option is open to you.

Daibheid

Denisor that's spot on from NuMarvel and I tried to go this route. However as we're all learning the hard way there are catches there too. If the incident - in your case misrepresenting the facts at the time of sale is the issue as opposed to revising Ts&Cs recently you'll need to watch the six year limit from the Ombudsmans office.

You also need to be careful with VHI years as they refer to the renewal date so for a 2003 policy you could be close to the wire for the Ombudsman going hands-off. I took Healthsteps out in 2002 right when they introduced it and have paid them the guts of €4,000 with no return so far.

If you can as suggested get copies of the calls confirming VHI have changed the terms and conditions since the policies were sold I would be happy to take them on again with the Ombudsman, With your evidence my complaint would come within his remit when it relates to recent policy changes rather than time of sale. My conversations were 1 to 1 with onsite reps so no record exists but your's should provide adequate proof of moving goalposts.

I too intend to leave VHI but as part of a large company scheme intend to ensure they loose a lot more than my business. The fact that all the competitors are significantly better value before we even get into the experiences here, should make it an easy case for change.

Daibheid

I just had two separate letters - i.e. double postage and admin - rejecting claims under plan B and Healthsteps for the year 2006-2007. The policy renewal date was late August, I submitted early August making sure I was well inside the cut-off.

You guessed it they apparently waited until 3 or 4 days after my renewal date and then gleefully rejected both claims on the basis of too much time elapsed. A cynic might describe that as deliberate - at best it's incompetence. Either way the policyholder gets *****ed.

So bottom line with VHI is submit a claim after every significant expenditure - whether they pay or not before the end of the year at least you'll have it on record.

bob quinn

Wow,

Don't know what happened earlier, but my post has magically disappeared

Bob

Toots

bob quinn wrote: »

Wow,

Don't know what happened earlier, but my post has magically disappeared

Bob

Bob, I deleted your post because you were linking to your blog/financial advice service.

If you wish to advertise your services, you need to contact sales@boards.ie to discuss it further.

I see that you're new here, so I suggest you have a quick look at the site FAQs and also read the charter which is stickied at the top of each forum, before you post. These give more details about what is and isn't allowed on the various fora.