Disunited with patients (United Patients)

Name: goclimbing

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Product:	United Patients
Date:	23/08/01 (638 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: sounds too good to be true

Disadvantages: it is!

Here is an account of my recent dealings with United Patients (UP). I am writing this because my experience of this company has made me VERY ANGRY. They obviously have a hard sell marketing strategy without any backup. READ ON AND DON'T BE FOOLED.

In July I first received a call from a company called United Patients. Normally I tell people selling something where to go and then hang up. I tried but this one was persistant. I was told that UP were a relatively new company offering a health plan (NB NOT private health insurance) where if ill or hospitalised you would receive certain benefits (cash, private room) and a lump sum of £25000 if you die. All members benefit from a free Harley Street medical check up and 14 nights free Hotel stay on an annual basis. This sounded OK but I wanted to check on the small print so I asked them to send me a brochure.

After a fortnight it finally arrived. I had a read, it sounded OK. The premiums were quite cheap (between £3 and £5 per week). I then got to the small print. There wasn't very much of it. This is either a good or bad thing. One thing that concerned me was that climbing and mountaineering (among other sports) was listed as excluded. This means that if injured whilst climbing I would not be covered.

A few days later their representative called again. It was an inconvenient time for me (I was painting my lounge) but again no matter how assertive I was he persisted. I asked him whether I would be covered while climbing. He assured me I was covered unless I was a professional. I asked him this question at least 3 times. I asked him to write me a letter stating that. He refused. Eventually I pointed out the small print. He passed me over to his supervisor who told me that as a climber it was far too risky for them to cover me while climbing. After explaining that climbing isn't that dangerous ( I've been climbing for 10 years and still alive! and more people
are killed annually while angling) he agreed to cover me by their most basic plan. He said that a letter would be included to state that I would be covered while climbing.

Having been on the phone for nearly an hour and a half I realised that I would not have the rest of the evening to myself if I didn't sign up. It sounded OK £12 a month. Once I had agreed to this I was told there was a one off joining fee of £25 but that my premiums would not increase in price for the rest of my life and that once I reached the age of 60 years it would become free. I asked if that was in writing in the policy, I was told it was.

A few days later a bumper pack arrived. I sat down to read and this is what I found.

1) Although they had agreed on the phone to give me the same benefits under their silver (basic) plan as a climber, there was a sentence in the letter saying the benefits would be severely restricted if I hurt myself whilst climbing.

2) The "free" stay in the hotel amounted to a free overnight room but being charged for dinner and breakfast (extortionately) whether you chose to take it or not. This was anything up to £90 per person for a basic highland hotel( ***).

3) The Harley Street medical check up amounted to a few basics which the NHS can perform just as well (blood pressure, cholesterol, liver function tests) and any more complex tests (cervical smear, breast screening) would have to be paid for. It wasn't worth bothering travelling to Harley Street from Glasgow!

4) There was nothing to say that the premiums would not increase in price for the rest of my life and that once I reached the age of 60 years would become free.

5) They wanted access to all my medical notes from my GP!

The list goes on....

I phoned the member helpline given in the paperwork I'd been sent. The telphone was answered by an elderly well spoken gentleman. He was not interested in
listening to me, that he couldn't understand what I was saying and that he would prefer to read a letter than speak to me on the phone!

I promptly wrote a letter telling UP where to put their policy and that that would not be the end of the grief they were getting from me!

UP plan sounds like a good value for money idea, but if they can't keep a few promises on Day One I can't believe they would actually pay out should the need arise!

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!!!!

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