Spectramed
Reviews and Complaints

I have been submitting invoices and claims since my accident in July and have still not received any feedback or payment from Spectramed. These items fall under PMB and it is therefore Spectrameds obligation to pay and not shun these claims! They do not respond to any correspondence sent to them or call back when they say they will! This is now 4 months of continuous fighting and I am now facing legal harassment from suppliers due to their non payment!
Regards,
Rob Herbst.

Good day

I have been struggling from 26 April 2018 with a claim and when I call the call centre there is not even a option to speak to an consultant that can assist you, there is not even an option to press a number to get to the claims department if one goes onto the website there is no email address to lodge a claim there is only the enquiry email address and there is really no response from them, you only get a message that says we received your mail and will attend to the matter and nothing happens to the matter.

I can not believe we have to pay for a medical aid and this is the service one get's it is ridiculous and pathetic.

Jo - Anne van Tonder
[protected]
[protected]@thedelicatetouch.co.za

I resigned from Spectramed in August 2017 to join the medical scheme provided by my employer. I was informed that it takes 5 months for them to refund the unused savings.

In Feb I enquired about the refund and was told it was scheduled for the end of March pay run. When end of March came I didn't receive anything. I contacted their customer services and spoke to Sello Matabane. He informed me that the payment was rejected because the amount he submitted for refund differed from the amount they had on their system. It was referred to their finance manager. Later in March I enquired again when this will be resolved and was informed that they have not yet received any feedback from their finance manager. A week or so later I enquired again and received the same answer. I asked for the contact details of the finance manager and was given a phone number for Lucky Mahlangu, Sello's team leader. I tried to phone that number but it says the number does not exist.

To date no refund nor any correspondence from Spectramed as to what the problem is or when it will be resolved. No response from this so-called finance manager / team leader / Sello himself.

The above person has been communicating with Mr J Kriel as he wishes to become a member. He spoke to her initially after I used your website to request a callback. Something that never happened.

She emailed me information after which Mr Kriel wanted to speak to her again. He left numerous messages which were never ever replied to. I mailed her a request last night to contact him - no response.

When he spoke to her eventually today she calls him and myself liars and say we never left messages nor sent the mail - I have proof.

If this is a guideline on service levels to be expected I do not know.

My father is with Spectramed for nearly 10 years now. He is now 72 years old. In February, all his savings was used up, and he could not figure out why. After he queried it a few times, and still not received an answer, I phoned them in July.
This year him and my mom went for their annual check-up and blood test for their chronic conditions at their doctor. Spectramed took all the amounts (doctor and blood test) from his savings account, instead of from the chronic. Ever since we are trying to rectify it. The doctor also phoned them and send them letters about the case. They spoke to Lerato. The problem is still not sorted out. He asked me to help him again with this issue. After spending almost an hour on the phone and talk to different people, as you get transferred to another department every time you told your story, I just give up. Is there even a small chance that they will be able to sort this out, or is it hopeless keep on trying?

We have been members of Spectramed Medical Aid for more than 10 years - on the Azure option. When my mother-in-law unexpectedly passed away the day before Christmas 2016, we forgot to make payment for membership beginning of January 2017. We have been 'resigned' from membership immediately, I have contacted and requested for re-instatement of membership together with the necessary explanations, motivations and payments.
I have just phoned Spectramed again, on 7 April 2017 I have enquired about our membership status, just to be informed that they are still waiting to hear from the Medical Scheme if we are going to be re-instated. Meanwhile we are not covered for any medical emergencies! 4 months without cover, with a daughter having cerebral palsy (hemiplegic).

Spectramed is an affordable medical aid but with the worst customer service ever. I started as a member waiting a month for a simple membership card as the one they sent twice had wrong info. Finally sent correct one few days ago. Now they have not debited my installment owed to them. This is going to delay my waiting period and for no reason whatsoever. Its just not on.

Good day, My name is Geraldine and I have been with spectramed since 01/03/2012! I had my baby last year Aug. I went in for normal delivery on the 14th and then I dilated until 9cm on the 15th of Aug I was rushed for an emergency c section (NOT MY CHOICE) I had to struggle with Spectramed for payment to the hospital as they only paid R10 000 of a R28 000 account after weeks of phoning in the account was paid in full. I then had to struggle to get the Anaesthetic accounts paid. there was two accounts one for the normal delivery that was supposed to happen and then another account for the c section. They could not understand the reason for 2 accounts. after fighting and speaking to Portia multiple times one account was paid. then I had to fight to get the gynecologist paid? Seriously Does it look like I am working for spectramed to get things sorted out reminding them about claims and payments. payments was supposed to be done by the 31st of Dec and it was not done giving me the lame excuse the payments was made how on earth is a payment made but not reflecting for a week after they said it has been paid? So the account was paid 2 weeks after the actual date of payment. Now I still have another account that is just not showing on my profile that I have been submitting since Aug 2016! i have so many reference numbers its not ever funny any more. When I spoke to a spectramed claims consultant she told me to pay the account on my own and then send the claim in so that they can pay me back the money, I received a letter from the doctor that I will be handed over and that I am being blacklisted on ITC! Wow what a go Spectramed making your customers new moms stress over this crap not producing milk for my little one and and paying high telephone bills. I phoned in re submitted the claim everything like you have asked me to to and NO FEEDBACK. I spoke to another lady 2 weeks ago and she told me that the claim has been paid"NO IT HAS NOT BEEN PAID OTHERWISE I WILL NOT BE PHONING IN AGAIN" Then she changed her story telling me well I need to chose it can either be a normal delivery or a c section it cant be both. Are you kidding me how do i chose one of them if it was a EMERGANCY C SECTION? How well it the staff trained do they even know what they are doing? or do they just get the job because of friends. I am so fedup with the service that I have received, You take our money every month and if we are late our service is suspended immediately but you can pay my claims. This is a #### medical aid when it comes to service and claims. I will post this everywhere making the rest of SA aware of your bad service i will also be flooding your mailboxes with my claim. Why is there never a manager or team-leader when you ask to speak to one do you even have managers or Team-leaders? THIS NEEDS TO BE SORTED ASAP! I WILL NOT LEAVE THIS HERE EVEN IF I HAVE TO GO SEE A LAWYER I WILL!

I've been phoning the [protected] number for Hospital pre authorization since 10:00 am this morning. There were times I held for over an hour with no one picking up! What if this were a serious emergency? I need an operation tomorrow but they can't assist me because the authorization will take up to 72 working hours. If I go tomorrow I'm fully liable for the account. Looks like they will leave their clients to die...but oh thank you for your monthly contribution every month of R4000+. What's the use of having this medical aid if they can't assist you straight away. Very disappointed!

I have been sitting on hold with your pre-authorizations department for 3 days now and no one ever answers the phone. I've tried calling [protected] as well as [protected] with the same result. After this futile attempt at reaching your establishment; I'm now resorting to email so I can have my attempts at sorting this situation out documented for legal purposes - if it ends up that this matter goes to court. (my phone bill will also prove how long I've sat on these calls as I get itemized billing)

I'm contacting you on behalf of my mom-in-law Mrs MH Parten (membership number: [protected]).

On 20/02/2017 I phoned pre-authorization to obtain authorization number for my mom in law to have cataract operation on her eyes. The first procedure was for 22/02/2017 (left eye) and the second on the 15/03/2017 (right eye).
It seems now that your department made an error with the procedure date and have it as the 21/02/2017 - which has now resulted in the medical aid not wanting to pay for the procedure as they claim we did not have authorization. This needs to be rectified! I phoned myself and supplied the correct date; your staff need to ensure that they capture the correct information!

Please can you make the necessary corrections and let me know as soon as it's done? As I then have to contact your accounts department who need to make some corrections on their side as well.
unfortunately this will now allow me to attach the document which as all the information on it; but I've sent it to 3 email addresses at Spectramed in the hopes of receiving as response.

Please please please can you assist?
Thank you
Lindie du Preez
[protected]
[protected]

My name is Michael and I have been trying to upgrade my medical aid package for weeks now from a hospital plan to a full medical aid.
I have called their number and have to hold for up to 9 minutes. At times when you decide to wait it out then the operator will answer the call and put the phone down. I am sure they either busy and inundated with calls and therefore cancel calls or they just too lazy to deal with the call.
I have also gone onto their website and completed the inquiry form on a few occasions. I have done this so many times and nobody has bothered to get back to me.
Maybe someone is sabotaging Spectramed (Who knows) and I don't think there is a single person checking up on them. Try get hold of someone senior or a director. GOOD LUCK..
This is my last email on the inquiry form to Spectramed this morning.

"I have sent previous messages to you as I want to upgrade my medical aid.
I have called but hold on for at to 9 minutes. I have asked previously if someone can contact me. I ask again.
IS IT POSSIBLE FOR SOMEONE TO CONTACT ME. Either you not interested in business or just too lazy to follow up on my emails I am sending to you".

To get hold anyone her who can actually answer a question is impossible.
They want a proof of income from me (I have never had to do this before and I've been with them since 2010) and if I don't submit it, they push my rates up nearly R500.00 from last year. My mother is also with Spectramed and doesn't have to do this. I have been trying to get answeres out of them for 2 weeks. The first consultant just said: "Thats just the way it is.", the second one stumbled along not saying anything until I put the phone down, I filled out 2 contact me forms, sent an email to enquiries and then another consultant, who couldn't answer my questions, phoned me back and spent the duration of the call sighing and not telling me anything because she doesnt have "access" to contributions. After putting the phone down I received an email saying: "Kindly be advised that we require proof of income in order for us to place you onto the correct income band, if not the system will default you onto the highest income band."
This on the cusp of unpaid claims, all health professionals I've dealt with in the past few months telling me to change my medical aid. I once had a consultant shout at me after I tried to tell her that they were incorrectly paying a doctor I was seeing (trying to save them money)
Horrible service.

I was diagnose in Nov 2014 with breast cancer. December they have remove my left breast. we have request to remove the right one as well due to breast cancer in the family. They refused. There is still accounts that I struggle to get paid. I am receiving ITC letters! I have phoned several times - have phoned them and spoken to Nathan and he has promised it will get paid because the PMB was not loaded. Still now it is STILL NOT PAID!. I must go for an reconstruction on left breast on the 17th and 24/6/2015. My doctor has sent the motivation letters already through in May 2015. We still struggle to get it auth before the 17/6/2015. They only rejecting procedures WITHOUT CONSULTING THE DOCTOR. They promise to phone the doctor but never do. I have request to pay for reduction on the right breast as well and do not get any authorisation. Where can I buy a bra with 2 different cap sizes. The difference is the breast is obvious and has a big influens on my self confidence! If you phone it you are not able to speak to the supervisor or team leader. I have spoken several times to Kgotso at the pre authorisation department. Every time she promise that the medical person will phone the doctor to discuss the different procedures. BUT NOTHING GET DONE. The doctor is waiting for there call and they do not keep their promises. In the meantime I am get more stress because the operation must be done on the 17/6/2015 and still there is NO AUTHORISATIONS! I went through I hell the last couple months and now I am struggling with my medical aid. I want you at the pre-authorisation department 1. Would you like it if something like this happens to one of your family members and get treated like this? Would you like to appear is the community with 2 different sizes of breast? I am receiving counselling for the trauma I went through and are on medication for depression - BUT WHAT DOES SPECTAMED and their staff care - they receiving premiums at the end of each month so THE HELL WITH THE MEMBER - Let them suffer. Could someone please help me with the authorisations for the two procedures ASAP and consider my request for the right breast. Hopefully there is someone who understand and has empathy

UNHAPPY CUSTOMER!

We have been contacting SPECTRAMED non-stop. Phones are barely answered when you phone them. We are paying over R4000 a month for my husband and I to be on the AZURE plan yet we are getting TERRIBLE service! HOW LONG is a patient suppose to wait for an authorization number? I am an athlete and injured. I can barely walk on my leg due to a knee injury yet SPECTRAMED seems to be taking forever to confirm authorization with my physician. If this is the way SPECTRAMED delivers service then my husband and I will be forced to cancel our plan and move on to a service provider who can actually PROVIDE us with service when needed. Right now we can't complain about service at SPECTRAMED as there are NO SERVICE!

I really hope to get response from SPECTRAMED sooner than later! This has been an ongoing frustration and I am not impressed.

Good day

My name is Mandy Conlon i have been with Spectramed since February 2014 i did not have any problems what so ever but the one month i could not pay on time we had an issue with our salaries so i paid it together at the end of the following month and it was double payment they then reinstated my medical aid now end of July they never deducted i have ask numerous times to deduct on the 1st of everymonth when i phoned they told me that the system generates and deleted my banking details so i will not go to the bank and pay it i currently pregnant and also my plan is Cyan it is suppose to cover 12 pregnancy scans and 2 x 2d scan and yet my gyneas have to phone me and tell me they dont pay it then when i tell Loriaan Basson working for spectramed they tell me it must be paid by medical aid why dont they pay it? yet another issue i have my daughter was admitted in april but they phoned the medical aid 21:00 guess what they were closed how pathetic lmao i really really think they need to close this so called medical aid down oh by the way i want to put my daughter on another medical aid but they tell me because i didnt pay i am not entidled to my membership Certificcate ? really

To whom it may Concern
When shopping around for a medical aid, I was looking for a plan where all maturnity requirements would be included, and paid for by the scheme, and not deducted from my medical aid savings account..
When I spoke to the consultant who signed me up (Mr Sean Daniels - Spectra Med), he told that on this plan, all maturnity benefits was included, as pregency is considered as a PMB (Prescribed minimum Benefit). This included the Gyni visits and scans.
Please see the attached communication between myself and Mr Sean Daniels. I have circled all the important stuff.
On Friday, 27 September 2013, I called in with an enquiry, and I thought - Let me confirm the benefits. To my surprize, I found out the I was lied to my Sean Daniels, probably just to get the sale. But unfortunately I have everything in writing. I spoke to Sylvia Hlakula on 30 September 2013, as she tried to take this matter to a "higher power" Mr Abrhams, who is the Team Leader. I AM YET TO RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM THEM!
I sent another e-mail to Sylvia on 2 October 2013, and NO REPLY!
I sent another e-mail to Sylvia on 7 October 2013, and NO REPLY!
Then I got in contact with the Regional Manager: DMA - Mr Carl De Campos. We have sent e-mails up and down, but it seems that my case is not been taken seriously.
I have spent so much time and money e-mailing and phoning Spectramed to get feedback
Today, 11 October 2013, I sent another e-mail to Carl de Campos. His reply was: "Unfortunately the feedback I have received is that the gynecological visits and scans will be paid from your savings and not from your in hospital benefits"
This is unsatisifactory, as I was promised these benefits IN WRITTING, hence the reason I decided to join Spectramed.
Please do understand that I/we have not claimed for any pregency related issues as yet, but I rather find out about this now, before its too late. This complaint is also based on principle!
Further more - I am logging a formal complaint with the Medical Scheme Council, the Consumer Protection Act, and I have also contacted my lawyers who have identified that I do indeed have a case should I wish to take it further; if this is not resolved to my satisfaction.
I do not wish to go to court, saving both parties alot of money, but the way I see it to make things easier: either A promise must be kept, or I will require a FULL REFUND of all my contributions irrispective of claims already been made. You (spectramed) used me just for a sale!
With this whole issue, I feel used and lied too, and I am totally unhappy.
Please get back to me ASAP, as I look forward to your feedback

Kind Regards
Dylan

I applied for a medical aid through spectramed and asked that is shud commence from 01.04.10.On the 01.03.10 i called in to the call center and explained that i would not be able to meet that obligation as i could no longer afford it.I was told to send an email through and it would be sorted out, i received an automatic response on 08.03.10.No one called me or followed up if i had been helped.I called in again on 26.03.10 to find out if the debit order had been stopped and was advised that i had to send yet another email and would be contacted that same day, which i wasnt!I called again on 31.03.10 and explained that i did not want the debit order rejected and was told i would be called back, and i wasnt.The debit order did go off, i have bank charges for that rejected debit order plus interest for being in a negative balance.I spoke to Rishti adams on 3 occasions.He promised to get back to me on all 3 occasions and i have yet to hear from him.I have not been helped even though iv made numerous calls, I am appalled by the lack of any customer service as i only wanted 1 debit order to be postponed, spectramed is not a company that can be held by its word, pathetic and unreliable service!

After 3 years with Spectramed, I terminated my membership on 311209. I have subsequently received 2 demand letters from docs who've not been paid for visits during Dec while my membership was still active. 3 months later, numerous calls later, no less than 4 ref nos. for calls where I was promised action (1 being a Team Leader) & I'm still waiting for payment of my claims. Trying to speak to somone in charge is worse than trying to locate a terrorist in hiding. My docs have been very understanding with regards to the outstanding payments but I fear my patience and credibility are now being sorely tested. While typing this I have now been cut-off by the agent who was unwilling to put me through to any level of management. So much for all the advertising & claiming to be better, faster and more efficient than all the rest! I am yet to have my query actioned & since they are listed as a co. who doesn't respond to these listings, my sole purpose is to warn anyone considering membership with them - the friendly voice on the other side of the phone only lasts while things run smoothly - when you truly need assistance, their true colours SHINE and it is by far a dark, doomy glare!