kate C.
Incompetent accounting
This is about the Aetna Senior Products. To them, the seniors are the easiest to take advantage of and confuse. Perhaps it is because I am old and have held many different jobs that I find Aetna less than competent. They do not understand the basics of simple bookkeeping, let alone how to properly record requests (other than claims). As for claims, I only had doctor office visits and those were paid. I called in to cancel my supplemental policy. My mistake. I should have waited until the end of the month but had just gotten new insurance (due to relocation out of their coverage area). I wanted to notify them to not take the next month’s premium. Since I called mid-month, they cancelled immediately even though I said end of the month. The rep took the information and put in the EOM date but since it was also recorded the date I called, they chose to cancel then. I called in and got re-instated for the last 2+ weeks. Their records showed that a refund check was cut for partial month premium. I had requested that they keep the money and continue coverage until EOM. They stated that it was already sent out. I told them to put a stop payment on it and just return the money to my account. They stated that they would do that and that the money should be back in my account within 5 business days. It did not happen. Now, I have a check I cannot cash because of stop payment and the money was not put back into my account. Since I requested that I be covered until EOM, they withdrew money from my bank account to cover that period. In essence, they have taken a premium and a half. And since I cannot cash the check nor get the money back into my account, they have collected approximately 2 times a premium amount in 1 month. Living on Social Security is tricky enough without being gouged by the insurance company. Their record keeping needs to be reviewed. In my account online, it shows that they took the full premium at the start of the month; show a refund amount (still waiting); and then another full month’s premium. The problem? They did not take a full month’s premium the 2nd time – only a partial. So, their records show that 2 premiums have been taken from my account when it was 1 and ½. Anyone else see the problem? If that is how they keep their books, it is a wonder that they are still in business. They have also sent me 3 cancellation letters. All with different dates of cancellation. I called in today to find out what is wrong with them and their systems. Guess what? They will review and mail me another letter. No offense to the post office, but I hate getting mail. To summarize: they do not know how to record premium payments; they tell ‘untruths’ about refund processes; they do not know how to communicate properly (one cancelation, one letter); they do not know how to properly record termination/ cancelation dates. I suppose I expect too much from a company that has been around since 1853. But I would have thought that they would have known about basic bookkeeping. It was essential back then and should still be the same practice today. Silly me. I was “thinking”.