Complaint Review: United Benefits - Nashville Tennessee

My wife and I were looking for health insurance because I have become a stay at home dad while my wife is working as an RCA at the post office and trying to get a full-time position. I was doing a search on the internet for health insurance and filled out an online form. Only a few short minutes after I filled it out I got a call from a salesman named BART KING from United Benefits. I told him I was interested in a Health Insurance quote and gave him some information. He called me back a little later with the quote, one flat quote. In all our discussions he never told me that he was selling me a discount plan that included reimbursements. I was looking for HEALTH INSURANCE not a DISCOUNT PLAN!

I only found out later that there were actually 3 different companies in the quote and that I could have picked chose what I wanted. One for medical "discounts", one for accidental injury, and one for prescription "discounts". He also stated that if I didn't like the plan for any reason after looking over the policy that I could cancel it within 30 days.

Well, now the fun part. There were "enrollment fees" attached to signing up and BART told me that every "insurance" company charged enrollment fees. He told me that if I didn't like the policy I could cancel and get back all premiums AND enrollment fees except for the enrollment fee for the discount prescription plan ($100, again, I did not know I could separate this off the plan. He conveniently wouldn't tell me that).

Once I got my policy and saw what I truly benefitted from I called UBA about a question I had regarding a limit of 5 visits per year to a doctor (that I was not told about) and the fact that it was only a reimbursment of $25 per visit. I asked him point blank about what it would cost me to go to the doctor and he told me nothing because there was a $0 deductible and a $0 co-pay. True, there is no co-pay...BECAUSE IT'S A $25 REIMBURSEMENT! He was very sly about that and downright lied that there was no cost for me to go to the doctor.

So, when I called UBA I was greeted with an answering machine that says they will call you within 48 hours. You will NEVER once get a person to talk to at their so-called "customer service". 1-800-608-4471 ext 204 Try the number...you'll see.

So when someone called me back the next day I spoke with a lady named Michelle Cook. I explained my dilema with Bart and his not telling me everything only to find out more about the fact that I could have opted out of part of the coverage that I didn't need. I asked to be removed from the $119.95 per month $10,000 accidental coverage (meaning you had to lose a hand, foot, eyeballs etc... I wonder if I could claim a settlement for losing my mind with the company?) I thought that price was ridiculous so I told her I didn't want it. She told me that I could get my premium back but that the enrollment fee would not be refunded.

Well, at that point I had it with BART and his slick sales tactics. I told her about how he told me that if I was unhappy with the plan I could cancel everything and get all but the enrollment fee back for the prescription plan. At this point she's actually (unless she was just acting) getting upset at Bart and sounds as if she was going to have something done about it. She even says that she will do what she can by talking to some at the other company to see about returning all fees for me. I thought that was a good solution. However, I heard NOTHING from them after that. I tried calling and calling and calling, always getting that stupid voicemail saying that Michelle would get back to you within 48 hours. That didn't happen. All they did was try to wait me out those 30 days so I couldn't get my money back. I ended up having to change by bank account number so they couldn't pull anything else from my account. I also signed up for LIFEGUARD protection because of the fact I gave them my social security number.

My bank is in the process of investigating them for fraud and hopefully I can get my fees back but I don't count on it (at least not the enrollment fees). I am trying to individually contact these 3rd party companies to cancel directly with them and file complaints against United Benefits.

DO NOT waste your time and money with this company. If anything call and ask why these people are luring people into these plans that don't offer what UBA guarantees. BART's extension is 274 if you'd like to ask him directly.

I hope this will serve as a warning to all about doing thorough research on a company and getting things in writing before ANY personal information is given. This is a slimy company with slick talk and you would only be a fool to do business with them.

Nottakingit

Smoketown, Pennsylvania

U.S.A.