Worst day/week for me in many years... Insurance comapny making my life hell

fordcapri2000

Hi All

Its has not been a good day:)

I have been up since about 7am this morning ringing every possible avenue I can in order to get some help/advice, just got off the phone to some Forces contacts I have.

I will give the short version to start with, then if anyone is in anyway able to advice or assist I will expand.

I am a self employed network engineer with an ok business, who has a good credit rating and few debts.

Last July I had a serious accident and damaged my spine, I was on my back for months.
I was insured by Zurich for weekly payments, and as long as I sent them all the correspondence from my Gp and physio along with MRI and doctors notes I had few problems, and they were at first brilliant and kept me and my business afloat.

Come Xmas I asked my GP and Physio if I could possibly go back to work even though I was not 100%, they ok'd it and I made the point that I would be playing it by ear and doing nothing too physically difficult. I also informed Zurich of my intention and they kept my claim open in case of and future problems,

I ended up going back to work at the start of March, during the next four weeks I was ok on the easier jobs(obviously), but was in a little pain with the more taxing stuff, jarring my back was a killer. I probably took between 7 and 10 days off with a few early days.

Now doing work part time was all very well, and better physio than physio in my opinion, but financially it was a difficult.

Come the start of April finances were strained, I then got back in touch with Zurich and made a propostion, to cut a long story short though I was again signed off by my doctor for two weeks, I then scanned the note and sent them off. Zurich had been quite prompt in the past, but this time around they were dragging their heels, and terrible at replying to calls and emails.

They also informed me that they wanted me to give them permission to look at my doctors records and for me to see one of their medical team at the start of April. All that was fine by me, and was even quite surprised this never happened earlier.

Anyway, the two week doctors note expired and no payment, things are getting tough now and I am starting to beg/borrow steal to get by.. not steal though:)

My doctor then gave me another doctors note for two weeks, that then expired and I was then given another two weeks. Two weeks later that expired and now I have four weeks that are not honoured.

Enough is enough I ring up the day before the Bank holiday, I am passed onto a manager who has never seen any of my notes. I am told to wait until after the Bank holiday when he will phone me back, NO CALL. I then phone them and am told that I have to wait for their medical team to see me first and that they also understand the wait is unreasonable, we are now looking at six weeks without any income, they also go onto say they will get an answer one way or another by tommorrow(thurs).. NO CALL.

Now I have had enough, I phone anyone who I can complain to and who will listen, FSO for example who generate a complaint, this also might be a mistake as I will explain later.

Now the real crunch came this morning, I was texted my usual bank statement, I am completely cleared out, and now with the first direct debits not being paid., I am sick as dog right now.

Fridge is empty, direct debits going out next week and I have no funds, and worst of all I am back to work this week and have a nice well paying job but I am unable to go because I cannnot afford the fuel to return home.

I know next week I have a few direct debits that involve my public liability and my works body, I have had to ring both companies to cancel knowing the funds will not be there.

And because I cannot work without these I have had to fold my business this morning.... SICK:mad::mad:... 12 year old business GONE

As I was typing this Zurich have now phoned again, it now looks like I will be looking towards July before I get payment as long as the medical is fine... now well over three months without income... I do not know of many people who can survive that long without income.

Cannot claim welfare as I have covered myself.


This is my worst weeks/day in a good many years if not one of the worst.

EmmaHerts

You need to sign on.

redskyatnight_2

EmmaHerts wrote: »

You need to sign on.

I agree. And it p1sses me off that insurance companies love to take your money, but will pull out all the stops to not pay you.

fordcapri2000

redskyatnight wrote: »

I agree. And it p1sses me off that insurance companies love to take your money, but will pull out all the stops to not pay you.

This looks like it could well be my only option, so at 50 years old I am about to sign on for the first time:(

Over the years I have paid so much into insurance companys, and even went to the trouble of taking my own accident cover out of my own pocket rather than burden the already stretched welfare state.

The idea of the cover I took out was to give you a weekly wage in order to keep you afloat until you are fit to go to work again. Whats the point in giving me the money in three months time or longer.

This is not a type of cover where you can say it does what it says on the tin.