Pruhealth gym loophole Article Discussion

dvs

This is the fourth major change since I signed up. Originally the gym was fixed at £25 per month (after a free period). That was value for money in my opinion. Then it changed to free as long as you visited at least twice a week. This was good as it encouraged me go to the gym regularly. The currently policy is related to status which seemed a good deal but not as good as making people regularly go. And the next change is simply just a discount.

As a policyholder for several years, I'm quite frustrated by the constant changes. I understand that the business model has to work for Pru Health, but how did they get it so wrong? They say they've got experience of doing this in South Africa, how come the business model here was SO different? Why the need to constantly change plans? Why didn't they introduce more conservative pricing in the first place?

Perhaps we would've all be better off if the gym was never free in the first place, just reduced? I also wonder if MSE antics had something to do with this? After all, it was this very site that discovered 'a loophole' and Martin himself pointed out that you didn't have to actually use the gym when you visited the gym. It was after this that the gym changed to status. Also, I suspect the gyms were unhappy with the amount of direct customers they lost.

Obviously, the gym is not the only major change. The points system has just got a whole lot more difficult. Whilst I think that getting points just for attending the fitness assessments was wrong, removing these points, removing most of the points for health assessments, reducing the points carried forward, whilst at the same time raising the threshold to 2400 is ridiculous. And what do you get when you finally reach platinum status (apart from fatigue)? A 25% discount and some cash back.

And to top it all off, the loyality points bonus allowing me to carry up to 25% of my points forward will never happen. I will never make it after all these years!

Think I will look elsewhere for my health cover next year.

The_silver_surfer

dvs wrote: »

This is the fourth major change since I signed up. Originally the gym was fixed at £25 per month (after a free period). That was value for money in my opinion. Then it changed to free as long as you visited at least twice a week. This was good as it encouraged me go to the gym regularly. The currently policy is related to status which seemed a good deal but not as good as making people regularly go. And the next change is simply just a discount.

As a policyholder for several years, I'm quite frustrated by the constant changes. I understand that the business model has to work for Pru Health, but how did they get it so wrong? They say they've got experience of doing this in South Africa, how come the business model here was SO different? Why the need to constantly change plans? Why didn't they introduce more conservative pricing in the first place?

Perhaps we would've all be better off if the gym was never free in the first place, just reduced? I also wonder if MSE antics had something to do with this? After all, it was this very site that discovered 'a loophole' and Martin himself pointed out that you didn't have to actually use the gym when you visited the gym. It was after this that the gym changed to status. Also, I suspect the gyms were unhappy with the amount of direct customers they lost.

Obviously, the gym is not the only major change. The points system has just got a whole lot more difficult. Whilst I think that getting points just for attending the fitness assessments was wrong, removing these points, removing most of the points for health assessments, reducing the points carried forward, whilst at the same time raising the threshold to 2400 is ridiculous. And what do you get when you finally reach platinum status (apart from fatigue)? A 25% discount and some cash back.

And to top it all off, the loyality points bonus allowing me to carry up to 25% of my points forward will never happen. I will never make it after all these years!

Think I will look elsewhere for my health cover next year.

:rotfl:
I feel the same way. They have gone from hero to zero basically (well they are not all bad but have fallen a long way). Some very good points there. The constant chopping and changing was very annoying. I thought the best one they had was having to attend twice a week to get it free. As soon as they changed it to free if you are platinum. Many people who got to platinum via fitbugs (not via gyms) joined the gyms just because it was free! That must have cost Pru money and these members would hardly ever go! Seemed a very odd move to me.

One thing i would slightly disagree with and has been pointed out by many others before me is the word 'loophole'. It was never really a 'loophole' as Pruhealth were actively promoting the fact that you can get free/cheap gym membership and 100% off. Adverts like 'Why pay for the Gym ?'

I have already moved from Pruhealth as i've found a very good deal via an alternative insurer (no free gym though). Although i still get free gym and other platinum discounts through Pruprotect till next year.

dvs

The_silver_surfer wrote: »

:rotfl:
One thing i would slightly disagree with and has been pointed out by many others before me is the word 'loophole'. It was never really a 'loophole' as Pruhealth were actively promoting the fact that you can get free/cheap gym membership and 100% off. Adverts like 'Why pay for the Gym ?'

The 'loophole' that I was describing was not that you could get free gym membership by going to the gym twice a week, it was that Martin had said that you didn't have to actually use the gym in your two visits a week. He said you could just sign in and go on a sunbed, use beauty treatments or have a drink. This was against the Pru Health terms and he was wrong to suggest this as a loophole.

The main site no longer contains the article but posts 29 and 30 of this thread show someone asking why people would want to do this and Martin saying you could just use it to top up your gym visits if you were short.

The_silver_surfer

dvs wrote: »

The 'loophole' that I was describing was not that you could get free gym membership by going to the gym twice a week, it was that Martin had said that you didn't have to actually use the gym in your two visits a week. He said you could just sign in and go on a sunbed, use beauty treatments or have a drink. This was against the Pru Health terms and he was wrong to suggest this as a loophole.

The main site no longer contains the article but posts 29 and 30 of this thread show someone asking why people would want to do this and Martin saying you could just use it to top up your gym visits if you were short.

Hmmm yes i see what you mean. There was no way pru could monitor exactly how much excercise everyone did at the gym. So when the twice a week rule was in place some did pop in and do no excercise and go again just so they keep their twice a week average and so the gym remains free. I suppose that one part of it could be a loophole.

It was called loophole though long before that when the deal was £25 per month. Loophole to me is a glitch in their rules or system which they either do not know about or would rather not be there that people can exploit. If a company advertises 2 for 1 or whatever deal it has (free/cheap gym in this case) its not really a 'loophole' because its an offer or deal.

There was always alot of trust in the Pru deal as they coulden't monitor your excercise be it at the gym or via other methods. I think they accepted this to some degree. People could have attached their fitbugs to their dogs and sat on a deckchair throwing a frisbee whilst eating cream cakes and scored points (and no that wasn't me)!

Small point really. Don't even know why i mentioned it, but always found the loophole description a bit strange.

:money: prefers his loopholes to offers or deals maybe

cheeky

just went back to look at my policy - originally when i joined (family) it was £89pm, so was thinking the new policy will be "£89 minus 25% is £65ish" - but then realied i got a 30% discount on my first policy!!! So it was gross £127!

So if i get 25%, plus 3 months of "last years premiums paid" back (ie this year £12x3)

That means next year (-25% and £36) will be approx £90pm. And the gym approx £80pm (virgin for 2), totalling £170pm. Quite a rise over my current £30pm!!!!! Dream on pru.....

Musicman

Pruhealth website now has a section for Health Insurance taken out from 1st January 2010.

It is worse than I feared, as currently to obtain Platinum as an individual requires 2000 points, but as a family member (2 adults) requires 3000 points. Next year it will require 4800 points for a family, an increase of 60%. Also not sure what NCD discount I will have after 2 years of being a member.

New website is at:- http://www.pruhealth.co.uk/insurance

Could not see any mention of gym discount at all.

healthcare_guru

Musicman wrote: »

Pruhealth website now has a section for Health Insurance taken out from 1st January 2010.

It is worse than I feared, as currently to obtain Platinum as an individual requires 2000 points, but as a family member (2 adults) requires 3000 points. Next year it will require 4800 points for a family, an increase of 60%. Also not sure what NCD discount I will have after 2 years of being a member.

New website is at:-http://www.pruhealth.co.uk/insurance

Could not see any mention of gym discount at all.

You clearly weren't looking very hard, here's a link to all the 2010 Vitality partners: http://www.pruhealth.co.uk/insurance/vitality/vitality_partners/partners

and here's the LA Fitness link for example:
http://www.pruhealth.co.uk/insurance/vitality/vitality_partners/la_fitness

Regarding your NCD, it entirely depends on whether or not you've claimed. After all, it's a No Claims Discount

Quentin

Healthcare guru always posts in support and defence of pru whenever the opportunity presents.

Although not mentioned in his posts, earlier in the thread he has admitted to being a conmmission based s/e salesman recommending and selling pru policies.

healthcare_guru

Quentin wrote: »

Healthcare guru always posts in support and defence of pru whenever the opportunity presents.

Although not mentioned in his posts, earlier in the thread he has admitted to being a conmmission based s/e salesman recommending and selling pru policies.

Think I have mentioned already I am an Independent Financial Adviser able to recommend and sell from the whole of the market. I am presenting a balanced view of Pru in light of the weighted arguement heavily against them on this website (and in some instances inaccurate comments against Pru by many posters), so you can have a fair and balanced view after reading the thread.

Quentin

No. You aren't just here to give us a balanced view!

You have given us the real reason already:

healthcare_guru wrote: »

I'm not saying they don't pay me to sell their policies - they do!