After deciding to switch to HCF after several decades with Medibank Private, I suddenly discovered that my ID on their network appears to have decided I am no longer David. I am now Antoinette.
I have explained to them that I am not Antoinette, I am David. They don’t appear to be listening.
The Company has admitted that the introduction of new security ID checks around membership has resulted in the person who set up the account being the only one whose name appears on the digital ID app, despite two people being listed on a joint health insurance policy.
It also appears that it s irrelevant whether the other person on the account is male or female, which in my case means I have suddenly become Antoinette on their digital app.
If the policy is changed and I become the principal policyholder, my wife suddenly becomes David.
In essence HCF – Australia’s largest not-for-profit health fund – appears to be putting its systems ahead of customer service, and are openly engaging in digital discrimination between partners, when it comes to new member signing up to use their online app. What’s not been explained is why its IT department could not work out how to prevent discrimination, and the stupidity of a male policyholder having to walk around with a female name on their digital app, and vice-versa.
Known for bragging about their discrimination policies, I was told bluntly that if I wanted to use the app as a form of digital ID instead of having to use my card all the time when visiting providers of health services, I would have to do so in my wife’s name. The logic? “She organised the policy so the app has to be in her name.”
This is despite the policy being for two people, and despite the fact that the first HCF debit, which the company was right on top of, came out of my bank account before I had even received details on the policy.
A visit to HCF’s Chatswood support store in NSW was not a lot of help with the so-called consultant claiming, “Our systems don’t allow you to have a digital ID in your name, if your wife has been the one who organised the switch to HBF”.
When I pointed out that I wanted an app in my name. I travel a lot for work and need that ID in my name in case of a medical emergency while I am away. I was told bluntly I “cannot do anything about it. If you want an account in your name you will have to open a new account”.
After being billed by HCF, and despite not being sent any information on the policy after switching insurers, I asked the HCF consultant to print out my new membership details.
He did, it read:
Antoinette
Welcome to HCF.
It then detailed the payments coming out of my account.
I also discovered that they had a mistake in my email address, which was on the so-called policy for my wife – her email address was missing.
“I will fix that,” the consultant said.
Days later I am still waiting for an email from them.
Ironically, when I did try and register in my wife’s name, the extent of HCF’s shambolic digital backend and poor customer service was on full display.
After entering the policy number and my wife’s name, the so-called confirmation email was sent to my email address, not my wife’s. The email address in the HCF system was also wrong despite HCF managing to get my bank debit details right.
But it gets better. When HCF did a security ID check, the code was sent to my wife’s mobile number, not mine.
My name was missing from the welcome letter document, except for a minor reference to the fact that the policy covered both my wife and me by name.
As for being able to spell, it appears that HCF spell Square as “sqare”, which is why we have no emails relating to the new service.
This should have automatically set off alarm bells that something was wrong, as a bounced email message would have been generated. My email ends in 4squaremedia.com.
I also found out when visiting a HCF location to try and fix my problem, that their shambolic systems come first, and customer service goes out the door.
One also has to put up with HCF staff who appear to be clueless and unable to resolve issues. Even when you have given them the right email address and mobile number for the account, they still manage to screw up communications.
In the end I walked out unable to use a service I had paid for.
A visit to Trustpilot revealed that the HCF Health Fund does not have a good ranking.
One visitor to the site wrote in October: “HCF Australia are the worst health care provider in Australia today. Despite their advertising and consistent drumming into you that they care about people, they will consistently try to find cause to decline your cover any way they can. They are expensive, and are not there for you when you need them. We’d previously been with NIB and AHM and had no issues, from the moment we switched to HCF it’s been a nightmare, from coverage to even getting our cards sent to us.”
