I got pregnant in June. Because my employer did not want to pay me maternity leave (there was no written policy), I signed up for AFLAC with Kae Birdsell, a local agent.
She told me that while I couldn't sign up for disability because I was already pregnant, I could sign up for their hospital indemnity plan. She even wrote down the amounts that my son and I would receive and told me (and my mother who was with me) that a check would be mailed to us within two weeks of his birth.
When I had my son in March I had the necessary papers filled out at the hospital. I faxed them to my agent within a few days, and she forwarded them to the corporate office.
After a couple of weeks I received a letter saying that my claim was denied becuase my pregnancy was a pre-existing condition. I called my agent who assured me it was a mistake and asked me to fax her my release papers from the hospital. After doing so, she re-filed the claim.
Again I receive a denial letter. I call my agent again and she says that she needs an itemized bill from the hospital. I obtain this within a few days and fax that to her. Again she refiles the claim.
Meanwhile I call AFLAC's corporate office and they tell me that I was already pregnant when I signed up, so tough luck. I explained that Kae told me this would be covered and that is why I signed up in the first place. Their customer service rep told me, "I'm sorry, I guess your agent gave you the wrong information. You need to talk to her about that." Well, she isn't going to pay me my claim, is she?
After complaining for several minutes the rep finally gave me his fax number so i could fax them my statement, which I do the same day. Their rep also told me to call and check on the status of my complaint in two days.
I called them several time within the next three weeks and the only information they give me is, "we received your letter and nothing is resolved yet. Call back again in a few days."
Now, ten and a half weeks after my son was born, I receive a letter from Aflac stating that they reviewed my claim and are denying it again, regardless of the fact that my agent lied to me and I have wasted eight months worth of premiums.
I've been struggling to pay my bills after not receiving a paycheck for six weeks. I was lied to by my agent to get me to sign up for this plan. I used to belive that maybe she just didn't know enough about their plans, now I belive she deliberatly lied to me, so she could get some commission. I hope it's worth it to her if I end up losing my house because I couldn't pay my mortgage.
AFLAC is a scam. They will find any way possible to not pay you when you have a claim. They will give you the run-around for months. They don't care at all about us, they just want to steal our money. Yes, I had a bad agent, but the company should stand behind me and rectify this situation! Just saying, "Yeah, our agent was wrong..." isn't going to pay me my money, is it?!?
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