I had broken my arm in March. Pretty badly if you think about the bone popping out, scooping tar from the road, and dicing a few nerves so badly than i can't fully move my right thumb and i never will.
No matter, i can live with it. I am now proud to say that i am truly back to form. 7 km running no probs, gone is the flabby tummy, and a friend whom had not seen me for a whole semester said i looked bigger in a good way. So, i've grown more muscular, have a metal infused arm, and am back to playing badminton and tennis and soon, football again.
And then there is the whole shenanigan with my insurance and the idiots over at the Finance Department in NTU.
You see, i had made an SGD1500 deposit payment to the hospital that operated on me, plus another SGD500++ on medical bills , doctor's visits , transportation when i was unfit to take the MRT, and on physiotheraphy which costs SGD52.90 for every visit, and i had gone 5 times already, and counting.....
So you see, i am pretty much flat broke.
My bank account currently reads : You have SGD63 remaining. Which is pretty frightening since i'm used to it saying : You have SGD3000+ remaining.
Now, the reason i was ultimately this flat broke was when our beloved Finance Department debited SGD600+ from my account a week ago as payment for my hostel bill over the hols and for next semester DESPITE me having written and sent numerous emails explaining my high medical expenses and getting a verbal agreement from them that I could settle payment with them in August.
And so i got pissed and called the Finance Department and i got this reply:
"You received an email detailing payment to be made on the 1st of July, and so we carried it out. There is no other proof that you wanted us to postpone payment"
I HATE corporate ass covering , and i marched to their office, demanded for the officer in charge, and blasted her about inconsideration, and trust, and ass covering , and shirking responsibility.
Must have been an experience to them, having a raging student tear them down verbally without a care in the world. I had every right to be pissed. And they had better freaking know it.
So she promised me a refund in 2 weeks. It wasn't good enough i told her, and got the period shortened to one week.
Satisfied, I left, and being still pissed, i hunted down the insurance company that was delaying payment to the hospital who were in return delaying my deposit refund of SGD1500.
The following is one of the emails i sent them and their immediate reply:
Good Morning Mr Zulkifli,
I am following up on this matter with you. I have received the SGD105.80 payment from AXA, but I believe AXA has yet to make the SGD5400++ payment to NUH for my medical bills and surgery. The payment was approved on the 2nd of Jne , yet AXA has not made the payment. I am asking why it is taking so long. The reason I am pressing this matter is that I am a student at NTU, and I have made an SGD1500 deposit payment to NUH for my surgery IN CASH. And I have made payments of a further SGD500 + for follow up appointments. As a result, I am currently running low on funds and I need the hospital to refund me the SGD1500 they owe me. They will only do so once AXA has made the payment to NUH.
I urge AXA to make this payment as soon as possible. I am frankly very surprised why it is taking so long. I had filed claims almost 3 months ago, and the paperwork checks out fine, yet AXA is so inefficient that payment is taking so long. My confidence in your company as insurance providers has been severely shaken and i am disgusted with the way things are being run. Unnecessary financial difficulties have been burdening me as a result of your inefficiency and i shall be speaking to your department head about this matter very soon, if nothing is done to remedy this apalling and disgusting situation that i find myself in.
Forgive me if I sound rude ,but please understand my current situation. I am a foreign student studying here, and I am low on funds. I have no other choice than to press this matter. What if i need emergency funds next week and i don't have them. resulting in dire consequences for me? I will be following up on this email on Monday. I hope something has been done by then to help me or the next email will be one to your departmental head about your inefficiency, failing which i shall be going to the papers about this whole episode, highlighting AXA's inefficiency and lack of care for its customers.
Yours,
Yuvaraman Viswanathan,
NTU.
Their reply was such:
Dear Yuvaraman
Our apologies for the inconvenience caused.
Our cheque to the hospital had been sent on the first week of June. Below is a reference extracted from our system. We are not sure of the reason that the hospital did not clear the cheque, or it could have been lost in the mail.
Sel Payee Batch Bank Req Amount Doc No Cheque No
Name Req Code Type Advance Paid Pay Auth Date
6033578 B 32 A 5687.27 32307572 031440
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HOSP 02/06/2009
Please rest assured that we have taken action as soon as we became aware of the matter. We have stopped the cheque to the hospital and will instead re-issue the amount that is due to you directly. This amount will be credited into your account by Monday and should clear 2 to 3 days thereafter.
If we can assist further, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thanks.
Zulkifli Bin Bujang
Senior Executive - Accident & Health Claims
AXA Insurance Singapore Pte Ltd
143 Cecil Street #01-01 GB Building, Singapore 069542
zulkifli.binbujang@axa.com.sg
DID: (65) 6880 4658 Fax: (65) 6535 5911
Website: www.axa.com.sg
I hope they keep their word, If i see nothing in my account by next wednesday, i'm going to march down to their office and start blasting some ass covering corporate office worker.
Cheers from a "don't freaking mess with me",
Matrix
