Ombudsman for Funeral Policies

There may well come a time when you don’t like the service you are getting regarding your funeral plan. Then you can turn to the Ombudsman for funeral policies to voice your dissatisfaction.

This office opened in 1985. Their primary function is to act as a go-between between you, the policyholder, and the insurance company member.

The Ombudsman for funeral policies is also accountable to the Long-term Ombudsman Council. That means they can provide an independent and an efficient service for the policyholder. So they will deal with any disputes that arise in an impartial, accountable manner.

How the Ombudsman for Funeral Policies Works

If you as a policyholder submit your claim to the Ombudsman, you can follow all the civil justice processes. The service you receive from the Ombudsman is free. The industry subscribers must abide by the Ombudsman’s rulings.

With funeral policy complaints, the Office of the Ombudsman will always do its best to achieve results informally. They will be readily accessible to you and try to be as cost effective as they can be.

Ombudsman officials try at all times to come to a speedy resolution regarding your dispute. They believe in mediation over adjudication.

Ensure Your Funeral Policy Insurer is a Member of the Ombudsman scheme

You must be a policyholder of a funeral policy insurer who subscribes to the Ombudsman scheme to lay a complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman. You need to make sure though that before you join a funeral policy plan that the insurer is a member of the Ombudsman scheme.

One can find out about their membership of an insurer by telephoning customer care or by phoning the Ombudsman offices.

The Ombudsman office takes complaints about long-term insurance complaints and also administration claims. Be sure to note that all contracts you have must apply to the Republic of South Africa.

The Ombudsman receives complaints about many things such as communication and administration failures, false marketing, policies that have lapsed and unfair rejection of your claim.

Voice your Complaints, Stand up for your Rights

You as a policyholder have a right to receive details about:.

Intermediaries those insurers mandate for the products they sell you are also entitled to receive details regarding expenses, values, benefits and assumptions made, premiums, guarantees, etc. you

You must get details as to how the cooling off period works and the implications involved when you replace one policy with another policy. You would need to realise that you have a 30-day grace period during which time your policy or any amendments to the policy can be cancelled.

Before taking out a funeral policy, you need to read thoroughly any document before you sign it. Remember to complete the forms yourself and understand the full nature of the policy. This way you know what you are taking on, and will save yourself further disputes and the possibility of taking up complaints with the Ombudsman for funeral policies.

Conclusion

If you do have a complaint, remember to keep copies of all your correspondence, and hopefully, the Ombudsman for funeral policies will be there to ensure that your complaint is successfully and satisfactorily resolved.

* On the Ombudsman website, you can have specific questions answered. Click here.

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All info was correct at time of publishing