In several of my past articles I’ve written about how insurance companies today are disorganized and not reputable. I don’t know whether my readers think I’m just trying to scare every body, but Unum’s mode of operation, in particular, is non-existent and it’s getting worse.
Based on my recent experiences with the company, it’s impossible to find anyone employed by Unum at work. Twenty years ago, Unum prided itself on its customer service, but today, the company has none. This means that it is very difficult, or impossible, to reach a claims handler, wind up in the right department, speak with a supervisor, or receive promised call backs. One has to wonder how Unum is conducting business at all.
I’ve repeated myself on this issue several times, but it appears to me Unum’s trek into downhill mess continues making it very hard for claimants and insureds to comply with what they want. For example, a letter requesting update information dated 2/9 is sent to an insured. The letter is received by the insured on 2/27. The claims handler begins chasing the information with repeated phone calls and requests 2 weeks later. For those who don’t know, update information is due 30-45 days from the date it is received. (ERISA) IDI claims require information within 90 days of any period of claimed disability.
To make matters worse it appears Unum denied this claim within 2.5 weeks after requesting updated information. And, no one working for Unum is available to explain anything. How convenient. I suspect that someone higher up at Unum has given the directive to deny claims as soon as possible with 1st Qtr. profitability results a month away. This situation is egregious, and entirely unfair to the insured, not to mention the fact that the letter most probably was not mailed on 2/9 considering the insured received it 2/27.
It does not surprise me that once again, insureds are placed in a disadvantage position simply because Unum now employs “off-shore” and “on-shore” employees to manage the claims process. In addition, it is also concerning to me that Unum may not be using national phone service, but satellite to communicate via phone. That short beep-beep sound you hear is a satellite connection. This makes sense. If Unum is now communicating worldwide, a satellite connection, or something like it, is much cheaper. But, I can tell you, it’s not business as usual at Unum.
If you are an Unum insured and you disregarded my information in the past, or found it repetitive, I’m recommending that you sit up and pay attention now before your claim is denied for no legitimate reason. This is really awful when I’m hearing from attorneys that it is currently taking up to two years to get an appeal decision from Unum. Believe me when I say it is far better to not have a denied claim in the first place.
Unum is headed downward, folks, and it is my opinion that the company is no longer capable of providing fair and equitable claims review. Without a high degree of customer service, the needs of insureds are clearly not met.
