WeeklySA_AdminSettle: The company has apologised and offered to settle the claim in full
By Thuli Zungu
Metropolitan Life Insurance, which initially rejected a legitimate funeral claim regarding a 60-year-old beneficiary from Mahikeng in North West, has now apologised and agreed to pay the claim – almost two weeks after the principal member had applied for a loan to bury her mother.
Tshikelo Mosiane said she had been paying monthly premiums for a funeral cover of both her parents with the insurance company for almost 31 years. The company processed the claim when her father died in 1998 without any hassles .
The same however could not happen when her mother died on March 5 this year. The insurance company declined the claim on the grounds that she was not listed as a beneficiary. This created serious problems for the family because they did not have enough money to cover the funeral costs.
‘’ I had to apply for a loan to bury our mother in dignity because of the inefficiency of some staff members at Metropolitan Life. I am now paying off that debt with a lot of interest. We are very upset about the treatment we received from the company’’, Mosiane said.
She paid continued to pay Metropolitan a monthly premium of R40 for her mother which totalled R14 800 for the 31 years but rejected a funeral claim which covered her for only R5000. “This is an embarrassing.”
Mosiane filed the claim two days after her mother passed on only to be told she was not covered in the funeral policy. Some officials told her that only her father, whose claim was settled in 1998, was covered as a beneficiary.
“Why were they deducting the monthly premium for ?” asked Mosiane.
One of the managers advised her to at least claim for all the monthly premiums she had paid since the inception of the policy but when she did that, the application for a refund totalling R14 000, was declined.
The matter was later escalated to the company’s Head Office and after her mother’s funeral she visited the offices to inquire about her claim. She was told that the details of her mother as a beneficiary had now been included in the policy. They promised to settle the claim they had initially declined.
Mosiane said she rejected the offer ‘’with the contempt it deserves’’ as they could not assist her when she needed the money.
“I suspect that they realised that they have to refund about R14 000 and were now resorting to settle for less, which is R5000.” Mosiane lashed at Metropolitan for not subscribing to their principle of treating their clients fairly and with dignity.
“They treated me like a beggar and not like a valued customer I was for the past 31 years.” Metropolitan has apologised for treating her shabbily.
“First and foremost, we wish to convey our condolences to the family for their recent loss,” said Mariza Schlusche, Head of Metropolitan’s Client Care department. She said this was not the kind of service they rendered their clients. They were sorry that the Mosiane family was treated like this.
After launching an investigation, they decided to pay the full claim. This will be done after Mosiane had signed the claim form.
“We are pleased to confirm that we have since been in contact with Mrs Mosiane and we can pay the full claim amount once she has accepted and signed a full and final settlement letter,” Schlusche said.
It was unfortunate that her team was not able to resolve the matter immediately at the local branch and the matter had to be referred to Head Office.
“We are addressing the cause of the problem according to our internal protocols and in line with the relevant legislation and regulatory provisions to ensure that this does not happen again,”said Schlusche.
PEPSI UNVEILS NEW LOGO AND VISUAL IDENTITY
TOUCHPOINT: The new design marks the brand’s “next era” while celebrating its 125th anniversary at the same time…
By WSAM Correspondent
PURCHASE, New York – Pepsi, the iconic global brand, this week unveiled a new logo and visual identity for its beverage – the first brand refresh of the iconic Pepsi globe logo in 14 years.
Pepsi announced on Tuesday that it would roll out the new look in North America in the coming months – in time for the brand’s 125th anniversary, and globally in 2024, “marking the brand’s next era with an eye toward the future”.
The multinational beverage company said the new design paid homage to the brand’s rich heritage while taking a big leap toward the future. In addition, the new design evolved the Pepsi brand to represent its “most unapologetic and enjoyable qualities, and will span across all physical and digital touchpoints, including packaging, fountain and cooler equipment, fleet, fashion and dining”.
Throughout its storied history, Pepsi had maintained a bold challenger mindset and a strong link to pop culture.
“From the Pepsi Challenge and reimagining the Super Bowl Halftime Show, to creating some of the most iconic ads of all time with the world’s most renowned musicians and actors, Pepsi has always pushed culture forward to deliver one-of-a-kind fan experiences in a timely way, while simultaneously remaining iconic and timeless.
Pepsi also continuously reinvents itself with brave marketing and product innovation, from creating its own television shows, exploring Web3 and introducing compelling new varieties over the years including the recent Nitro Pepsi, Pepsi x Peeps, Pepsi for SodaStream and an improved Pepsi Zero Sugar taste in the U.S. to give fans the best tasting cola in the zero-sugar category,” PepsiCo said in a statement.
Mauro Porcini, chief design officer of PepsiCo, said: “At PepsiCo, we design our brands to tell a compelling and holistic story.
Pepsi is a shining example of a brand that has consistently reinvented itself over 125 years to remain a part of pop culture and a part of people’s lives.
We designed the new brand identity to connect future generations with our brand’s heritage, marrying distinction from our history with contemporary elements to signal our bold vision for what’s to come.”
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