A colleague of mine recently made a trip to the US and as usual we took his Travel Insurance form our no. 1 choice TataAIG. So far we’ve never had reason to actually call back after having paid the initial premium and so assumed that they offered good service.
This time around, my colleagues trip was extended by 3 months. And so we wanted to extend the insurance. And that’s when the nightmare began. I would never have believed that a company of the stature of the TATA’s would ever come across so poorly. But let the facts speak for themselves.
My colleagues initial trip dates were between 29th April and 27th July. Around the beginning of June, the client requested that the trip be extended by a couple of months. Hence we wanted to extend the travel insurance by 3 months. We called TataAIG in the first or second week of June on 3 or 4 occasions. Each time they said a representative would call back and let us know the formalities. These calls never happened. Finally on the 5th try around the 25th of June, TataAIG informed that we needed to fill an extension form. The same was e-mailed to us on the 28th of June. 3 weeks after we started the interaction.
This form was completed and faxed to TataAIG around the 29th of June. We were told that they would process the same and let us know in 48 hrs. We checked with them every alternate day in the 1st week of July. Every time the response was that the same is being processed. And that someone would call us in 24 hrs. That call never happened.
Around the 7th of July, I called and was now told the fax was never received. I asked to be put on to the supervisor. I was kept on hold for 15 odd minutes and then miraculously the fax was found. I was then told that they would process the same and someone would call back in 24 hours. The one positive about TataAIG was their consistency. Once again, nobody called.
On 11th July, I once again called to find out the status. This time there was an arrogant person called Pooja who came online. She tried telling me how this was a complex process that takes time and we should be patient. When I enquired how long, she after great deliberation came up with the magic number of 48 hours. I explained that in my limited knowledge more than 1 month was definitely more than 48 hours. I asked for the supervisor. Once again a Wall. But no supervisor. Finally Ms. Pooja agreed to walk across to the department where the processing was happening and find out the status. She reappeared with the now standard information that someone would call in 1 hour. When I reconfirmed, it became maximum 2 hours. Once again TataAIG was consistent. Nobody called.
On 12th July, I once again called. This time I was told, that it would take them 2 hours to find out why Pooja had not called in 1 hour. And the once again standard line, “Someone will definitely call in 1 hour’. 2 hours later, no call. Call once again. This time a new line. My system says, the extension is being turned down because it has an existing claim. Surprise, Surprise. There was no claim. The line then changed to “We’re surprised our supervisor hasn’t yet called. She’ll call within an hour”. And finally a formal e-mail, the very first communication from TataAIG declining the extension. 40 days after our first interaction. And more than 2 dozen calls, e-mails, et al.
We wrote back to find out the reason. An automated mail promising a response in 2 days. No response. Yet another mail. Yet again no response. When the Government ignores a citizen and refuses to respond we have the RTI. When a private company, one as renowned as the TATA’s displays this behavior, what does one do? I guess, find another provider.
Mr. Tata, I now subscribe to TataAIG, Tata Power and Tata Sky. All because I believed that the Tata's were and will continue to be a responsible and customer sensitive group. My latest experience seems to indicate otherwise. I do hope that somebody, somewhere looks into the callous attitude and behavior and stops it before it becomes systemic within the group.
Link to e-mail exchange with TataAIG
This time around, my colleagues trip was extended by 3 months. And so we wanted to extend the insurance. And that’s when the nightmare began. I would never have believed that a company of the stature of the TATA’s would ever come across so poorly. But let the facts speak for themselves.
My colleagues initial trip dates were between 29th April and 27th July. Around the beginning of June, the client requested that the trip be extended by a couple of months. Hence we wanted to extend the travel insurance by 3 months. We called TataAIG in the first or second week of June on 3 or 4 occasions. Each time they said a representative would call back and let us know the formalities. These calls never happened. Finally on the 5th try around the 25th of June, TataAIG informed that we needed to fill an extension form. The same was e-mailed to us on the 28th of June. 3 weeks after we started the interaction.
This form was completed and faxed to TataAIG around the 29th of June. We were told that they would process the same and let us know in 48 hrs. We checked with them every alternate day in the 1st week of July. Every time the response was that the same is being processed. And that someone would call us in 24 hrs. That call never happened.
Around the 7th of July, I called and was now told the fax was never received. I asked to be put on to the supervisor. I was kept on hold for 15 odd minutes and then miraculously the fax was found. I was then told that they would process the same and someone would call back in 24 hours. The one positive about TataAIG was their consistency. Once again, nobody called.
On 11th July, I once again called to find out the status. This time there was an arrogant person called Pooja who came online. She tried telling me how this was a complex process that takes time and we should be patient. When I enquired how long, she after great deliberation came up with the magic number of 48 hours. I explained that in my limited knowledge more than 1 month was definitely more than 48 hours. I asked for the supervisor. Once again a Wall. But no supervisor. Finally Ms. Pooja agreed to walk across to the department where the processing was happening and find out the status. She reappeared with the now standard information that someone would call in 1 hour. When I reconfirmed, it became maximum 2 hours. Once again TataAIG was consistent. Nobody called.
On 12th July, I once again called. This time I was told, that it would take them 2 hours to find out why Pooja had not called in 1 hour. And the once again standard line, “Someone will definitely call in 1 hour’. 2 hours later, no call. Call once again. This time a new line. My system says, the extension is being turned down because it has an existing claim. Surprise, Surprise. There was no claim. The line then changed to “We’re surprised our supervisor hasn’t yet called. She’ll call within an hour”. And finally a formal e-mail, the very first communication from TataAIG declining the extension. 40 days after our first interaction. And more than 2 dozen calls, e-mails, et al.
We wrote back to find out the reason. An automated mail promising a response in 2 days. No response. Yet another mail. Yet again no response. When the Government ignores a citizen and refuses to respond we have the RTI. When a private company, one as renowned as the TATA’s displays this behavior, what does one do? I guess, find another provider.
Mr. Tata, I now subscribe to TataAIG, Tata Power and Tata Sky. All because I believed that the Tata's were and will continue to be a responsible and customer sensitive group. My latest experience seems to indicate otherwise. I do hope that somebody, somewhere looks into the callous attitude and behavior and stops it before it becomes systemic within the group.
Link to e-mail exchange with TataAIG
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