A health policy and systems practitioner has complained after waiting over 2 hours and 30 minutes for a call to be answered by Aviva.
Speaking to FTAdviser, the individual said when calling Aviva to seek approval for treatment, the voice message says “thanks for calling, we are really busy at the moment and we will get you to one of the team asap”.
“There is no note as to what number you are in the queue,” the practitioner said.
“The concern is these waiting times will delay and or put people off receiving, and further even seeking, urgent referrals and further treatment.”
However, it was not a one off for the practitioner as the first time they called, they waited for 45 mins and then hung up.
Another time they held for 1 hour and 30 minutes and had to hang up.
A spokesperson for Aviva said: “We’re sorry that PMI customers are experiencing longer phone wait times than usual due to the unprecedented levels of demand we are experiencing.
“We are seeing a 25 per cent increase in claims being made compared to normal levels with a high demand for PMI cover creating a spike in claims from new customers.”
Aviva said in the last year, it has provided PMI cover to 123,000 more people in the UK.
“Our digital services are fully available and customers can submit and update claims via MyAviva as well as view invoices,” the spokesperson said.
“Customers can also use our virtual assistant to enquire about their policy. We are taking action to improve the service for customers as quickly as we can, including recruitment and further improvement of digital services."
sonia.rach@ft.com
What's your view?
Have your say in the comments section below or email us: ftadviser.newsdesk@ft.com
