Symphony, clients out of tune
Innocent Selatlhwa | Friday August 25, 2017 16:30
Recently, the Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority (NBFIRA) informed members of the public that Symphony has been placed under temporary closure.
In the statement, NBFIRA advised that as a condition of the closure, the medical aid scheme shall no longer take new clients or issue new medical aid covers until further notice. “Existing members are advised that the temporary closure will not affect their medical aid covers and consequent rights and responsibilities,” NBFIRA said.
On August 23, 2017 Symphony through a press release refuted claims of imminent closure and maintained commitment to “providing members continued service”. Established four years ago, the scheme claims to enjoy strong relationship with various suppliers and stakeholders. “Recently, however the scheme has experienced challenges that are not uncommon between entities that operate symbiotically.
“Our staff is working tirelessly, round the clock to ensure that these challenges are met with the necessary targeted solutions; guaranteeing the servicing of scheme beneficiaries as soon as possible,” Symphony wrote.
It disclosed that NBFIRA has on August 16, 2017 placed the establishment under temporary closure due to compliance requirements, “specifically failure to submit the 2016 financials on the stipulated date. Nevertheless the financials are currently being finalised”.
Symphony also claimed that it is committed to giving desired value to its client compliment and therefore assures all members that their dedicated staff is diligently working on the challenges currently faced “to ensure that the scheme beneficiaries can continue to experience our brand promise”.
Despite this assurance, clients are singing a different tune. One of the disgruntled customers said she cut ties with the company three months ago after she paid for her whole pregnancy at one of the Gaborone private hospitals. The woman was not shocked at the news that the scheme has closed shop. “Those people did not take business seriously,” she said in disgust.
She revealed how her gynaecologist also demanded that clients pay cash and thereafter claim money from the scheme. This was because the medical aid scheme paid the private doctors very late. Another confessed that when the private practitioners heard the name Symphony they demanded cash up front. She had so far paid about P20,000 at one of the private hospitals in Gaborone during her pregnancy and after giving birth.
“They paid some bits here and there and last Friday [August 18, 2017] I went to follow up and their offices were shut,” the dejected mother of one claimed. She said she has been paying from her pocket and sometimes Symphony honoured the claim and sometimes they regaled her fairy tales. The source suspected that the scheme might not be having enough membership for a big outfit like theirs and that the population is too small for proliferation of medical aid schemes.
Mmegi has since learnt that Symphony offices located at Fairgrounds have been shut down leaving customers with nowhere else to take their grievances. A visit to their offices revealed this. They only put up notice that their office has been shut down temporarily on Wednesday. According to security officers at Fairgrounds, a lot of furious customers have been going back when they came to seek answers.
Mmegi called the listed numbers. While one rang unanswered, the other was answered by a woman who said she did not know why her number was listed as she has long parted with the company in 2015. She even claimed that angry customers have been calling her number incessantly. She provided a number for one of the company directors who did not answer the phone.
NBFIRA spokesperson, Tapologo Kwapa said they were not aware of any formal complaints by Symphony clients. “We have some regulatory issues with them that led to their temporary suspension from new clients. But we have not gotten any formal complaints from their clients, including about closure of their office. As far as we know, they are still operating, serving existing clients and we shall follow up to find out why their office has been closed if that is the case,” he said.
Kwapa said Batswana should not be worried that their medical aids get temporary closures as their new regulations call for change of the way things have been done and said all those who comply with the regulations or correct where they are told to, will continue operating.
NBFIRA announced yesterday that Botlhe Medical Aid would close temporarily. Botsogo Medical Aid has since returned to business after a brief closure by NBFIRA. Itekanele Health Scheme never made it back after its temporary closure.