Delayed Feedback and Poor Communication on Income Protection Claim

Our client submitted a claim for an Income Protection Benefit with Sanlam for a claim period of just over two weeks.

All supporting documents requested by claims were provided timeously. The client was thereafter requested to submit a copy of his bank statement directly to the claims department, which was done almost two weeks ago.

We were subsequently advised that the SLA for feedback is 10 working days from the date the last document was submitted. That period has now effectively lapsed, yet there has still been no feedback or indication of progress on the claim.

I called the claims department today for a follow up and remained on the line for 20 minutes and 20 seconds, after which the call automatically disconnected. Unfortunately, we still have no update or feedback to provide to our client regarding the status of the claim.

While we fully appreciate the need for proper claims assessment and due diligence, concerns arise where all requested documentation has been submitted, no further requirements have been communicated, and extended periods pass without meaningful feedback or updates.

This is particularly important in the case of temporary income protection claims, where clients may already be experiencing financial strain due to an inability to work.

From an adviser perspective, delays in communication and turnaround times unfortunately impact confidence in the overall servicing experience and make it difficult to reassure clients who have placed their trust in both Sanlam and their adviser during vulnerable periods. This ultimately affects the client experience and the trust placed in the claims process as a whole.

Our client has now reached the point of questioning the value of continuing to pay premiums for this benefit, based on the current claims experience.

We respectfully request that this matter be urgently reviewed and that feedback be communicated as soon as possible.