SCGB Insurance -enough :-(

A snowHead

@Gerry, Think about it. You're not that stupid.

A snowHead

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This is the initial reply I have had from 'the ski club team'. " - I will speak to one of our membership team on Monday morning and will get back to you. I think you have to go through medical screening each year when your insurance renews, but I will double check with the relevant colleagues. Thanks."

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@esaw1, have you asked them about the other issues you now seem to have?

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Let me try make this clear: my family platinum membership was renewed "automatically" last year, via direct debit, but, just like an earlier poster, I didn't undergo any new medical screening, because nothing had changed. And SCGB happily took my money. So my wide and I were members, with our Fogg medical cards and so forth. BUT - were we actually insured? Would the insurer have had grounds for rejecting any claim we might have brought? That's my main concern. The SCGB renewal email is confusing - and it's not just myself who has found it so.

Less concerning, but intriguing, is this: an earlier poster said they were asked all sorts of questions that were more relevant to life insurance than travel insurance. Why? So the new insurance partner could gather data for cross-selling other insurance products, perhaps? Or simply so they could weed out certain risks, or charge them more? (And note the part of the SCGB renewal email that entreats us to buy other, non-ski related insurance products.) Is this medical screening being used for its stated purpose, or as a sales platform for the new insurance partner?

Then we find that SCGB's (relatively) new insurance partner is boasting on its website that, having effectively taken over SCGB's insurance offer and marketing communications, it has boosted the club's policy sales by 60%, and brokerage by 500% within 12 months.

What is "brokerage?" Sounds like commission. For what?

It's not necessarily sinister. Even non-profits need to make a surplus, for the overall good of members, and SCGB is highly respectable and regulated. But I think we need a bit of transparency here.

We'll just have to wait until SCGB opens on Monday to see what the answers are. For my own part, what I want to know is whether my wife and I were actually insured last season, when we were paid-up SCGB platinum members.

After all it is free

I use SCGB insurance (as a member) and have generally found them helpful...but there have been changes and quirks:

- I believe they now like to do it over the phone, as genuine mistakes were being made by people, doing the medical screening online

- I have stable pre-existing medical conditions, which push the price up...even though they are not being treated....but that seems normal now.

- It is always sensible to wait (if possible), for any pending scan/result. This happened me, when I went for an ultrasound on my kidneys...which when proved clear, removed that as an issue. Insurance Co.s hate undiagnosed conditions that could bite them during the period of cover.

- In the last 2 years, when taking out worldwide Insurance, incl the USA, it was a lot cheaper for me to take out Multi-trip, than the 12 days I actually needed. Puzzled

- My daughter (not now a member in her own right), got a quote in the Summer, but didn't take it out. The quote she then received a few days ago, saw a substantial rise (25GBP), for the same info. It was already on the high side. She will now go with Snowcard or Staysure, who are substantially cheaper.

It seems absolutely sensible to me for an insurance package covering skiing off piste to perform a yearly medical screening process. A telephone conversation is probably the minimum standard - face to face medical assessment would be ideal but I expect too expensive. All medical conditions change with age and time. It might feel humiliating and time consuming to go through an assessment (especially with a middle man who doesn’t really fully understand the questions) but I expect it’s now necessary for the business to survive.

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Here are recent Trust Pilot reviews of Tif Group, which provides "white label" insurance handling and medical screening facilities for SCGB:

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.tif-plc.co.uk.

Caveat: V small numbers, and seems at variance with the good experiences reported by several SCGB claimants, and it is true that the disgruntled always make more noise than the satisfied.

From Tif website: "Our specially-trained customer service representatives ensure all incoming calls are dealt with as quickly as possible. We pride ourselves on our high standards of customer service: our training ensures all advisers are specially trained to ask questions about medical information with sensitivity and empathy."

It seems the Tif white label function is responsible for the new focus on medical screening. (Though this doesn't explain the points I raised about the confusing renewal email that was sent to me).

snow reports

For once I am in agreement with you Gerry with your question "Why". TIF is itself not an insurance company it is an intermediary who sources the cover and sells the insurance "product" to its corporate customers - SCGB in this instance. If TIF offered the best deal for SCGB customers following a "beauty parade" including a range of insurance providers then so be it, what do we care if it has resulted in a "500% increase in brokerage" for TIF, it has probably cut its own margins to the quick to secure the SCGB business. If the end product offered to SCGB customers is suitable for their needs and financially attractive then that is all we as customers can ask and hope for. Where I personally think the SCGB has gone wrong is in wrapping up insurance with certain types of membership but hey someone possibly more marketing aware than me devised this bundled product form of membership so I think it is a case of suck it and see (or not).

You know it makes sense.

It states, in sequence:

Your membership will renew automatically with Direct Debit

Your membership and annual multi-trip travel insurance policy will both renew automatically with the Direct Debit you already have in place.

Your membership renewal fee will be [ ].

Only then, lower down, does it start to witter on about medical screening, and the mere fact that it states, as you have quoted: "If you are unsure whether you need to screen please call [our call centre]" suggests that one might NOT need screening.

I doubt the FCA would consider this to be the sort of crystal clear communication one needs to sell financial products.

It should have said something like:

"Your Platinum membership is due for renewal via your existing direct debit mandate.

"Please be advised that we have a new medical screening process in place, and you will be required to undergo this screening - even if there has been no change in your health - before we can give you a definitive quote. This is because your Platinum membership encompasses insurance.

We will not process you direct debit payment until you have been screened and we have quoted you the cost of Platinum membership, or provided other membership options for you."

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

What does bother me are the online reviews for TIF which are entirely negative. One must hope they have a dedicated SCGB team who will provide better service than it seems most other people receive. Less expensive is not always good!

A snowHead

I recently renewed.

Was asked a few medical questions on line, all entirely sensible and related to my pre-existings. No difference to the premium (although it is approx 10% more than last year) by declaring the conditions but then they don’t affect my day to day life.

I thought it was all fine and perfectly understandable.

A snowHead

Were you paying by a pre-existing direct debit mandate?

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Hopefully it will result in a ‘survival of the fittest and most reasonable’ effect - leading to a reduction in premiums for existing platinum members in a few years time.

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Just noticed my typo earlier, when I referred to "my wide".

If she ever sees it, I made be in serious need of health cover...

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@mitcva, I did notice that, but thought it best not to highlight it. You may be able to used the edit option in the right margin to correct it Very Happy

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After all it is free

Just received a letter through the post from SCGB, with Platinum renewal by direct debit info.

This letter in much better than their misleading email. It makes clear that I would have to undergo rescreening, no matter what, and instead of actually quoting me a fee that they might not be able to stand up, they provide a chart showing membership rates. Fair enough.

However, they still claim that my renewal will lie within the range shown in the charts - and I don't see how they can be sure of that until I have been rescreened (or maybe it's a case of we will either accept you or not?) Anyway, what might be the motive in asking me whether I am planning to go on a cruise? (As reported by an earlier poster).

Ironically, the letter explains that: "We've had to increase our Platinum membership fees this year, due to the increased costs associated with providing the level of insurance cover that our members expect."

@mitcva, cruises are seen as a bigger risk, simple as that?

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For ski-related insurance?

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My concern is that they took payment by direct debit two weeks ago for platinum membership and subsequently confirmed that I would receive my membership cards (FOGG included) within two weeks. At that point I (I think fairly) I assumed everything was in place. Thanks to Snowheads a doubt has been raised and SCGB are due to be in touch with me today.

From a selfish point of view, so long as I'm fully insured by the time I go skiing I'll be happy.

snow reports

This is the reply that I've just received from the SCGB;

"To clarify:

If you had any pre-existing medical conditions to declare last year, then you need to undergo medical screening again, even if those medical conditions have not changed.

If you did not have any pre-existing medical conditions to declare last year, and nothing has changed since then, you do not have to undergo medical screening.

This is standard practice with annual insurance policies.

Apologies if this is not made sufficiently clear in the renewal email - we'll have a look at the wording to see if we can make things clearer.

If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to call our Member Services Team on ".

Hats off to SCGB. They said they would get back to me today and by 10:00 am They'd answered my query.

I'm insured! Time to go skiing Very Happy

Excellent!

So long as SCGB do indeed revise the wording of their marketing spiel - notably the direct debit email - then all should be well.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Maybe it cover you for water-skiing behind the cruise liner?

Still at least we are all a bit clearer about the new SCGB renewal process. In response to my post wondering if I needed to be screened even though nothing about my health had changed, you "responded: "Yup. I *think* your membership renews, but to have the included insurance, you need to screen. Enjoy"

In fact, it seems I didn't need to be screened at all.

A snowHead

have been insured by MPI last couple years but their renewal cost for this year has gone up from £197 to £311 for
same Worldwide policy , has anyone else had this? though they are still cheaper than snowcard & BMC , the SCGB ski insurance
looks better so may go with them

A snowHead

@snowxxx, blimey, my MPI renewal is coming up shortly (though I don't have worldwide). Have they said why the increase is so big?

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To be fair, the re-screening thing can be confusing. With MPI, for instance, in order to benefit from the lower online price, you have to start an application completely afresh each year, even if you have, as I have, been with them for quite a long time.

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my policy is an annual worldwide inc USA so is expensive , when I queried the rise by email , they replied quickly as below ,

In answer to your question regarding your renewal premium, the increases are due to an unfortunate amalgamation of events; medical inflation (worldwide), the devaluation of the pound, and an increase in the number of people making claims, which seems to have gone up exponentially this year and has been experienced by the whole market. We understand you may or may not have made a claim yourself, but unfortunately with travel insurance it has an overall bearing on rating.

We have not implemented an increase in premium for over a year and we do try to keep any increases to a minimum, however this year has seen costs rocket. We obviously hope these factors will lessen in due course.

Also MPI did say they would look into my case

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@snowxxx, fair enough. I believe them.

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After all it is free

Perhaps SCGB can give us a quick response to the following:

1. Is data obtained in relation to SCGB insurance sales or medical screening shared with any entity other than SCGB?
2. How is SCGB going about achieving the intention, as stated in the annual report, of achieving a greater financial contribution from insurance?
4. What exactly is meant by the "500 per cent increase in brokerage" mentioned on TIF's website?

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On reflection, you may well be right, and I don't have an axe to grind against the club, so that's what I shall do. Thanks.

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SCGB Insurance -enough :-(

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