Dear friends, Eamon and I are subject to insurance woes. As a self-employed freelancer married to a web programmer at an ultra-tiny company, we don't qualify for group insurance. So we've made recourse to buying our own, which, besides being expensive, is subject to all sorts of crazy exclusions. Like the cost of baby-having, which is a subject that's been on the table for some time. After just learning that we've just reached the point where we may be covered by our policy's maternity rider(which requires a 1-year waiting period prior to actual baby-having), our policy has been CANCELLED, a distressing situation which I am currently appealing. (Say some affirmations on my behalf, please.)
Anyhoo, I am not one to be blocked by petty obstacles, so in the face of adversity, I've decided to research my options. And lo and behold, I come across a company called "Maternity Card," which promises all sorts of fantabulous discounts on baby-having such as I only dare dream of. Well, I am skeptical, but put in my info to learn more anyway.
When I receive two email follow-ups by the very next morning, I am suspicious. In my experience, only scamsters are eager to provide such stellar service to inquiring prospective customers.
Before I even get a chance to review said emails (and their voluminous attachments attesting to the remarkable FABULOUSNESS of this service), I receive a phone call from their rep. As I am hard at work writing a fact sheet for a client (and I have not yet reviewed aforementioned emails), I do not pick up.
Within seconds, I receive an email with the subject heading "I tried to call you." This seems fishy to me. Why such diligence, unless you are trying to sell me a bill of goods? I skim the email, and I notice this postscript: "PS Because of the volume of inquiries we receive on a daily basis, we are able to keep files open for only a limited time."
I believe this is what is termed as the "hard sell." And friends, I'm not buying.
So canny web-researcher that I am, I head to Google and enter +"Maternity Card" +Scam.
And, oh, the riches I found.
Dearies, it's a scam. On message boards all over the Internet, burned mothers-to-be and their partners tell a tale of woe and broken promises. And the Better Business Bureau has logged 76 consumer complaints against the company in 36 months. Yikes.
Well, that's enough for me, so I opt out of future emails, and for good measure, reply to the rep the following message:
I've done some research on your company and have decided not to pursue this option. Please do not call me again.
Within minutes, I receive this rather lengthy -- and incorrectly addressed -- missive:
I certainly understand that reading a posting or negative info on the web is something to weigh before you make a decision to buy a product or service. But, before you make your final determination as to what is in your best interest, I would like to share with you some information that I believe you would want to know.
First, in virtually all of the cases that we see on the internet where a person posts negative information about our company that individual is either anonymous OR one of our competitors or both. We know for a fact that our competitors are actively creating negative postings under anonymous or false names or sometimes just using initials. And, we are not the only on-line victim. In the last year it has become a common business strategy. Unfortunately, there is NOTHING we can do to stop this practice.
If you are genuinely interested in getting all the facts, what we CAN do is give you 3rd party sources that can be independently checked and verified. We stand publicly behind our product and unlike our anonymous detractors we want you to be fully informed. For your review, see the following:
· An ABC News video news story that profiles a recent Mom's experience about MaternityCard.com
· A CBS Market Watch article that gives examples of how we help Moms save thousands of dollars.
· Our Certificate of Guarantee that offers a better than money back promise.
· A Wall Street Journal article about our company
· And, a research article by Ken La Pensee, MPH, PhD explaining the challenges of "Mom's in the Middle” and MaternityCard.com
· Grace Report “Helping Uninsured Woman Pay OB’s for Pregnancy Care” by Robert L. Michel
· 4 testimonials from happy clients
Duncan, we have literally THOUSANDS of enrolled clients. And, yes, like all companies we are going to screw up or not perform as we wish sometimes. So that is why we have put in place a BETTER than money back performance guarantee to protect ALL of our clients. Our motto is “if you have to deliver so should we.” And, we ALWAYS honor our guarantee.
And, finally if I’m sounding defensive well, I DO take this personally. If you've ever been lied about it's very frustrating. We have NO way to refute these rumors except to give you all of the facts so you can have the opportunity to make the most informed decision that is in your best interest.
If after looking at the above you still feel that the postings or web info you read is more credible, we certainly understand. Just let me know your decision.
Thanks...
Once I'm done wiping the laugh-tears from my eyes, I respond thusly:
Wow. You've clearly written this letter before. And my name's not Duncan.
Believe it or not, this guy's so hungry for a sale, he responds again:
Sorry, copied and pasted. Yes, it is a pre written letter. When your competitors go online and start trash talking you, all you can do is have a response with accurate resources that will let you make a wise and accurately informed decision. If you still don’t want us to help you RISK FREE, even before speaking with me, I will be glad to close your file. I just hate to see someone pay more for their pregnancy than they have to.
Good luck and call me if you change your mind.
At this point, part of me wants to clarify that it wasn't his "competitors" that "trash talked" him, but rather, former clients in forums. But frankly, I've got an insurance company to fight with, so I need to let this rather amusing tete a tete wither on the vine.
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5 comments:
Just today, I ran across my emails from Materinity card (xeroxed for posterity), and I wistfully mused how sad it was that our interaction was cut short. And now, like the phoenix from the ashes, they are back! Calloo! Callay! More nonsensical ravings! And yet one more opportunity to blog!
Just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to post this blog. I will not be returning any of the 2 dozen calls I've received this week from maternity card. I am curious how your battle with the insurance company turned out and whether you came across any legitimate pregnancy assistance? It is so sad that our country makes it difficult for pregnant moms in our situation to receive the care needed to bring life into the world. I am seriously considering moving to the UK!
We used the maternity card and now we are in a HUGE battle with them to get our money back. They saved us absolutely NOTHING. Our hospital says that they have no idea who maternity card is and they don't negotiate with them. Now get this, maternity card mailed us a form showing our 'revised ' bill that they negotiated for us and when we called the hospital to confirm, they said that was bogus and they had never heard from them. They don't answer our calls and are purposely lying and misleading us so we are hiring a lawyer to fight them and get our money back. If they can't save you money, they DON'T HONOR THEIR "GUARANTEE". I think their scam is to hold on to your money as long as possible until you give up. STEER CLEAR and just pay cash up front, you'll save more money.
If it seems to good to be true, buyer beware is a good rule to go by. As a member of a nationwide group of associates who assist consumers with medical reimbursement issues, I can tell you there is a highly qualified associate in our group who is currently fighting this "maternity card" battle for a client, and it is not going well at this point. The only good news is that the hospital may agree to a discount due to not being insured, as thought! It is my understanding that "maternity card" is just that, a discount card. It is NOT insurance. The only way the discount will happen is: 1. the medical provider you use knows of this program and 2. that medical provider has an agreement with "maternity card" to discount services. These providers seem to be few in number, but it would explain some people feeling the program is great if their medical provider is on of those who chose to participate in this program. The key here would be that before purchasing this dicount card, have the company provide you with a list of providers who participate. Then you need to verify with the providers office staff and get written statement from them that they will honor this payment method. Be aware that medical providers can and DO cancel reimbursement contracts,often annually if not satisfied with the arrangement,r so find out if they plan to cancel this policy before you receive your services. I hope this will help some others be able to make a safe, informed decision whether to use this company. Personally, I would never take the risk.
I was too tired at 5 months prego to fully research and after a lame attempt (ie the abc and wall street bit) to find out if they were legit, I paid my $699. They are ridiculously difficult to get ahold of, and after the dust settled it only cost me $2400!! obviously they could not negotiate that price, but have I seen that "Money Back Guarantee??" well, my son is 8 months old now, and I intend to make it my part time job to post on all forums and blogs that somuch whisper about Maternity Card- DONT DO IT!!!
Also, Just so I am not anonymous, My name is krista, and my number is 417-19-6135. I will be glad to talk anyone out of this.
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