Via Benefits

Called Via Benefits who represents TVA. Per Via, I had to set up appt for Oct to start process for signup for supplement insurance required to be completed thru Via for TVA. Called and interacted with employee who was unpleasant and condescending. First of all, I was contacted by Via and told to set appt in October. Now im told I have to wait until November. I will be making my selections online so I will not have to deal with Via by phone.

Always had problems being reimbursed. This last experience I sent 2 statements and a credit card receipt showing what I paid for a dental crown. Their reply disapproved because unreadable and no date of service. Their email telling me this had the date of service on it……Duuuhhh…..is there a 2 digit IQ there.

I am a retired Allstate employee and completely frustrated with VIA benefits who is to provide retiree benefits. They are completely incompetent and near impossible to work with.
Frequently after excessive hold times you are disconnected, or reach representatives outsourced to South America or Philippines. Frankly they are improperly trained, and incapable of resolving simple tasks. I always confirm my phone #, ask when being transferred that the rep stay on the line however some representatives refuse. They promise to do things however they seldom follow through. in my experience they define unprofessionalism.
I have found when calling to select the prompt for “new services” as this option offers a call back. Other options do not offer this feature. Obviously, they want new prospective customers not to wait, however existing clients they simply don’t care as to the wait (2+ hrs as noted) or solving problem. This I feel speaks substantially as to how they operate their business. The technology exists but they only employ it when it benefits them financially.
I have well over 6 hours invested and still no resolution to a simple issue. Today, feeling frustration I felt no recourse but to contact Allstate for help and assistance. Spoke to 2 different Allstate representatives and got disconnected
once with no callback and then told they outsource retiree benefits- and that I would have to speak to VIA, they could not assist.
I NEED SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP ME

In 2020 during open enrollment, Via agent made an error on my address for Aetna Silver Script and I received notice in February of 2021 that I did not have Rx coverage because I lived out of Aetna’s area. I spent weeks and many phone calls to get this corrected. Another problem, when I notified Via in November 2020 of my change of address I should have been referred to a Massachusetts insurance advisor instead I was kept on a NY plan for 2021. I have been put on hold for 2+hrs at a time and given a run around trying to resolve this. No one ever calls me back. Terrible and frustrating customer service.

I set an appointment weeks ago. I called the number I was given ten minutes prior to the scheduled time. I have been on hold for forty-five minutes. Nice service, the CEO of Via Benefits must be the brother in law of one of OPERS upper management. What a waste of time! Thank you OPERS, well done!

Unfortunately, I have no other choice (that I know of) but to deal with Via Benefits. My union (SAG-AFTRA) decided to end health care benefits which was supposed to last our lifetimes as Senior Performers.
All of their agents appear to be working from home and based on my experience, many have telephones that are technically dysfunctional, impossible or difficult to hear. This is mostly true of female agents who sound as though they're working from a kitchen. If the phone disconnects, good luck on getting your agent back.
Some agents are downright rude and speak in "boilerplate" as though they are afraid of being involved in legal action and there is never a caring connection. Hey! We're talking about my life here!
Via Benefits agents are apparently part-timers, hired to work from home. I've only come across two who have been helpful. One is Scott Walker.
Unfortunately, there is no way to reach Scott or any agent directly. Via Benefits assumes that all of their part-timers are up to speed and educated. Sadly, that is not the truth.
Frankly, I wish there was a class action suit I could join as Via Benefits is in business for itself and not for us. Since we don't pay them, it makes no sense for Via Benefits to give a damn and have decent agents helping us. Also, there aren't enough agents in their pool
The larger problem is that Via Benefits will not allow you to call in to speak with an agent with whom you previously had success.
Obviously, Via Benefits wants as little to do with us as possible since we don't pay them and are nothing more than a cost of doing business.

Automatic Premium Refund issues can be next to impossible to resolve. 4 phone calls over a $50.00 premium and still no resolution. Customer Service Reps and "Reimbursement Specialists prefer to blame the carrier.
Class action necessary.

Automatic Premium Reimbursement issues can be difficult if not impossible to get straightened out. I’ve personally called VIA four times on a simple $60.00 issue...they simply blame it on the carrier. Class action is needed. The idea is to keep you from your benefit dollars.

My late husband was a retiree from Pitney Bowes & we have been dealing with different companies for his RRA medical account. Pitney puts money in on the 1st of every year & I have automatic reimbursement setup. I send in forms with ALL required info & they deposit the required amount into my checking account. NOT THIS YEAR. No one can give me an answer except "the matter has been resolved". Definitely not true. 6 calls & hours on hold & I have only received 1 month payment, Jan.1st payment was received in my bank on February 8th. I have always received the money around the 1st of each month in past years. In order to get this one deposit it took me 3 calls and 3 case numbers. When I check the website it either says money is on hold (no one knows why) or is being processed. Today is march 27th & still no February deposit. I really think that no one knows what Recurring Reimbursement means nor do they really care.
It is really scary to know how thousands of dollars are handled or NOT HANDLED by this AWFUL company.

What a mess of a company. Don't think anyone working there has a working brain. Excuses, excuses, sorry, sorry, it's being processed are just an example of the many replies. They think that you will eventually get tired and quit calling but I call every week. I have been given several case numbers but nothing happens. They just give you a new case number the next time you call. I don't even bother to write them down anymore. The last i[censored] named Steve Gordon in Funding was a real surly and not at all helpful. He gave me another case #S210218-715. It's almost March and I have only received 1 Reimbursement and it only took about 6 phone calls, hours on hold and 4 or so case numbers to finally get my Jan. 1, 2021 payment deposited in my bank account. Of course they either text you or send you an email after you call saying the problem has been resolved. My next step will be The Attorney Generals office for Arizona. They are holding our funds that the Company gave them for us and making money from it.
I GIVE THEM NO STARS IN FACT -STARS.

This company is just worthless. They are handling a Health Savings Account for my former employer. I am retired and on a fixed income. I have been waiting 4 weeks for a $4200 reimbursement. First they would not process the claim for three weeks and when they finally processed the claim, they said I would be paid no later than Feb 8. As of today, Feb 12, no money and no answers from Via Benefits. Just a terrible company

I worked with IBM and got my benefits restored after via benefits held them hostage. I received a letter from via about 3 weeks after I worked with IBM, and they demanded, and got my benefits reinstate. The VIA letter stated that THEY worked with IBM to restore my benefits, THEY DID NOT! I used their letter for what it was worth, and picked my dog's poop in the backyard. BTW, I had also contacted my Senator, Congressman, and Attorney's General asking them to investigate via benefits, and BAR them from doing business in PA.

I was not told about any changes to my insurance had to go through via and ended up losing my funding. They said there was nothing I could do about it.

My mom died May 30, 2020 and I’m trying to claim her HRA account, which she never used. I am executor of her estate and have spent hours on the phone and sending documents to no avail. I settled easily with numerous other insurance companies but these people are impossible. Have contacted Attorneys General in Texas and Ohio and have written OPERS about their ineptness.

Most ignorant, incompetent, bunch of fools I’ve ever tried to deal with. Can’t get through to anyone one the phone, can’t access the website. WHAT GOOD ARE THEY? We’re FORCED to use them thanks to TVA and all they want to do is collect their money. To hell with customer service and what they were hired to do.

Absolutely the worst experience you will ever have. Horrendous app and web page. All the effectiveness of a fungus, yet their human reps are even worse. Ranking from bad to more bad...their app, their webpage, burning alive, burning alive while drowning and having someone dig out your eyeball with a spoon, their customer support.

On, or about, 10-01-2020, the reason for the ambiguity is the fact that there is no date on the envelope and or the documents enclosed, I receive a document with Via / Alcon logo stating in an separate letter for each one of us, that we both qualify for $2,000.00 each for health reimbursement aid (HRA).
Based on that I called Via 833 963-1234 and placed on queue for an appointment a few days later. My understanding was that they will call and after waiting over an hour after the time of the appointment I called them. They told me it was a mistake and they do not call the customer had to call them.
During that call I was assured that both my wife and I will qualify as joint account and we can either one use that account for the total sum of $4,000.00. I signed up for AARP Plan F and a few days later I received an unsigned and undated letter from Via Salt Lake, UT stating that my wife did not qualify. The same day a call from an individual from Via asked me to have my wife sign up. I asked him if he knew about the letter, does he know anything about it, he responded “No, what’s the problem so she does not qualify", after that I proceeded to find out the facts about it.
I called Alcon and they told me that Via now has total control over my health benefits.

To summarize, after over 12 hrs. of phone conversation, with Via, of which I have minute details about each conversation, I ended up not having any definitive answers and I called AARP and cancelled the Medical plan. At that time I was told that if I do cancel it I will no longer be able to get that plan F again, which was totally in contradiction with what I was told when I signed up with Via, that I can cancel and or change without any repercussions.
I am now at the point where I asked Via / Alcon to transfer my funds to another Agency and trying to get heath coverage with another Agency and just give up on the Alcon HRA.

In December of 2018, I received a letter from VIA a bout $804.75 of uncashed checks from my deceased sister's GE pension. I responded on January 3, 2019 with all requested documentation. Check was never sent. Since3 September of this year I have called 7 times. Each call lasted in excess of 45 minutes. Each time I was told funds would be sent within 5 days. Money was never sent.

This week I received an email fro a Mr. Barbe who told me money was returned to GE because too much time has expired. I called again and was told case was still pending.

I feel VIA made a mistake and will not admit it. I do not know what else I can do.

Hi if there was zero stars I would give that rating. We had a telephone appointment at 12:15, we were kept on hold until 1:30 at which time a person got on and just took our information. She then transferred us to an agent which put us on hold for another half hour. The second person asked us the same questions as the first person. She was of little help with our drug plan selection and then said she could not find our medicare supplemental plan which we have had since 2009. The are totally inept and you should not use this service. I am going to call my company and large a complaint. You are better off researching on your own. They said they would get back to me but so far NOTHING

I have never dealt with so many inept people in my life. My Dad passed away and his account should be moved over to my mother who is very ill. Several phone calls and six months later, they now tell us that she is not entitled because she was not named as his beneficiary. She was. They asked us for my father's last will and testament and his death certificate 6 months ago (where it shows her as beneficiary) and we have copies of the paperwork. They literally refused to tell us whether they had received our faxes and would not send my mother any information through the mail. Absolute scam. We are working with an attorney.