From complaint to satisfied customer
Years ago, Wouter Walraven took out a disability insurance policy with a.s.r. through his employer. 'It did not cost much, and it gave me peace of mind. But when I needed a payout, my peace of mind quickly disappeared.' Due to a backlog at Loyalis, he heard nothing back for a long time.
‘As a contract manager at the municipality of Tilburg, I suffered a burnout. I gradually built up my return to work, and eventually, in my third year of illness – this was last year – I worked 20 hours a week.’ During that time, his wife filed for divorce, and it was uncertain whether Wouter could get a mortgage on his single income so he could continue to live in the house. ‘Then it occurred to me that perhaps it would be possible to get the desired mortgage with a supplement from the disability insurance.’
So, he submitted a request for a payout. A long time passed without a response. 'I picked up the phone to Loyalis to file a complaint. I was promptly put on hold, and during those few minutes, I sent my complaint via the website. But that turned out to be premature, because the Loyalis employee wanted to solve the case immediately.
Within a few days, Loyalis contacted Wouter, first apologising for the long delay. Loyalis was dealing with a large backlog, resulting in long response times. 'It was nice to hear that, of course, but when you have to rely on your disability insurance, you are by definition in a vulnerable position, so a processing time of several months then really is too long.’
Wim Vliex, senior manager at Loyalis, agrees. 'Of course, we want to help all our customers well, knowing that they often call on us in difficult circumstances. A temporarily high workload presents us with a dilemma. Employees then look at which customer questions need to be addressed with priority. This gentleman's case was one of them, because his call made it clear how dire his situation was.'
As a result, Wouter looks back positively on the approach. 'First of all, I needed to know quickly what payout I was entitled to at that moment, which they managed. Secondly, I needed clarity for the long term. Loyalis also worked with me on this, as they were willing to issue a written commitment for the future to the mortgage lender.’
Ultimately, the divorce took so long that Wouter was only able to apply for the mortgage very recently. 'In the meantime, I started working under a new contract in a different position at the council and am now fully fit for work again. I still receive a payout from Loyalis due to the difference in my salary then and now. Together with my current income, I manage. This has brought a very difficult period for me to a close, fortunately.’
