Viabenefits Reviews 212

It's horrific how this company treats retirees. I think they hope that they give up and go away. My father just passed away and the months of tormenting my mother has started to impact her health. She cries about how broken my father would be to know that he worked for so many years and that his company values retirees so little that this God-awful place is who they choose to use to manage benefits. There is a special place in Hell for companies like this. You will speak to countless minions who will all tell you something different.

Negative 20, and thats generous!
They are holding money to reimburse for medical expenses. BUT - they just hold money. You have better chances at the crap game in an alley in West Baltimore! Unarmed!
They are stealing legally. I have submitted over 150 requests. Only 3 have been approved. The app won't let you take screenshots or everyone would be posting the words "DENIED, DENIED, DENIED" all over social media.
Sad excuse for companies to flip you the bird after all your hard work!

Although workers and folks that answer the phone are very nice, the ability to work with one agent is not possible. I have spent a minimum of 15 hours on hold on various calls as I tried to change my choice of health care plans. I have been misguided, mis-enrolled and thus lost my supplemental plan to MediCare for one month without my knowledge.

The folks are friendly and I have been very respectful of their help, but there is no system for one individual to be held accountable OR learn the mistake they had made. I have been hung up on (by accident?) after being on hold for two hours. They may be making "simple" mistakes, but there is no way to let someone in supervision know of this mistake and let the agent know. I have wasted hours and hours on the phone and website just trying to do something that would seem to be "not that difficult." Fortunately, the chosen health care plan was able to back enroll me.

What an exhausting challenge. Now, I need to get reimbursed through the ViaBenefits reimbursement system.... Help!

Actually NEGATIVE 1.. time to involve the attorney general. This company is holding monies, collecting interest, and basically stealing from retirees. I’ve handled my mother’s account for her when it was Wage Works; no problem at all. Every comment I have read here is true and VIA is borderline criminal.
My dad retired from Chrysler. SHAME ON CHRYSLER and all business’s that scam their retirees and surviving spouses using this group. They are hoping you get frustrated and go away… that’s not happening with me.
I hope my efforts help all of you who’ve taken the time to write a review. I’m fighting for all of you; stay tuned!

Via Benefits is the Administrator for my Retirement Reimbursement Account for my monthly Medicare payments. I have been getting reimbursed every month since August 2021. Over the last 7 months every month there is a big hassle with getting my reimbursement on a timely basis! Via Benefits has made the following errors:
1. Lost my Reimbursement
2. Website shows Bogus dates for my Reimbursement
3. Reimbursed me for the incorrect amount short by: $148.50 for January 2021 - required multiple phone calls to correct!
I have asked repeatedly to speak to a Manager in Funding - however I am told that they can't (hard to believe!)

Wish I could give a zero. Other posts are correct. They deny everything with insufficient explanations. You then provide what they say will resolve the issue then deny again. The responses take several days and are never clear. If you call, the call taker blocks you from speaking to decision makers.

Trying to get reimbursement from Via Benefits is useless. Whether you open a ticket or speak to someone, there is no resolution. The representative I spoke to lied to me and the ticket remains open for the better part of a week. They are holding MY money and not disbursing it as required. Time to report them to the Dept. of Consumer Affairs. Shame on PSE&G of New Jersey for abandoning their retirees.

3M did a disservice to their retirees by dumping their retiree insurance claims on via benefits. Obviously they did not look at the reviews of this company. I have sent numerous documents to show how much we pay for health insurance but they continue to refuse to approve the claim. I sent them everything that I sent 3m but they continue to refuse to approve our money. I’m not looking for handout, this is our money!!! You can’t talk to anyone who knows anything.

Thanks 3M for dumping on your retiree’s this is just what we needed right now!

My union, SAG-AFTRA, after promising lifke-long health care to us Senior Performers, threw in the towel and dumped us on Via Benefits.
It has been absolutely disastrous. Our problems are similar to everything yo read here from Via Benefits agents who are part-timers working from home and without a clue, to a very few who know what they are doing but not empowered to fix a problem.
The owners duck behind the curtain; there is no way to directly address the owners who have apparently created a money pot. Inexpensive part-timers with little training and really poor communication skills.
Call waiting during the end-of-year window strain credulity.
I would cheerfully join a class action suit against Via Benefits if one existed.

Here's a copy of a recent note I sent to "Support," the only was I could find to reach the corporate end of this company.

"Via Benefits has failed miserably in providing a service to SAG-AFTRA Senior Performers.
You've even ducked out of a way to contact the owners of Via Benefits...it's as though you don't want to be bothered with your clients. Since as individuals, we don't pay you or have any supervision over your performance, why should you care? Your bean counters have this figured out nicely.
You have no way for SAG-AFTRA members to email questions or make changes. You do have something called "Support," however it's useless.
Via Benefits employs a universe of representatives who abilities range from non-existent to good. The problem here is that there is no way to directly connect with one of your representatives who proved to be in the "good" category. (I've spoken with only two)
It's bad enough that my union, after promising life-long health care, dumped us into the unprofessional hands of Via Benefits. I realize that circumstances change and collective bargaining has been eroded by corporate broadcast ownership. Nevertheless, putting us in the hands of Via Benefits was an enormous mistake.
In 1968 when I joined AFTRA, it never occurred to me that in 2021 my union would have folded me into something as bad as Via Benefits. In the Army we would have called this a "circle jerk."

Called 1st week of November to talk to licensed agent about my insurance plans and get recommendations for 2022. Was told to schedule and appointment. 1st appointment available was December 27th. Called for appointment and found out December 7th was cutoff date for changing medicare plans. This company is not taking care of IBM retirees.

Via Benefits takes forever to sign you up. They verify all kinds of things and it takes hours to sign you up for a simple BCBS plan for example. Their phone system is terrible, often hanging up on you. They need to listen to their customers and make some changes. I feel like their employees are justifying their jobs by wasting my time.

Worked 38 years and retired at 61 from auto company. After retirement was advised would have to go thru Via Benefits for health insurance until I reached age 65. I have spent hundreds of hours since 10/01/2021 tryIng to contact them as it cannot be completed online. I even had an appointment scheduled 6 weeks in advance and after a six hour hold was disconnected. I have 4 days left to get insurance now and do not think that will happen. Impossible to deal with. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Unresponsive, unreliable and incompetent. Worst customer service, website is unhelpful, multiple clicks and then lack of directions on what is needed. I was on hold for a total of 8+ hours over 3 phone calls. Had to submit 1 month Jan. reimbursement request, then a separate request for recurring reimbursements for the remainder of the year. Not logical at all. I'm stuck with them since my Retirement decided to use them to manage pre medicare retirement health plans. I can't go elsewhere. Currently have over $900 waiting for reimbursement, just before the Holidays and no idea when I will get it.

Update: After more phone calls. I've received 4 conflicting instructions from their "experts" on what to do. The only consistency so far has been the inconsistency. I would have had more productive conversations with a Roomba. Even after submitting my expense on Dec. 10th, they say won't reimburse me until Jan 6th. I will have to pay for Feb health care before then, so now I'm out 2 months of health care cost out of pocket. This is my money, yet they are hanging on to it. Unethical.

Set up an appointment 3 weeks in advanced (earliest open). Via Benefits has you call them at appointment times and their menu has one pick, english or spanish. No extentions, or anything other to direct you into appointment. So you end up in the general waiting queue. .... Still waiting. Horrible customer interface. Ford dumped us pre-Medicare retirees on Via Benefits. Thanks a lot.

This company is just bad, plain and simple. I've tried repeatedly over several months and the wait times are ridiculous. If you do get through the person you speak to is clueless and advises you'll need to talk to a licensed advisor. I cannot imagine while GE or other company's contract with a company like this. It's really incomprehensible. Waiting now for more than an hour or more. Their CEO comes on the call early on and says some have to wait at least 40 minutes to talk to someone ... that is really misleading based on past experiences. I was hold more than two hours several weeks ago before handing up.

I have had two great experiences with Via Benefits. On November 12 the woman working with me to review my health plan was extremely kind when I asked her to speak slower because our connection was not good. She was conscientious and knowledgeable working with me to get the best drug and dental plans. She is a commendable employee. On November 21 I spent over an hour trying to reach Humana re my new dental plan because of a premature letter sent to me stating that my application was not complete. I finally called Via Benefits and was connected to Sandra. Within 10 minutes my problem was solved. She was efficient and upbeat and a wonderful person to work with. Via could give some customer relations classes for the Humana staff.

For the past 4 hours as of right now, my mom is still waiting to speak to an agent. She's 82 yrs. old, and she says this company sucks. She wants to close her insurance down, due to it's an expensive joke on anyone who gets health insurance through Via. Anyone reading this DO NOT GET VIA BENEFITS. THEY WON'T HELP YOU ONCE THEY SUCK YOU INTO THEIR SYSTEM. ALL THEY WANT IS YOUR MONEY.

Good afternoon to everyone that work for the very very very very wonderful VIA Benefits Service Customer Center. I do hope that all of yous are doing ok smile. Also I do hope that all of yous will have a very good day at work ok smile. In ending I want to tell all of yous that two of your very wonderful Staff members name Agent Courtney and Carson were so very very Professional Helpful and very very Caring to me when I called in to discuss my IBM RHA Acct. status etc. Last of all I say that both Employees mention above have very very very Excellent Communication Skills and knows and loves their jobs so very much ok smile. Finally in ending I must say that both Employees mention above are always very Positive Representatives for the VIA Benefits Service Company that both of them work for day in and day out ok take care smile.
Sincerely,
Morris W Conway Jr