Discovery Reviews 

Public Complaint – Discovery Health
I’m shocked and disappointed by the conduct of Lorenzo Naidoo from Discovery Medical Aid. He has been rude, dismissive, and outright refuses to assist with my escalated claim. He stated that he is the final point of escalation — how is that even possible in a company as large as Discovery?

He refused to provide information about my claims or the decisions Discovery has made, and would not allow me to speak to anyone else who could help — claiming that I am “not a medical professional.”

Why do I need to be a medical professional in order to understand the choices Discovery has made regarding my health? We all deserve the right to speak directly to the people making decisions about our lives and health.

This kind of gatekeeping and bullying is completely unacceptable.
@Discovery_SA please investigate this urgently — clients deserve transparency, accountability, and respect, not intimidation and stonewalling.

I have been a member with Discovery for my entire adult life. Following my recent pregnancy, however, my family will regrettably be moving to another service provider. I have been left deeply disappointed by the way my case has been handled.

I received a positive pregnancy test in June 2025 and I went to the obstetrician to confirm the pregnancy on a few days later. I told the doctor that I was traveling overseas shortly after and she said that she needed to confirm that it was not an ectopic pregnancy before I went travelling. This appointment cost R2700.
Left for overseas and at this point I had only been pregnant for 13 days and the probability of miscarriage was high, so I did not register the pregnancy with Discovery.

While I was travelling I tried to register the pregnancy but I could not receive the OTP via SMS while out of the country. I tried to do so on my laptop and via the app. Failing that I tried to reach out to Discovery and was only given the option to talk to a bot.
I returned in my 12th week pregnancy and was given all standard 12 week blood tests with Lancet - on the same day of arriving home to South Africa. These tests were also not covered by discovery. These tests cost 2,931.70.

On the same day as I returned home I registered the pregnancy on Discovery.

DISCOVERY DID NOT COVER ANY OF MY APPOINTMENTS OR TESTS PRIOR TO ACTIVATING MATERNITY COVER ON ARRIVAL BACK IN SA.

The claims made prior to registering the pregnancy should be covered too, as I was pregnant at the time and had all the evidence to prove it.

I pay thousands of Rands every month for my whole family, and being a healthy family we go for months and months without claiming from Discovery. I find it hard to believe that a pregnancy is only covered from the day that the pregnancy is registered when it is clear from my doctors records that I have been pregnant since June!

They are the absolut worst with customer service, they think that their AI makes things better but all they do is irritate the crap out of you when you need to speak to a person. does not really help though as they cannot do anything for you over the phone, just refers you to the app, which also does not work. please do not insure with them, this is a warning from someone in the industry that knows how poor their service is

Took out Life cover, went through all the steps, took the questionnaire and answered all questions honestly. I then need a lifesaving operation for a dreaded disease that was part of the scope of cover. Approached the broker who sold me the policy, he sent me forms and advised to go for the operation. Post operation he asked for the post operation report.

Time went by, I was waiting for the payout. The broker stopped taking my calls, he then vetted my calls. I then found out DISCOVERY was not going to pay. I begged for answers.

Apparently, the doctor gave a report, he would not let me see the report. When I finally read the report in was not factual. In front of a witness i confronted the doctor who admitted the report was incorrect and that he would correct it. He never did.

The report said that he the specialist doctor had treated me in around 1970'S or so and that I had some sort of heart disease back then. He Put this nonsense in the report; I ASKED HIM TO SUPPLY THE PROOF AND SUPPLY THE REPORTS. Infront of a witness he said he could not and again said he would change the report. Well, he did not, he refused. Perhaps he was embarrassed.

I conveyed this to DISCOVERY who chose to side with the doctor and not payout. I sent letters and proof to back up my claim yet they simply would not budge.

I ONLY DECIDED TO GO FOR THE OPERATION AS I WAS COVERED, WHEN THE PAYOUT NEVER CAME I WAS FINANCIALLY BROKEN AS I HAD NO MONEY TO GET BY. DISCOVERY DID NOT CARE IN THE LEAST, THEY WERE HEARTLESS ABOUT IT AND VEEY MATTER OF FACT ABOUT IT.

I firmly believe the broker also had a hand in it. Who know perhaps the specialist doctor and the broker get kickbacks for claims that DISCOVERY can get out of.

I have never lost faith in humanity as much as I have now with the way companies and doctors are willing to fabricate lies and see a person suffer.

Discovery were very persuasive when getting me to change from Outsurance after 8 years of no claims and just before a 3 year outbonus.
Soon after, a lady drives into my car. I submit all the info to Discovery and they want me to pay 6k excess, REGARDLESS of the fact that I was not at fault and the lady who caused the dent was insured and had admitted liability.
Don’t get fooled by their persuasive telephone sales tactics. They don’t deliver kind or reasonable service after that.

I have had a constant battle with communication and resolution to a claim that is not even our fault.

Good luck getting anything from these people, a client of Discvoery bumped into my girlfirends car in early December 2024, they asked us to get 3 quotes we rushed to get them before the christmass break, sent it to them with months of no replies.

Eventually, in May 2025 someone responded, almost 6 months later, after countless emails and phone calls, saying its all approved, we just need to confirm a few things, none the less its end of August and still no further than we were in Decemeber with everything, all the quotes we got have all expired and probably now the repairs are more expensive to fix.

What do we do? We're stuck in a constant loop of calling them and emailing; it's not even our fault. What a waste of our time and money!! Quotes these days have to be paid to get one, we're never going to see that money back... this organisation is a JOKE!!

My mother applied for membership and this so called application process has been ongoing for 3 months now. They keep requesting further documentation and information that they already have. I am extremely disappointed that my parents have still not received any acknowledgment to the last forms they have filled out which was (once again) 4 days ago. No one provides feedback and when we have followed up countless times, only then, will they say “we still require this and that”. This is not right as the waiting period after the application should have been concluded by now but they keep on wasting our time. No one is taking this this seriously. My last review on Hello Peter was a month ago now it’s a month later and there’s just still no resolution. This is the worst service I’ve ever experienced in my life and they have absolutely no respect for people’s time. Discovery does not value their potential clients so imagine what the actual clients are going through. Definitely not recommended. Horrible service

I've signed up for a new account, transferred money into the account, and I got locked out of transacting due to FICA documentation requirements after my first transaction. I then received two emails stating that I should reply to an email that would be sent with the document requirements, but that email never arrived. I called and was told to submit my ID and Address documentation. I did that post haste, two days later I received an email to say I now need to send through employment details, which I responded to immediately. Two days later and I received an email stating that they now require my ID and Address information, even though I submitted this 4 days ago in the First round of emails? There is no clear indication of what documentation and information is required from the start, you have to guess... This process is beyond frustrating. How on earth has this not been sorted out over the many years of operating? And all this being said, your money and transacting capabilities are held ransom whilst the internal processes try and get their ducks in a row.

If you are looking into banking with Discovery, be prepared to wait; do not transfer any money into the account until this frustrating FICA process verification is completed.

I am severely disappointed by the way my claim for my extender benefits has been handled-
I have emailed and phoned numerous times, and there is always an excuse.
you explain to use the sites and check what is covered- i do this and then you reject the claims due to "incorrect billing code", then its billed correctly and then rejected again as "no notes from doctor". feels like 1 excuse after the next-
absolutely pathetic service that I pay thousands for a month, and make sure I follow the rules step for step- now I'm stuck with additional legal fees.
I will be cancelling and ensuring everyone at my workplace cancel and move over to our other provider too.

Dear Discovery Retirement Funds Complaints,
I am writing to follow up on a withdrawal request submitted on May 12, 2025, through Discovery's WhatsApp channel, which remains unsuccessful. My initial attempts to understand the rejection via your call center yielded only ambiguous references to "technical glitches."
Following this, I escalated the matter and engaged with a representative from your complaints department at 011 529 6658. Despite their initial assurances of a resolution, all communication has unexpectedly ceased, leaving this critical issue unresolved for a week.
I am gravely concerned by the absence of a definitive explanation for my claim's denial, particularly given the ongoing lack of response from your IT department regarding the alleged technical glitch.
I urgently require a clear and precise explanation for the impediment to my claim and clarification on why this situation has been allowed to persist. If the WhatsApp channel is indeed compromised, I need immediate guidance on an alternative, functional route to access my funds.
The continued delay is having a substantial negative impact on my personal financial well-being.
I am begging for your immediate intervention to rectify this matter and provide a viable path to successfully process my claim.
Your prompt and effective resolution is not just appreciated, but absolutely essential.

We live in a competitive day and age. Discovery's customer support is of the lowest I've experienced. Kwandiwe was rude, with hints of sarcasm and had no intention to help resolve the issue at hand. An infuriating experience and I'd strongly recommend avoiding Discovery until they improve their customer support. Also to mention, I could hear personal conversations in the background, giggling etc. Very unprofessional.

Discovery Flexicare – Misleading Sales & Refund Issues

I was misled into signing up for Flexicare under false promises. When I tried to cancel, I was given the runaround, and despite confirming my cancellation, they still took my money. Now, they refuse to process my refund immediately, using delaying tactics and poor customer service.

If you’re considering Discovery Flexicare, think twice—their sales tactics are dishonest, and their support is frustratingly unhelpful.

It was helpful and not difficult I trust this.

I've been a member of Multiple Discovery products for 8 years now. I am appalled with the pathetic service in the Discovery Invest department. I started a new job in January and my date of pay changed so I needed to change my debit order for all my discovery products. A simple request - SO I THOUGHT. I reached out to my financial adviser on January 6th, he sent me a document to fill out all my discovery products membership numbers to amend the debit order to Febuary 2nd (Instead of January 27). All my products changed except for my Invest. I had filled out the details as per his instruction and he said the department is being difficult for some reason but he will sort it out. I followed up multiple times and eventually I was told that the debit order will go through, it will bounce because I obviously won't have money in my account and then after I get paid he will force it through. That is not what happened, the debit order bounced multiple times and my account went into a negative when it finally went through on January 28. Now on February 5th I have been DOUBLE DEBITED for this. Absolutely ridiculous service, the task was simple CHANGE THE DEBIT ORDER DATE. This was not achieved in 3 weeks and on top of that I have been double debited. Now I have no money in my bank account and I need to chase my financial adviser and wait for Discovery to refund m? PATHETIC.

All thanks to Aly who assisted me with my query. Appreciate all your efforts in going above and beyond in resolving my Pathcare claim. She kept me in the loop from day 1 and regularly updated me on the whole process. You were amazing!!

Absolutely useless customer care. I have had an ongoing issue for 4 months due to their mistake and no one has resolved it. Randomly the case is closed and someone else then replies having not read any previous communication.
When claiming to replace my glass they did nothing to ensure the glass was replaced quickly and it took 20 days for a new side window. They did not follow up with the suppliers once and only when pressurised by me did they do anything.
Get insurance with Naked or someone who has customer care can do something

I recently attempted to cancel my Discover Bank credit card due to a series of frustrating experiences. For months, I tried to set up a full balance debit order to pay off my account. Despite repeated attempts and confirmation that the debit order was set up correctly, only the minimum balance was ever deducted.

After settling the outstanding balance and requesting account closure, I was inexplicably charged monthly fees (account, facility, and Vitality) the following day. When I inquired, I was told I still needed to pay these fees, despite requesting closure.

I was then instructed not to pay until receiving a settlement letter. However, the first settlement letter arrived with an inflated amount and expired within two days. I was then forced to reapply for account closure (an 8-day process!), only to receive a second settlement letter with an even higher amount.

This entire experience has been a complete nightmare. The constant obstacles, exorbitant fees, and lack of transparency are unacceptable. I will never use Discover Bank again and strongly advise others to steer clear of their services.

Lastly, they do not even tell you how to pay the settlement amount in the settlement letter - I mean, COME ON!!!

Discovery Travel Insurance is fairly comprehensive and straight forward

My account was suspended even though all the payments were made. I even sent the proof of payments to discovery but they still did not lift the suspension. I spoke to 3 consultants in 3 hours. All 3 gave me completely different reasons. All were not valid because i sent them proof of payments. After indicating the issues, you hear the consultants laughing. Very unprofessional! It seems like discovery tend to create these issues intentionally after you turn 65 in order to tempt you away from them. They know the likelihood of you needing medical aid increases at this age. It feels like they dont want business after 65. Prior to this, it seems like no issues. Their systems, staff, and customer service has really gone to rock bottom. I will definitely NOT recommend this type of pathetic service! My wife and i cannot even get our chronic medication anymore because they suspended the account for absolutely no reason!

Taking you monthly fees but never paying for medical bills. STAY AWAY!