12 weeks.That’s how long you can expect to wait for any payment (if you’re lucky) when you take out an income protection policy with TAL.A close family member took out this policy purely for peace of mind. At the time of purchase, he fully disclosed a prior knee injury that had been surgically corrected. The third-party salesperson assured him repeatedly that this would not affect any future claim.Fast forward more than a year later — he suffers a serious, unrelated injury that left him: • completely unable to work (he’s a concreter), • unable to drive his manual vehicle, • bed-ridden, • and immediately advised by doctors that he could not return to work under any circumstances.He was placed on a prioritised public hospital surgery waitlist — yet somehow this still isn’t enough for TAL to process a claim.What followed has been months of exhausting back-and-forth. TAL requested every piece of documentation imaginable, including medical records from several years ago and from another country, many of which have no relevance to the current injury. Despite how unreasonable these requests were, every single one was provided.Once TAL ran out of ways to delay the claim through documentation, communication simply stopped.Initially, we were dealing with a staff member named Chantelle, who was helpful and transparent and I would like to preface by saying she is not the cause of this review. Chantelle advised me that she would go on annual leave and her direct manager would take over the claim.Since Chantelle has left, this claim has become a complete nightmare.Calls go unanswered. Messages are allegedly “left for the manager.” Promises of call-backs by end of day are never honoured. Weeks pass with no communication at all, and we don’t even know the current status of the claim.The real-world impact? • 12 weeks with no income • An eviction notice issued • A vehicle repossession notice • Borrowing money just to buy food and feed his dogsThis is someone who did everything right. Paid premiums. Disclosed medical history. Followed every instruction. And now stands to lose everything because of TAL’s delayed and dysfunctional processes.TAL does not appear to care about wellbeing.They do not appear to care about housing security.They do not appear to care about the people behind the policies.At this point, this company feels less like an insurer and more like a system designed to avoid paying claims.If you’re considering income protection, do yourself a favour and look elsewhere.TAL — if you are monitoring these reviews, you already have my contact details. I am still waiting to hear from a manager.
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