Tonight ` I want to be able to chose the person I trust. NZ's biggest health insurer changes the rules. I certainly don't feel treated as a 20-year valued client. Hundreds of thousands of us are affected. Well, they're extremely frustrated. They're angry. They're nervous. > Well, they're extremely frustrated. They're angry. They're nervous. > Does speaking out worry you? It worries me, but I am not willing to compromise quality. Incredibly peeved off. Like, really angry. Well, join the queue. MAN: Thanks for calling 24/7 Hosting. Why don't you talk to me, Caleb? And... Could you end up buying a scalped ticket off a website? Yes, it's easier than you think. Welcome to Fair Go. Southern Cross is a behemoth. One in five NZers pay for private health insurance with them. They have over 60% of the market. Many take out health insurance because they want to choose who they're treated by and when. But what to do when our biggest health insurer takes away one of those choices? Here's Mark. In early June, Southern Cross fired off a mass mail-out of missives to 675,000 of their members across this fair land. And here it is, headlined 'Important updates to your Wellbeing policy. 'Steps to keep your premiums affordable.' The sort of thing you'd look at quickly, and then throw in the bin, but the devil is in the details. Southern Cross was giving notice that, in six weeks, it was removing a basic right many thought they'd signed up for when they took out health insurance. What the...? The choice was taken away. We're told who we're going to use. I mean, that's sort of a dictator state. So why are these people so upset? Southern Cross are trying to keep premiums down by only allowing certain surgeries to be performed by affiliated providers ` a list of contracted surgeons, specialists, doctors and the like. It's been around for a couple of years and was now being expanded. If you take certain... a certain specialist, for instance, who may be charging us, say, up to four times what we're paying as a national average for the procedure, then we can't justify that as a responsible use of members' funds. What that means is many policyholders would now no longer be able to chose their health specialist. That choice is now Southern Cross'. I want to be able to choose the person I trust, that I feel has my best interests at heart and who I know will take care of me. It's not what Nola Jenkins signed up for when she joined in 1987. Five. She needs regular surgery from a skin specialist to remove basal-cell carcinomas, a form of skin cancer. They said it can kill you in the end, um, but they have a tendency to eat your skin sort of straight down and eat your bones. You don't want them hanging around? You don't want them hanging around? No, I don't. (CHUCKLES) Her previous dermatologist had overlooked four carcinomas. And there was even one that was on my arm here that he just completely missed. Just ignored. So I decided I needed to find somebody who I trusted. For the past few years, Nola has been happy with the dermatologist she'd chosen. But about a fortnight ago, on the day of another operation, Southern Cross ruled out Nola's dermatologist because she wasn't an affiliated provider. Oh, I was just thrown for a sixer. I thought... I don't know. I've got this old-fashioned concept of, uh, loyalty to the people that you stay with or you stick with and you've spent all that money with, and I felt like I'd... it was a kick in the teeth. Southern Cross pays out $44 million on 44,000 skin procedures every year. It's their biggest volume area, and that volume has been turned up loud. He said, 'I've got something I'm worried about on your back. Possible pre-cancerous melanoma.' 25 years in the Kiwi sun could be taking its toll on Todd Andrews of Auckland. His dermatologist of 20 years found a suspicious lesion on his back during a regular skin check. It's a nervous time for him and wife Kaye. Now we wait until Friday. Yep. Now we wait until Friday. Yep. Nerve-racking? Now we wait until Friday. Yep. Nerve-racking? Very nerve-racking. Yep. Adding to the worry, Southern Cross told them the specialist they'd been seeing for the past 20 years couldn't remove the lesion because he wasn't on their list. I certainly don't feel treated as a 20-year valued client. It's, uh.... They're just heavy-handed. Arbitrary. Bullying tone. Southern Cross wouldn't back down, but Todd went ahead with the operation and paid the $1200 out of his own pocket. I'm not going to be told by Southern Cross that they're going to disallow my dermatologist. So I've had the procedure, uh, and I'm sure Southern Cross will be watching this. I want to let them know that if you do not honour the consultation and the operation for the procedure I had yesterday, we'll be considering legal action. Dr Fergus Oliver, an Auckland dermatologist, is seeing patients this upset every day. They're extremely frustrated. They're angry. They're nervous. Others are wondering who they can possibly go and see, and unfortunately, I can't recommend anybody at this stage. So let's have a look at who Southern Cross has managed to sign up as affiliated providers in skin. We've signed, uh, almost 150 contracts with affiliated providers up and down NZ for skin surgery. But Nola got a real shock when she saw one of the names on her region's list. I said, 'Why is this man on the list?' I said, 'He missed my carcinomas.' What did they say? > What did they say? > And it was just dead silence. Just you have to go with what's on the list. To get on the list, Southern Cross wants many specialists to cut their fees. In Auckland, only six of the region's 26 dermatologists have signed up to be affiliated providers. In Hawke's Bay, Taranaki ` none so far. Being added to the list, though, are GPs with a special interest in skin. If you pay the premium for private healthcare, for specialist care, you expect to be treated by a specialist, not a GP with a interest in skin. In respect of GPs providing skin surgery, we've got a very specific framework around various tests that GPs need to meet in order to become an affiliated provider. Does that really compare to an extra four to five years training? No, it doesn't, and that's why the GPs are restricted in terms of the range of skin surgical procedures that they're able to provide even if they are an affiliated provider. The Dermatological Society has written to Southern Cross, worried about a drop in the standard of care. Dr Fergus Oliver calls it the dumbing down of surgery. I think the specialists in general charge a very, uh, reasonable amount. Uh, they have a lot of experience and expertise, and they do the right job the first time, uh, and they save money in the long-term by having a good outcome. Having a cheaper job doesn't mean a better outcome. We do have issues with some remaining providers, where their price is unreasonable and doesn't offer value to our members. < So unless they cut their fees, they don't get a look in? The test is, 'Is it a responsible use of members' money?' And at the rates we're currently talking, we don't believe that's the case. We've spoken to many specialists who say Southern Cross won't even listen to their ideas for saving money. It's cut your fees or nothing. They're also fearful of the consequences of speaking out publicly. Some of them are scared of what Southern Cross can do to them, and they can withdraw contracts. Does speaking out worry you? Does speaking out worry you? Worries me, but I'm not willing to compromise quality. What would Southern Cross do to someone who spoke out? We wouldn't` It's any provider's right to comment on the affiliated-provider programme. Um, would there be any repercussions from us around contracting? No. Caring for our patients is the most important factor, and that's what's upsetting me the most is not being able to care for my patients. We all want to have a reasonable income, but we all value the care of our patients above everything else. So are the patients the meat in this cost vs quality sandwich? They bought health insurance policies that entitled them to pick a specialist of their choice, and Southern Cross went ahead and changed it. I think I've paid a lot of money for the security to know that I would be taken care of, and now I'm feeling a tad short-changed. Your relationship with a doctor is all about trust, and it's personal and confidential and everything. So it doesn't get many more` much more important than that. Especially at this moment? > Especially at this moment? > Especially at this moment. And quite a moment it is. Todd got the call a few days ago. The lesion he had removed is a malignant melanoma. He had more surgery today, done by his long-term dermatologist. Todd is paying for it. He'll be asking Southern Cross to reimburse him under the policy he signed up for. We also saw Nola in that story, waiting for carcinoma surgery. Yesterday we learnt that her dermatologist has joined Southern Cross' affiliated providers' programme. That puts her among the 70% of potential skincare providers who have signed up. Southern Cross is adamant there will be no slip in quality of care from the providers they're signing up. The change applies to Southern Cross Wellbeing policies, the vast majority ` 765,000 of them. Upgrade to the way more expensive Ultracare policy, you can choose who you want. If you don't like this change, we suggest you let Southern Cross know. It is a non-profit friendly society. And next week, we'll be looking at what choices you have if you are unhappy with your medical insurance. After the break - I go looking for a businessman. Didn't like being screwed over. MAN: Thanks for calling 24/7 Hosting. That's thanks for nothing very much. The light's are on, but no one's home. Caleb? And later ` Jane's tickets are in this block. What she's wondering is, are her tickets OK? Are they safe? I felt I'd been duped. Welcome back. A warning now about a Christchurch company, 24/7 Hosting. It's a web-hosting company. It should make sure your website is accessible. Honestly, it's not that complicated. 24/7 just doesn't seem capable of doing that job. I went looking for the guy who runs it or used to run it. I found him, but not where I looked. 'I'm visiting the Christchurch address we obtained for Caleb Finlay, a businessman. 'We didn't know if he was at home.' Caleb? Gidday, Caleb? 'If he was, he wasn't feeling chatty.' Why don't you want to talk to me, Caleb? 'Turns out there's actually a very good reason for that. 'We know what it is, but we can't say for legal reasons. 'He runs, or used to run, 24/7 Web Hosting.' MAN: Thanks for calling 24/7 Hosting, NZ's leading web-hosting and data-centre provider. 'It's trusted by thousands of Kiwis, apparently. Maybe not the ones who use apostrophes correctly.' Come and tell me what's gone wrong with your business, Caleb. 'What's gone wrong is 24/7 Hosting has failed the basic function of a web-hosting company. 'Your website and email service sits on the hosting company's servers, computers. 'Their job is to make sure your website is up.' And it was down for nine days. The lights are on, but no one's home. Nine days of trading. Service was non-existent. I was really really cross. Incredibly peeved off. Like, really angry. (CHUCKLES) 'Laura and Ross ` and Daisy the dog ` run an Auckland digital-marketing business, 'so it's reasonably important to have a website that actually works. 'They were paying about $10 a month. They say the website stopped working, 'and they lost their entire database.' It's like having someone come and throw rocks in my shopfront and go in and torch all of my stock. So that it was all set on fire, it was all destroyed, and nothing was retrievable. That's what it's like. We went with 24/7 because we wanted to support another small NZ company. 'That was a bad mistake for Tauranga retailer Fay Honeyman. 'She lost sales because her website was down for nine days.' We communicated with Caleb initially, and he seemed very nice to deal with, and we didn't appreciate being screwed over by him and being affected so badly and losing so many sales. 'With Caleb out of the picture, his former partner, Melanie-Rose Skidmore, has taken over.' I have called Melanie's cell phone several times, as well as commented on every single one of their Facebook posts, requesting that they finally get back to me. Um, so, yeah, I was communicating with them. They were not communicating with me. 'Fay was eventually refunded. Others say they haven't been so lucky.' Can't trust them. 'We met Phil Yeaman in a graveyard near his work. That's software development, not gravedigging. 'He chose 24/7 to host sites for his clients. He soon regretted it.' Uh, my advice would be to, uh, move now if you haven't already moved and, uh, if your website's still up, I'd get your data off now. Exceptionally bad. 'That was 2011. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time we've dealt with 24/7 Hosting.' I really can't put into words just how awful they've treated me. Totally unprofessional. 'They used to sell computer kit too. 'This Auckland community group spent nearly $6000 on iMacs that didn't arrive.' I don't believe a word they say. 'And, back then, the entire website design appeared to be copied wholesale 'from a deeply unimpressed American company.' It's sad, really ` they stole the whole thing. 'But the website did change a bit, and hey, they support the SPCA and the Blind Foundation.' Caleb, why have you got the Blind Foundation and the RSPCA on the website? 'Unfortunately neither can find any record of an actual donation.' The cute puppy and all that is a bit lame. 'It was clearly fairly pointless to continue my one-way conversation. But then...' < Ah, hello, Caleb. Not Caleb? He used to live here? He used to live here? He did used to live here, yeah. He used to live here? He did used to live here, yeah. Yeah. Do you know where he's gone? Uh, do you know where Caleb is these days? Uh, do you know where Caleb is these days? Sorry, no. > 'I left my details to pass on to Caleb.' < So give him my best. < So give him my best. Will do. Melanie-Rose Skidmore, the new owner, has completely ignored our numerous attempts to contact her. In online posts, she's referred to several issues they are working hard to resolve, and she's distanced herself from Caleb Finlay, the previous owner. She says they are dedicated to helping affected clients and apologise for outages. She says that due to the complexability of their infrastructure, these outages take a while to resolve. We have some sympathy for Melanie-Rose Skidmore, but sorry. We say steer clear of 24/7 Hosting. If you want to move from them, we've put advice on our website and information from the Domain Name Commission, which looks after dot-nz websites. After the break - think you're too smart to be caught out? I felt I'd been duped. I felt I'd been taken for a ride good and proper. Who are they? Where are they? And are they any good? The Bledisloe is coming. Will this rugby fan get to go? Was that the first time that you were aware that this website might be involved in scalping? Welcome back. The Eden Park Bledisloe Cup match is coming up, without Dan Carter. You google tickets, buy them, and you're sorted, right? Well, one All Black fan wasn't so sure, and at some risk to holding on to her seats, she talked to Hannah. 'Jane Sinclair is sauntering casually across this rugby pitch in her home town, Te Awamutu, 'because we asked her to. She's actually more of a cricket fan, but this...' MAN: It's a try! '...is a rugby story with lashings of rugby shots and tricky rugby questions.' Your local team? Your local team? The Waikato team ` the Mooloos. ALL SING: # Mooloo, ole, ole, ole! # What do you know about the Chiefs? What do you know about the Chiefs? They just narrowly missed out in the quarter-finals. MAN: Naenae Williams is over! But still very proud of them. But still very proud of them. And your favourites? But still very proud of them. And your favourites? Brodie Retallick. Aaron Cruden's playing well and, um, Sam Kane. Liam Nessum ` very exciting player. Kerr Barlow. 'OK, now you're showing off.' Sam Whitelock. MAN: And Whitelock! 'Her favourite All Black.' Pause! Engage! 'And Jane was lucky enough to see Sam in the ABs' World Cup vs Argentina. 'Her sons bought the tickets. That's them on the right of this photo. 'Jane wanted to treat them to this month's Bledisloe Cup match at Eden Park.' I googled, uh, to find out when the All Black game in Auckland was on. 'And this website popped up, Ticketbis, looking to Jane very much like any other booking site.' So I clicked on that; chose where I wanted my seats. 'Ticket prices not cheap. Jane thought the ones at $155 sounded about right.' And, um, bought three tickets. 'Job well done because the website...' Didn't ring any alarm bells whatsoever. 'But then Jane had paid a $32 courier fee, and the tickets were emailed.' I'd paid an exorbitant delivery fee for an electronic delivery. 'Worse, though, was the price of these electronic tickets.' The face value on the tickets was only $130, whereas on the website, I had paid $155 per ticket. < So an extra $25 per ticket. < So an extra $25 per ticket. That's right. < Was that the first time that you were aware that this website might be involved in scalping? Absolutely, and it rang warning bells straight away that something was not right. There are around 47,500 seats here at Eden Park, and Jane's tickets are in this block. Now she's wondering, though, are they OK? Are they safe? 'Because the ticket states that it's void ` unusable ` if it's been resold at a premium, a profit.' < Th-That must make you worried. < Th-That must make you worried. Yes. I didn't know that until you pointed it out. (CHUCKLES) 'If you're buying second-hand tickets ` like at the Rugby World Cup ` 'your ticket could have been bought with a stolen credit card. 'It could have been onsold to multiple buyers, 'and when you turn up at the venue, your seat's already taken.' The last thing I want to do is not have a ticket to go and watch the rugby. 'Jane also didn't want a scalped ticket.' Onselling at the same price you bought it is perfectly legitimate, but I certainly don't think you should make a profit out of it. So what do we know about Ticketbis? Who are they? Where are they? And are they any good? 'Ticketbis are based in Spain, selling music, sport and other tickets worldwide. 'They describe themselves as a mediating service between ticket sellers and ticket buyers. 'It's the sellers who set the prices. Ticketbis told Jane their job 'is to guarantee security, reliability and openness. 'But a lot of their reviews are not good.' Says, 'Ripped off. I paid 1000 rand for two rugby tickets, Sharks vs Cheetahs, 'but I received face-value tickets of 160 rand.' 'Tickets never arriving.' 'I promised to take my family out to Top Gear show, but it looks like there will be no such.' 'Poor communication.' 'I have written to them many times, and they have suddenly kept quiet.' So, there are some good ones, aren't they? Great job done, um, where people are happy. 'But a lot of negatives.' 'It's a spam.' 'It's a spam.' I think they mean scam. 'But nobody seems to be interested. They suck.' 'But enough suspense. Are Jane and her sons going to get to the game? Well...' We've checked with NZ Rugby and with Ticketmaster, and the good news is that Jane's tickets are OK. They're not going to be voided. 'Great news for Jane, but she'd been prepared to risk outing herself 'as the owner of scalped tickets to warn others.' I felt I'd been duped. I felt I'd been taken for a ride good and proper. So, as you've seen, you do take a risk with scalped tickets. NZ Rugby says go to AllBlacks.com to find out who the official ticket sellers are for each game. This is likely to be Ticketmaster, Ticketek or Ticket Direct. And Ticketmaster says if you are buying scalped tickets, say, for sold-out events, then only use websites offering a money-back guarantee. And we are still waiting for Ticketbis to reply from Spain. Schools now ` a reminder. The clock is ticking on your competition. There is a whole show devoted to your efforts later in the year, and if you need any inspiration, the list of prizes might help. The winning primary or intermediate school and the winning secondary school will each get one of Canon's latest cameras ` the Canon EOS 700D. The primary/intermediate winner also gets an Omega five-piece drum kit and 10 Carlos ukuleles. The secondary-school winner gets this Medali keyboard and Fender guitar. All those awesome musical prizes from the Music Warehouse. And there is cash. $2000 for each winning school, $500 for each second-place school, plus a Canon Legria video camera HFR506. The Canon video camera also goes to each third-place school. Fantastic. The deadline is coming up fast. It's the 12th September. Just a little over five weeks away. Go to our website for all the information on entering and also find details on how to upload your entries to get them to us. We really are looking forward to seeing what you send us. Always a highlight of the year. Now, last week, after the story on restaurant etiquette, I made a comment that surely we should tip. Well, overwhelmingly, you did not agree. In fact, many of you told me off. Wow, that took us by surprise. Now, look, ultimately, you gave at the wrong time. Basically compulsory to tip ` I guess that's how I got completely out of step. I'm still going to tip if I get good service. But we got the message loud and clear. We surrender. We are always pleased to hear from you, and we will be on Facebook for half an hour to answer your questions. Our programme is all about your problems, your thoughts. But no more tipping, please. Anyway, no problem is too small. We really want to hear from you. We are on Facebook. Email us. Write to us. And next week ` This one was supposed to be the version that fixed it all. It'd been pretreated. Super-duper. Didn't have to do anything. No treatment ever. Um, look at it. Mould, mould and more mould. I want to build a deck that's not mouldy. That's next week. Goodnight.