Woman denied service based on name | Warwick News | Local News in Warwick

HOLLY Austin was refused service at Medicare Australia in Warwick because she had the same last name as the consultant serving her.

“I waited in line and then she said ‘I can’t serve you because I have the same last name as you do’ and that I had to come again another day,” Miss Austin said.

“I have just never heard of that before in my life and neither had other people I spoke to. I was a little bit peeved.”

After the incident Miss Austin got in contact with the Brisbane office to get an explanation and she said the representative she spoke to apologised and said the consultant should have got her manager, however it only applied if they were related.

“I was confused really. I just thought why? We aren’t related and I don’t know who you are. Privacy shouldn’t be an issue, I’ve never seen her before,” Miss Austin said.

“I wanted to put it out there and see whether it’s happened to anyone else in town.”

She was concerned it might happen to an elderly resident counting on their claim who didn’t get to town much and who would not be able to get back into the office.

“I’m not blaming the girl behind the counter because she would have been following something she was told,” she said.

“It just blew my mind.”

A Medicare Australia spokesman said it was a policy that service officers must not access the information or records of family members.

“In this instance, the service officer was unsure whether the person they were serving might have been a distant relative,” the spokesman said.

“The officer would have asked the Medicare office manager or another service officer for assistance, but the manager was temporarily unavailable and the service officer was handling telephone inquiries.”

Medicare Australia apologised to Miss Austin and the service officer in Warwick, who is new to Medicare, was offered assistance on escalating calls in the future.