Unsolicited calls from health insurance companies?
What is allowed and what is not
Insurance companies may call people if they have a customer relationship with them. It is not permitted to call people who have never been insured with this health insurance company or who have not been insured for three years. This is stipulated in the Ordinance on the Regulation of Insurance Intermediary Activities. Here you can find out what is permitted and what you can do if you receive unwanted calls.
Calls from Sympany and their partners: This is allowed
Calls to customers
Sympany wants to be a trustworthy and fair partner to all those who take out insurance with it. That's why it phones its customers up from time to time, for example, to tell them about opportunities for enhancing existing policies or for saving money with them.
Calls to people who are not insured with Sympany
Sympany strictly adheres to the requirements of the “Ordinance on the Regulation of Insurance Intermediary Activities”. This has been in force since September 2024 and prohibits cold calling in connection with insurance brokerage.
We therefore only call people who are not customers of Sympany at their explicit request or if they have given us their consent – for example, if they are interested in an offer or have taken part in a competition and have therefore given us their consent to contact them.
Calls from intermediaries
Like most health insurers, Sympany works with intermediaries. These companies are also bound by the ordinance. In particular, they may not engage in cold calling or commission third parties, namely brokers and call centres, to do so. This means that intermediaries may only call people who have given their consent. Sympany consistently follows up on any indications that someone is not complying with the ordinance.
Unwanted phone calls: What we advise you to do
Please be aware that by taking part in competitions, you generally agree to being contacted by the relevant company. If you disclose your telephone number - mobile or landline - on the Internet, you will also be easy for call centres to find.
If you receive an unsolicited call in connection with insurance brokerage:
- Don’t make any appointments and don't answer questions about your income or health, the members of your family, your insurance arrangements, and so on.
- Don’t correct anything the caller says; most of what these people say is bluff, said with the aim of getting at the real information.
- Counter their questions with some of your own; ask them, for example, where they got your number from. It’s often at that point that they’ll end the call.
- Make a note of the name, the firm, the date, the time and the phone number, and pass this information on to our Customer Service team. This is the only way we can track down intermediaries who aren’t playing by the rules.
Complaints about abusive calls in connection with supplementary health insurance should be addressed to the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA: Making a report | FINMA
Complaints in connection with social health insurance (basic insurance) can be submitted to the Federal Office of Public Health: Contact & location