I had an email from the AFA inviting me to join to receive a care plan for AF. I joined at a cost of £10 but discovered that the offer is not actually the Associations' but a company called Chronicare Ltd. Is this genuine or have I been conned?
Chronicare Ltd: I had an email from the... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Chronicare Ltd
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Seems odd ask admin
I haven't received anything. Sounds like it might be a con to me. Why not phone the AFA to ask?
AFA 01789 867 502
I got this email too! Looks like official AFA but I guess not!
Good to hear from you Goldie; I always value your helpful and knowledgable comments.
I, too, received this email, but wondered what a UK GP doctor would say if I walked in and demanded that this 'care plan' be put into action, on the strength of a diagnosis based solely on what I had written in reply to questions on paper! Healthcare is different in America, where I think the company is based. Maybe it would be more helpful there?
The email does say that the AFA gets 20% of the £10, so it would seem to be a 'fund-raiser' for them. But, is it helpful? (And has anyone tried phoning the AFA, as CaroleF suggests, to see what it is really all about?)
Hopefully someone will give AFA some feedback - and give us some too. So, 7Helena, please let us know how you get on!
From the web pages you get the impression that the AFA is now a commercial organisation and charging for advice that used to be freely available.
Not sure that I approve of it at all.
Peter
I got that email too, and also assumed at first that it was genuinely from the AFA. Once I started digging though, I realised that it was USA focussed and just deleted it. I really think it's a con.
It does appear to be genuinely from the AFA. However the link is to a website "r20.rs6.net" which is used by many companies for marketing, some of which is spam. This site then redirects the user on to another site, which is a rather underhand and opaque process. I've seen other emails from the AFA using the same site.
I'm a little disappointed that the AFA is using these techniques to flog slightly dubious services to their vulnerable members.
I got the email too but didn't like its marketing thrust and wondered why I should pay for a care plan for AF when I already see a cardiologist and an EP. Deleted it too.
I had it come as an E-Mail from the AF Association and was surprised that they were trying to make money out of us from the offer. I looked at the details and felt it would do nothing for me. What would my GP, or EP think about being told about my condition and treatment needed from a third party who would not have had access to my medical records.
I got this and deleted but I did contact AFA a few months ago about a specific query and got responses from their experts with no charge
**MESSAGE FROM TRUDIE LOBBAN - AF ASSOCIATION CEO**
Chronicare are an independent company developed by a leading clinician with the aim to help those who feel that they are not receiving optimum care from their health care professional.
Following tests by ourselves, any website issues that we pointed out were fixed, however it has become apparent that there are still teething problems, despite their assurance to AF Association that the website had been reviewed and was ready to go live.
Any concerns about your care should be addressed to your doctor or specialist who has access to your full medical history and their advice should not be replaced by that of an online service.
AF Association would like to sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused, and if you have any questions or concerns about the website, please email me directly at trudie@afa.org.uk
Thank you for your continued support.