Auto & General

My VW Polo was stolen from a parking lot of a private club on the 4th of February and recovered within one hour by Tracker. Since then Auto & General has turned my life into a nightmare. The only visible damages were locks, a few minor scratches, wiring and a stolen engine computer box. For starters my car is still at the repairer's workshop (Speed Development) 11 weeks after the incident and I have no clue on when it will be returned to me. The claims people investigated my all life looking for an excuse not to pay the claim. After verifying that I was in compliance with ALL policy conditions they slapped me with changes in policy that included doubling my premium. Without my consent they implemented the changes, debited my account in unscheduled dates and again debited the new (unaccepted) premium the next month. It took them about six weeks to approve the claim and now my car is sitting at the repairer for about 6 weeks. Speed Development first told me and A&G that a computer box had to be imported, then changed the tune, admiting that VW has computer boxes in stock. Nothing is being done to get the job finished and no apologies were presented to me 11 weeks later.

I had an accident almost four months ago. Despite the fact that the parts arrived within two weeks of being ordered, I still have no idea of when I will get my car.

The initial claims process was smooth, but very quickly the process turned into one disaster after another. I should add the car was in storage for more than a month before it arrived at the panelbeaters, and the parts were only ordered weeks after the car arrived at the panelbeaters.

TC Panelbeaters must also shoulder a substantial portion of the blame. Apart from lying to me at least once, and often providing conflicting stories of what was happening, they now have no idea when my car will be ready. Part of the problem is they only discovered the steering rack was damaged after ignoring the car for two months.

I also suspect that TC Panelbeaters have more work than they can handle. Unless this is a Gauteng wide problem, they should have turned the work away, or Auto and General should have referred me to a panelbeater that was not overloaded with work.

I am also not happy that despite being hit from behind, Auto and General's first instinct was to pay out to the other party.

I'm unhappy that my insurance premium went up by over R100 this year. Apparently mail was sent informing me but I never received it and I think A&G should ensure they have a customers agreement before knocking off an increased premium from one's bank account. Perhaps a phone call to check with customers would be a good idea? In addition, every year we are told by financial savy people to make sure we reassess our insurance premium as it should go down as the vehicle devalues. Every year I find insurance companies push up their premiums and then blame it on increased 'admin costs' and more expensive vehicle parts. Considering the vehicle is vastly cheaper to replace than the previous year, I have an increasingly good low risk record and 'admin costs' are part and parcel with the business service offered I think it is outrageous that I have to waste time and cellphone money haggling for a better premium deal which was obviously not difficult to offer. I want a refund for my April payment which was pushed up unnecessarily or better yet a decreased premium in comparison to last year would be good! I'd also like my policy details emailed as promised.

My wife is one of your clients through First for Women, it is the FOURTH month since my wife's vehicle was taken in for repairs.

To date we have spoken to at least 9 representatives of First for Women and yet the vehicle has still not been repaired. So far no one has been able to advise why it has taken so long to resolve this matter.

The summarized version of my complaint is as follows:
-The vehicle was involved in an accident in October and the company immediately began processing our claim
-In December First for Women wanted to hand back the vehicle to us, when we checked it was very clear that the company involved did a shoddy job (loud sound when you start, the vehicle does not accelerate and there is air blowing where it shouldn't)
-When I phoned Brighton (as advised by First for Women) in January, we were told “the vehicle is just standing there we are waiting for the insurer to tell us what to do”
-After regular calls, we are at the beginning of March - we are still waiting.
There are other incidents which we have documented, which demostrate your unwillingness to resolve our concern. To describe this as disgraceful service is an understatement of the decade!

On friday morning, [protected], my family were victims of a burglary at home while we were in the house. Thankfully we were not harmed in anyway. The main issue is that apart from the household contents stolen our car keys and house keys were also stolen.

I am told by Auto and General that I need to pay the normal excess plus a theft excess and in addition to this I need to pay the vehicle excess to replace the keys for the vehicle.

I am absolutely astounded that the attitude of the company is they would rather admit a claim for the theft of the vehicle than use common sense and reduce their own risk by paying for the replacement of the keys. Unfortunately I am not in the posiion to pay the extra vehicle excess and live in constant fear that my vehicle can be stolen at any time as the theives know exactly what my car looks like and the registration number.

There is always the standard response of it is (hidden) in your terms and conditions but I will take this further to the Ombudsman. The claim arose out of one incident and there should be one excess payable! Short term insurers are getting away with THEFT everyday!