ABSA iDirect Claim Reject - Flooding

<p>Dear Sir / Mam</p> <p> </p> <p>On the the 9th of November we have experienced one of the most extreamly floodings our province has seen in quite a time. Our home town, Boksburg, has been under water that day for over 4 hours. </p> <p>My mom, owning a BMW 220D, has driven just before the rain started to a restuarant to meet up with some friends, when she got caught up in a street where the water drainage have not responded quite well and the road been impacted by water rising so high that people cannot get out of their cars.</p> <p>She was a victim to this.</p> <p> </p> <p>On the 9th of November, mom and nephew (3 years old) got caught up in the storm at around 6pm to a point where the BMW decided that it will not drive any longer. The car has automatically put itself in park and shut down. </p> <p>At this stage BMW roadside asstance were called whereby the response was that it cannot attend to the matter for the next 5 - 8 hours. Mom phoned dad to come and assist as she cannot wait female alone with a 3 year old for that long. As dad got to the scene, him himself called BMW assist where he was also told that they would take over 5 hours to get to the scene.</p> <p>Dad then phoned Mark from BMW Boksburg to assist. <br />Dad was then advised to see if there is a way to get the vechile out of park to neutral so that it can be towed from the scene. Again being advised, using jumper cables to try and start the vechile so that it can go to neutral. After a massive struggle, the vechile got to a point to start so that its able to drive at a slow speed. It was taken home.</p> <p>The follwoing day the car was taken to BMW Boksburg for an assessment on the damage. It was concucluded that the vechile will require an new engine.</p> <p>Seeing that the car is insured with ABSA iDirect, a claim was done. </p> <p>The claim was immediatly rejected as Steven Steyn (manager at iDirect) desigded that he feels more could gave been done to avoid this. </p> <p>I ask, what more than a female with a 3 year old infant could have done waiting for over 5 hours to be assisted?</p> <p>Even better, after the insurance company phoned and said that we need to fetch the car from BMW as they will not cover it anymore, just to notice that they insurance company paid R5k for the car to be released. It was moved by the insurance company from the dealer and currently the owner has no evidence to where the car is currently and why it was removed without their consent.</p> <p> </p> <p>I am stating this as we see more and more where insurance companies is quick to make sure their debit orders goes through every month, but will search for any excuse to avoid their commitments towards the consumer they promised.</p> <p> </p> <p>This enquiry will be taken to the Ombidsman, highest court for consumer protection and miss conduct as well as theft of the vechile without consent. This jsut because one person in a manger position has mandate to reject something which he has not thought through.</p> <p> </p> <p>Armand</p>