Unnecessary underhand tactics by the claims department

I am not sure if Auto and general go out of their way to appoint the most cunning personnel in their claims department. We have lodged a claim on the 2nd of January 2018, after our business was consumed by a fire. Dealing with the claims team leaves one feeling uneasy and uninsured. Communication from the claims department is incoherent and inconsistent. Although it has been more than a month since the claim was lodged, an investigator from EAIASA was only sent last week on the 22nd of February 2018 for investigations, mind you we were informed about this on short notice as the visit was opportunistically scheduled only because the Investigator had another appointment in the province. Despite the short notice, we were still expected to drop all our other commitments and meet with the investigator, which was highly impossible.

Hours after the visit on the 22nd of February, we received an email from Mirriam stating that our claim was near finalisation, and that only the report from the day’s EAIASA investigation was still outstanding. It was with Shock and frustration to then receive a letter drafted by Mirriam, but sent out by one Tsakani on the 23rd. The contents of the letter were most disturbing, and it left no doubt in our minds that members of the claims department were doing their best to delay and mislead us into a snare whereby our claim would obviously be suitable for rejection. Firstly, in the letter Mirriam shamelessly insinuates that we have done some renovations on the insured building, off which that is not the case. This, from our perspective, is a clear attempt to jeopardise our claim, as this would falsely assume that we conducted renovations and did not bother to consult with the insurer. She then goes on to request more of the same documents which were either communicated as not being available or were handed over timeously, and mind you, by this time we are past the 30 day allowance period for requested claims documents to be submitted. But what troubles us is why Mirriam would actually bother requesting the same documents over and over outside the 30 day allowance period?? What is the motive? All the while she is always religiously quoting the 30 day claims period in all her communication letters. The somewhat underhand tactics we have experienced to date are unnecessary. The feedback received from Mirriam today was lacklustre to say the least, surely the Auto and General claims department can do better, their will to resolve claims should be as firm as their desire to have clients line up for new insurance policies. What is meant to be a reassurance against any adversity is turning out to be a hell of an experience by itself.