Budget Insurance Took My Money, Wasted My Time, and My Car Still Isn’t Fixed

After my Audi S3 was damaged from water, I contacted Budget Insurance. They took my car to their appointed repairer, where it sat for over 4 months. In all that time, the only work done was replacing the clutches, which had already been replaced months earlier and my car was still not driveable. The communication was terrible. No updates, no proper diagnosis, and no solution. Out of frustration, I arranged to move my car to a specialist in Johannesburg. Just as the tow truck arrived, the repairer suddenly demanded a R28,000 “excess” fee I had never been told about, and I had to pay it just to get my car back. On top of that, I paid R5,000 for towing. At huge cost, the gearbox was replaced in Johannesburg, but the car is still not driving because the actual problem is the engine meaning Budget Insurance and their appointed repairer wasted months of my time and thousands of rand on unnecessary repairs. To date, I have lost well over R40 000 and been without a working car for months. Budget Insurance completely failed in their duty: they appointed an unqualified repairer, mismanaged the process, allowed hidden charges, and gave me no accountability. I trusted Budget Insurance, and instead I’ve been left out of pocket, without a car, and treated with zero respect.