Unacceptable Negligence – Budget Insurance Has Failed Us for Over 5 Months

It has now been over 5 months since our insurance claim was filed, and Budget Insurance has still not resolved it. The vehicle was repaired and collected on the 3rd of April, and R9,400 was paid out of pocket by my mother—a working woman supporting a household of multiple people. We followed every instruction, submitted every document, and did our part without delay. But Budget? Budget has done nothing but delay, deflect, and drag their feet.

Today we were told by Budget that they “still have no positive feedback from BidFood,” the liable third party. But when my mother made one single phone call, she was told the truck in question belongs to another BidFood branch, and that Budget should be contacting headquarters—something Budget never even thought of doing in five months.

How is it possible that a client has to do the work that Budget is being paid to do? My mother is not just any client—she works in the insurance industry at Discovery and knows exactly how claims are supposed to be handled professionally. And this? This is a complete failure of service.

Budget Insurance simply told us they tried calling a number and got nowhere. That’s it. No escalation, no follow-through, no initiative. And we’re still out R9,400, suffering financial stress because your team lacks the skill or care to properly handle a basic third-party recovery.

Let me be clear: this is gross negligence. You have added months of emotional and financial strain to our family. This is not just a “claim delay”—this is Budget Insurance failing to uphold their side of the deal, failing to protect a paying client, and failing to act with any urgency or compassion.

We are now preparing to escalate this matter to the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance, and once we identify the person responsible for managing this file, they will be named directly. At this point, that is the only logical course of action.

Avoid Budget Insurance at all costs. If you want peace of mind, go anywhere else.