Clientele Legal (read the small print and all their clauses before you waste your money)

I have a Clientele Legal policy for issues where it not cost effective to retain the services of an attorney. Frankly I have found in my own experience that this policy is so full of back door clauses you may as well save your money.

I am trying to claim from a specific security company for damage caused by them closing a boom on my vehicle. The respondents have all but admitted liability. My damage comes to around R 11500 and whilst in for repairs I will have to hire a vehicle at about R 6000 for the period. Clientele legal has strung me along for almost a year with their consultants initially saying I can claim for consequential damages. Then realising that if they can persuade me that I cannot claim that they can then refer me to the small claims court.

I threatened to report them to the Law Society of the Northern Provinces and they changed their tune rapidly saying in writing that I can in fact claim for the hire of a vehicle (Luleka Ngodwane April 5- 2018 at 7:03 PM ) and requesting 3x quotations.

I supp**** them with all the documentation required including a letter from my insurance stating that there is no claim pending. All quotations etc.

Clientele are now telling me that I may not claim for vehicle hire contradicting themselves for the third time. It is very clear that their mandate is to try and avoid all responsibility, do only token calls and not try to get the claim resolved to the clients benefit and to do all they can to wash their hands off the matter altogether. In fact I have become strongly under the impression that they are acting on behalf of the company that I am claiming from rather than myself.

Why did Clientele Legal string me along for almost a year? Why did Clientele Legal consultants make inaccurate statements in order to attempt to persuade me to abandon my claim with them and then retract those statements when threatened with the Law Society? Why did Clientele Legal say that if I did not accept the offer made by the respondent that I must then approach the Small Claims court when they can see that the offer made is a fraction of my actual costs?

I sent an e-mail on Tuesday August 7 detailing all of my points and received a canned response.

I am waiting for answers and will be filing a complaint with the Ombudsman and the Law Society of the Northern Provinces.