Discovery Insure is absolutely useless! I don't advise anyone to take up an insurance with them!

My name is Rivona Gunasse. I’ve had an accident to which my insurance has rejected my claim. I would like to start from the beginning so you could also understand the entire story. I am a chronic patient. I suffer with asthma. On the 18th of August 2021, I was experiencing difficulty breathing and had chest pain, hence I visited the doctor was given my usual medication, which is a steroid called prednisone. I also have a nebuliser at home. During the course of the weekend, I had trouble breathing again so I had then nebulised myself at home and I felt at ease. The very next day (Monday-23rd August), I experienced asthma attacks whilst at work (The learning Tree Academy-teacher) the office had then called for an ambulance and I was rushed to KwaDukuza Private hospital in Stanger, they stabilized me and I was sent home. During that night I was unwell again, I nebulised myself at home but it was not helping so then again, I was rushed to the hospital, stabilized and sent back home, by then I knew something was really wrong because normally my chest eases out, but instead I kept getting attacks. On Tuesday the 24th August I was rushed again to the hospital, they stabilized me and did a covid test for me, hence they admitted me because I just wasn’t getting better. The next morning, I was told I was covid positive and after consulting with my doctor he had discharged me and I was sent home to isolate. During my isolation period, apart from my heavy chest I was experiencing black outs from time to time mainly after I had taken a bath or if I walked outside in the sun. I just didn’t think much of it because I was weak during my isolation. I had to return back to school which I did on the 6th of September, during the first week back I had blacked out in my classroom, the ambulance was called and I was taken to the doctor. I was taken to the doctor because I had suffered a black out in my classroom, but I was treated for my asthma as he noticed that my chest was still not at ease. The doctor also stated that because of covid I had gotten weak and pale, my blood pressure was also low. He had then put me back on medication for my asthma and not for black outs and advised that I should rest as much as possible as my body still needed time to recover from covid. He had also advised me not to take hot showers as that can cause a black out especially with low blood pressure, which made sense as to why I was mainly experiencing black outs once I showered. My school was aware that I was still recovering from covid and that I still was weak because I just got back to work after 2 weeks of being at home and in bed most of the day. My body needed time to adjust back into its routine of being back to work, firstly I was not driving because I was still recovering from covid, secondly, they helped me by allowing me to sit and teach as I would be tired of standing the entire day, they advised me it would be the best option until I feel better. This was done verbally because my principal and director understood that recovering from covid takes time. The first week back to work was hard as I was still adjusting but after the second week, I had regained my strength and I was able to go back into my routine. From the third week onwards (20th September) in school and at home I haven’t experienced black outs, which was until the 31th of October 2021, the day that the accident had taken place. I was driving back home from the mall in Stanger ( KwaDukuza Mall). I experienced difficulty breathing and before I could do anything, I had blacked out. I had woken up to loud bangs realising that I had went of the road and knocked into a tree. I was hysterical, scared and battling to breathe, when a kind gentlemen stopped by with his bakkie full of workers to assist me. He tried his best to calm me down, he called my husband and my husband was on his way as this accident occurred less than 5 minutes away from home. My car was half on the road which was dangerous to vehicles approaching, so to avoid another accident that gentleman’s workers had moved the car out of the road to the side of the road. By then my husband reached the scene, I was rushed home to get myself nebulised as I was near home. My husband contacted Discovery and told them about whatever had happened. They sent a tow truck and the car was the towed, we were informed that the car was going to be towed to my house, however that changed and the car was then towed to the tow truck companies yard. My husband was told over the phone that my car will go in for an assessment that Tuesday the 2nd of November as that Monday the 1st was a public holiday. Firstly, that didn’t happen, discovery kept re-allocating my claim to different people who didn’t even call me to check on what’s going on or to inform me about what’s going on. I had to contact them and make arrangements for car hire as I needed to get to work. My car hire was only arranged on the 3rd of November, and my car only went in for an assessment on the 15 November 2021. A guy named Desmond was in contact with me from the 5th of November as he needed me to fill in the consent to access information, he asked for all kinds of stuff, like my doctors contact details, proof of purchases made at the mall, pictures of my nebuliser and pump as well as my medication, my school principal’s contact details, also proof to say that I am asthmatic. I willingly gave him everything that he required. Whenever I asked for feedback, I never got proper feedback I had to keep messaging and calling to find out what’s going on, there wasn’t any proper communication from him. Last week Wednesday (24th November), I had asked to speak to the manager as the process was taking too long and I have to give back the car hire hence I was stressed and worried. I spoke to the manager on Wednesday the 24th November, she had advised me I will receive feedback that Thursday the 25th on what they’ve decided to do. Thursday came there wasn’t any feedback, no calls or responses from them so I contacted Desmond who then stated I will receive feedback on Friday the 26th as they needed to present my claim in their forum meeting that morning. They had eventually contacted me around 1pm on Friday to say that they will only be able to give me feedback on Tuesday the 30th of November. Desmond contacted me to tell me that my claim was rejected because of the number of times I blacked out, in which they fail to realise this had taken place 2 months ago. He stated I needed to see a specialist regarding it, however I’ve been to my doctor during that time and they’ve never advised me to see a specialist. Firstly, I don’t see the need to keep going to the doctor and hospital especially during these tough times of covid as that is where I initially picked up covid, secondly due to covid my finances are not the best to keep visiting the doctor. Thirdly when I took up this insurance, they’ve never asked me if I have a medical condition, but according to Desmond I was told over the call that if anything changes, they should be notified of it. They didn’t state what changes they need to be notified of. Lastly, I was sent the rejection letter which stated that because of the measures my school had taken for me (allowing me to sit and teach), discovery needed to be aware of this and thus they’ve rejected my claim, I didn’t realise that I had to inform them regarding my covid situation it was not something that was planned, during those 2 weeks back at school my work colleague had driven and when I was back to normal and I was not experiencing any asthma attacks and black outs. Towards the end of September, I started driving again and like I said all was well until the day of the accident. I was not diagnosed or anything of that sort and neither was the school’s decision a written one, as I said they were concerned as they knew recovering from covid takes time, our body does not just go back to how it used to be. This is my first time being involved in an accident and Discovery has made it such an unpleasant experience, they are the worst people to deal with and I will make sure never to take up anything in future with them. Covid is a thing that has changed people’s life’s in many different ways, it’s not something we wish to get but in time we eventually heal from this, it is a traumatising situation to be in, but Discovery cares about absolutely nothing.