Disgraceful Service and Unacceptable Handling of My Vehicle Claim by Discovery Insure

I am beyond disappointed and utterly appalled by the service I have received from Discovery Insure. The sheer incompetence and lack of care shown throughout my vehicle repair claim process is nothing short of disgraceful.

I submitted a claim to have my vehicle repaired, and Discovery sent it to their first repairer, Leon's Panelbeaters. When the vehicle was returned, it looked like it had fallen off a truck! The repairer took it upon himself to "fix" the vehicle further, and after three long weeks, I received it back in an even worse condition. Shockingly, Leon's Panelbeaters shut down shortly after, and Discovery had already paid them for this pitiful workmanship. I was never asked to sign a job completion or acceptance letter, yet Discovery considers this "resolved."

Following this disaster, Discovery escalated the matter and sent my vehicle to a second repairer, De Jonghs. To my disbelief, the snag list grew longer than before. When I confronted De Jonghs about the poor repairs, the owner (Dirk) refused to do any more work, citing that the car had already been worked on by another repairer. Despite this, Discovery paid De Jonghs without my signature on any documentation.

At this point, my confidence in Discovery’s chosen repair centres was completely destroyed. When they wanted to send my vehicle to a third repairer, CK Works, I refused and requested a cash settlement, which they approved. However, upon reviewing my claim history, I was horrified to find that what started as an R18,000 repair had ballooned to R120,000 due to Discovery’s complete mismanagement.

My broker showed no interest in helping and simply directed me to the call centre. After over an hour on the phone with a Discovery agent, the line was cut off. I called back only to be told that someone would return my call – a call I’m still waiting for.

This is, without a doubt, the most pathetic service I have ever experienced from any insurance company. Discovery Insure’s handling of this entire process has been a total failure from start to finish, and I would advise anyone considering them to think twice. The disregard for time, my vehicle, and basic service standards is unacceptable.