DO NOT use Discovery

I would not advise anyone to insure their car with Discovery. The past week dealing with them has been emotionally and physically taxing, severely impacting my mental health. Here is my experience with Discovery Insure regarding my claim for damages following a car accident:

On 28th June 2024, I had a car accident in Sandton. I briefly lost control of my car and went over an island and pavement. Thankfully, it was not a major accident, and most of the damage was material. My front bumper came off, and there was a tiny leak from the intercooler. The left tire also took some damage and needs replacement. The damage was minor and could be fixed easily.

My family, well-versed in car repairs and parts sourcing, had to follow Discovery's procedure for claiming damages. We took the car to Renew It in Sunninghill on 1st July 2024, unaware of its poor reviews and accusations of *****ing parts, stripping vehicles without consent, disregarding clients, and overcharging. Adrian from Renew It, a Discovery employee, assessed the vehicle with us, and we documented all damages.

On 2nd July 2024, we received an email from Discovery stating it was "uneconomical" to repair the Mini Cooper and advised writing it off, quoting damages of R89,000. My mother, the main policyholder, emailed Discovery and Renew It, stating she did not want to write off the vehicle. She requested an itemized list of needed parts and a repair quote. Upon seeing the exorbitant markup on parts and labor, we informed both parties that we would collect the car on 3rd July 2024 and repair it ourselves, claiming the quoted amount.

On 3rd July 2024, we went to collect the car, only to find it had been moved to an auction yard without our knowledge or consent. Renew It and Discovery could not tell us who authorized this or provide contact information for the auction yard. Discovery stated the move was to save on "storage fees." Or simply "just part of their policy" After persistent calls and enormous stress, we discovered the car was at Auction Nation, past Kempton Park after leaving it in sunninghill.

My car, with only 33,000 km, was in impeccable condition and was barely driven. It is starting and driving perfectly. Why send it to an auction and s**** yard? Discovery sent it to R21 Auction Nation, 50 minutes away, instead of the Sandton branch. That in itself was fishy. We expressed our distrust in these places and insisted on collecting and fixing the car ourselves. Discovery showed no empathy or cooperation, instead pressuring us to write off the vehicle, buy it back for R65,000, or forfeit the claim. They refused to cooperate or assist us, as their paying clients, in any way. They told us they will not get my car back and also claimed we would be "tampering" with evidence if we collected the car, despite it already being assessed and documented at Renew it, with a quote for damages being provided.

At R21 Auction Nation, after 51 minutes of driving and crying, we found my car with new damages: the roof, side mirrors, front right seat, and interior driver's side door were damaged, and the full tank of fuel was now empty. Auction Nation staff admitted we were lucky to arrive when we did, as Discovery often writes off and strips cars and there's many innocent people who have to fight so hard for their cars that they did not write off. We spent two hours trying to get the car released while Discovery pressured my mother to write it off or cancel the claim. She was in tears, and Discovery employees showed no empathy. Although I was dealing with a lot of stress too, I had to watch my mother have panic attacks because of the situation and how she was being treated.

Discovery also refused to pay for transporting the vehicle back, forcing us to cover the tow truck cost. I am disgusted and appalled by Discovery and Renew It. I will never recommend them to anyone. They must be held accountable for these *****ulent practices. Innocent people are paying thousands of their hard-earned money every month to Discovery, only to be treated so disgustingly and taken advantage of.