POOR Service – Lack of Coordination and Customer Care

I am extremely disappointed with the service I have received. It seems that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing—whether due to incompetence or pure neglect, I was left making phone calls to panel beaters and reviewing them myself. Absolutely shocking!

Being a Purple Policy Holder apparently means: "We at Discovery Insure take your money, and when you claim, we ensure we elevate your heart rate—maybe you'll earn Vitality Points!"

Here’s my experience from Day 1:

My wife registered the claim, and Discovery Insure assigned the assessment to a panel beater on the other side of town without considering a more convenient, closer option. I called Discovery Insure on 10 Feb 2025, explaining the inconvenience. The call was dropped after holding for about 5 minutes (08:49). I called back and was transferred to the claims department. An agent picked up but did not speak. In the background, I could hear agents chatting—one discussing sick leave and a sick note—while I, the paying client, was ignored. After saying "hello" about eight times, I realized I was not a priority (08:55). Eventually, I was assigned a closer panel beater for the assessment. I requested that the repair be done by a panel beater with a solid reputation for quality work, yet I was assigned panel beaters 30 to 40 km away. I did my own research and sent a list of panel beaters with Google ratings of 4.2/5.0 and above to Insure_Exec_Claims. Discovery Insure assigned one of my suggested panel beaters, only for them to call me and advise that they were fully booked for four weeks. No effort was made by Discovery Insure to check availability beforehand—another example of poor service. I had to call Discovery Insure again to inform them of this issue. The panel beater that did the initial assessment convinced me that, despite their Google rating of 3.6, their lower score was not due to poor repairs. They assured me of quality work with a guarantee. On 18 Feb 2025 at 09:14, I informed Discovery Insure via Insure_Exec_Claims to approve this panel beater. Later that same day (18 Feb 2025 at 14:36), I received a call from Discovery Insure asking if I had decided where to have my vehicle repaired. I informed them that I had already sent this information via email that morning. The agent then explained that they first needed the originally assigned panel beater to "cancel the repair," and then they needed an updated report from the assessor company—a process that could take up to 72 working hours! I told the agent this was not acceptable, as the panel beater now assigned for repairs already had the assessor on-site and had the report. The agent insisted they needed to follow the SLA. This is unbelievable. An SLA is not a target to achieve—it is the maximum time allowed to resolve a query. There is no reason this process cannot be completed much sooner than 72 working hours.

As a Purple Policy Holder, dealing with Insure_Exec_Claims, I can confidently say there is nothing special or executive about this service.

And here’s the cherry on top: I reported the initial call center mishap to Discovery via Twitter on 11 Feb 2025, providing my policy number and call details as requested. Radio silence ever since.

Once my vehicle is repaired, I will be looking for another insurer—one that actually understands what customer service means.

Unhappy and Disgruntelled Paying Customer