Being punished for someone else's ******* behaviour

I recently made my first ever insurance claim and I was completely disillusioned with dotsure.

The whole reason I decided to ensure my car with dotsure is because of the zero-excess option. I didn't want to have to worry about finding several thousands of Rands to cover a huge excess if I was ever unfortunate enough to be involved in a vehicle accident. There were other insurance companies that offered lower premiums than the quote I got from dotsure, but none of them offered a zero excess.

Originally, I was happy with dotsure and recommended them to my family and friends. But then I was the victim of a hit and run. While at a shop (i.e. my car was legally parked and I wasn't in it), someone drove into my car, causing damage and then drove off. This happened during the festive season so I waited until the panel beaters reopened so that I could get a quote before contacting dotsure (under my policy I'm not covered for damages below R5000 so I first needed to find out how much the repair would be).

Once I received the quote, I contacted dotsure and at first, I was happy with the service. The lady that I spoke to was friendly and helpful. However, she then informed me that I had a R2 500 excess. I explained that under my policy I have a zero excess. I was then told that because I did not provide them with the details of the third party (i.e. the person that drove into my car) I was liable for the R2 500 excess. I tried to explain that I would love to give them the person's details, but the person that drove into my car drove off. I never saw the person. It is impossible for me to provide the details of the third party. But this did not matter. I said that I was not going to accept it and after speaking to her team leader, it was decided to first assess the damage and then we can discuss the situation.

My interaction with the assessor was positive though. I explained that I had never made an insurance claim before and I have very little knowledge about cars. He was friendly and patient with me, explained why the quote I got was unreasonable and recommended I get a second quote. I did and it did turn out the first company that I went to were over-quoting. The amount required to fix my car was determined and I was happy.

Without any further consultation I received an email from a "no-reply" email address informing me that the damage amount was *** and that they are deducting R2500 from that amount because "No 3rd party vehicle involved or Claim in the first 6 months of the inception of the policy". They paid the claim, minus the R2 500 without first contacting me.

I contacted dotsure again. I again explained what happened but was told that because I could not give the details of the third party they then view it as "no third party involved". I tried to plead my case, spoke to people in higher management, but they just did not care. It is obvious from the damage to my car that I could not have caused the damage (cars do not move sideways), but they still didn’t care.

I diligently pay my monthly premium and I drive carefully. But that doesn’t matter.

It’s a few weeks later and I still haven’t taken my car for repair because, like most people, I don’t have R2 500 lying around. I’m really disappointed in dotsure.