30 June 2023, car accident

On the 30th of June 2023, I was involved in an accident, they drove into my driver door. My claim was assigned to Hayley Oppel, I bought the car in May 2023, through bank finance. On the the 3rd of July 2023, I got a call from the insurance and they requested information for the 3rd party. On the 4th of July 2023, I received a call from the insurance advising that the car was being written off since the cost for repairing the driver door was approximately R130 000, the engine of the car was not touched during the accident, only the driver door is damaged. The insurance requested a settlement from the bank which amounted to approximately R113 000. I was advised that the insurance was to pay R90 000 and I would have to pay the remaining R15 000, which i can recover from the third party. Friday 7th of July 2023, i was advised that my claim had been approved and i was to make a decision on the spot and then they would pay the bank and cancel my cover and then i would have to pay the 15k to the bank and recover that from the 3rd party. In this situation the insurance has won, and i am at a loss. I requested that i get a second opinion since i am of the opinion that it cannot cost R130 000 just to fix a door. I was told that should i go out and get a second quote which is less than the insurance quote, i would have to pay for it myself. I then enquired if i would be allowed to buy back the car as is after the insurance has paid it off, and i was advised that i would have to buy it through an auction. Why am I required to participate in an auction? Shouldn't the insurance company give me the first opportunity to retain the car? I sent pictures' of the car to several panel beaters, and they are not of the opinion that it would cost anything more than R50 000 to repair the car including parts.

Honestly, I feel that the insurance company has not adequately advocated for me and has not prioritized my best interests. This is contradictory to their claim of being "first for women." If the insurance company strongly believes that writing off the car is the appropriate course of action, I believe that I should be compensated either with a replacement vehicle or a refund of the initial deposit. Subsequently, the insurance company can pursue a claim against the third party for the reimbur*****t they provided. If the insurance company rejects this proposal, I maintain that they should repair my car and then recover the costs from the third party's insurance.

As a woman, I feel let down by the insurance company and believe they are attempting to take advantage of me during this vulnerable time.