Unfair handling, Delayed processing and Poor Communation

I am not happy with First for Women Insurance regarding the unfair handling of my recent motor vehicle claim and the insurer’s failure to resolve the matter despite my formal complaint lodged on 1 November 2025.

Following my accident, I was advised to wait for the Accident Report (AR) before lodging my claim. Upon receipt, I immediately initiated the claim process. During submission, I was offered a car hire option, but upon arriving at the dealer, I was unexpectedly informed of a R2,000 deposit, which had never been disclosed beforehand. This caused significant inconvenience and forced me to use Uber/Bolt instead.

Additionally, the initial approved quotation from one of the insurer’s panel beaters was revoked with an explanation that there is no need to procure new parts based on thier own judgement. The appointed assessor conducted a virtual assessment only, based on photographs, which omitted visible damages and finalised the repair costs totalling to R44 765.35. We got a call from them asking us to take the car for repairs at Smash Panel Beaters. Surprisingly, the quotation from Smash Panelbeaters exceeded the assessor’s approved amount by approximately R18 000, yet I was told I could only claim up to the assessor’s limit, who did not even do the physical assessment of the vehicle but the visual over their approved repairer (SMASH). I am almost two months with a damaged car. N.B The Smash Panelbeaters Quotation was done with the verified exisiting policy.

This handling is in direct contravention of Section 62 of the Insurance Act 18 of 2017 and the Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) framework issued by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), which require insurers to:

Handle claims fairly, transparently, and timeously;

Conduct accurate and reasonable assessments; and

Avoid practices that disadvantage policyholders.

Despite multiple follow-ups and emails to Ms. Palesa Khantshi, in the diputes department, the matter remains unresolved. Her communication has been inconsistent, with delayed or no responses.