A complete disaster: safety of clients not important to ABSA INSURE.

Dear ABSA INSURE,

I am deeply disturbed, not just disappointed, but DISTURBED by the complete lack of assistance and humanity shown by your company!

My parents' home (my folks are 70 & 67 years of age), which has been with ABSA insurance for over 20 years, was severely damaged by the recent hurricane-like winds (recorded at over 200km/h) winds in Boland. 'Severely damaged' in the sense that part of the house was completely destroyed with an exposed roof and ceiling.

This happened on Thursday evening, 1 October 2020 at 6pm. My mother was alone and so traumatised that she hid under a table, fearing for her life as the rest of the home, ceiling and roof could collapse at any moment. My father arrived an hour later. The gale force winds still raging... They were both extremely traumatised.

They reported it at 7am on Friday morning 2 October to ABSA INSURANCE. An 'emergency contractor' was only deployed at 1pm that day - all the while still having an exposed house with one wall completely gone. This was an IMMENSE security risk as they do not live in a security complex and any one could just stroll in from off the street.

The 'emergency contractor' made an assessment and left - never to be heard from again... I followed up personally about 2 hours later and they said that they would get back to us, but no one ever did. It was then Friday afternoon at 3pm; an open home and it is almost weekend.

At 4pm, my 70 year old father did what he could and boarded up his own home to ensure the safety of himself and his wife for the weekend as ABSA INSURE was nowhere to be found.

ABSA INSURE sent out another assessor on Tuesday 6 October (5 days later) to evaluate the damaged home and mentioned that the 'emergency contractor', in his analysis, said that the damage was too severe for him to handle. So, they just ignored my elderly parents for the entire weekend. I stayed with them all weekend to ensure that they are ok, not just physically, but emotionally.

As mentioned, on 6 October, the ABSA assessor was on the premises. My father showed him, that besides the part of the home that was completely gone, that about 1/3 of the entire roof has also blown away and that the ceiling was now exposed, posing a major risk for when it rains - all the wooden ceiling boards would then be damaged, not to mention further damage to household items and electrical risk - possibly fire. The assessor then, rather casually, mentioned that the onus is on my elderly father to get onto the roof and secure the somewhat 80sqm of exposed ceiling with sails or plastic himself - mentioning too that he must secure it with rocks or bricks.... I mean what an utterly disturbing response! Needless to say my 70 year old father could not get onto the roof and secure the ceiling with sails and plastic

That was on Tuesday 6 October. Since then, no one else from ABSA or anyone has been to the house. As fate would have it, last night (8 days after the event) the rain started pouring and this morning my parents awoke to a house covered with water. Electrical short circuits and even more damage...

I cannot comprehend what an utter, utter mishap this has been on the part of ASBA INSURE, with ZERO assistance in any regard to the deep trauma and safety of my parents - life-long clients.

Do something!!!

It is also worth noting that their short-term insurance broker, Johan Kühn from Origin Finance, has been an absolute ray of light for my elderly parents, calling at least twice a day since the disaster and following up with the incompetence of ASBA INSURE.