ABSA Insurance *** – Unfair Rejection, Constant Delays & Empty Promises

I’m writing this complaint out of complete frustration with how ABSA Insurance and Financial Services has handled my home contents claim (***), submitted on 11 August 2025 after my house was broken into.

From day one, the experience has been nothing short of a nightmare. I opened a police case, provided all the information requested, and even copied my private banker in my initial communication. Despite doing everything correctly on my side, ABSA has treated this claim with delays, poor communication, and an unfair rejection of several ****** items — some of which have proof of ownership.

Here’s what was taken, and ABSA’s stance: • A contract cellphone, still under an active agreement, which I provided full documentation for — yet they’ve refused to pay out. • An older backup phone in the house, dismissed due to lack of a receipt, even though it was part of the loss. • A 2019 laptop, rejected because there’s no proof of purchase, even though it was in regular use in the home. • A PlayStation 5 received as a gift, which ABSA refuses to cover because there’s no receipt — despite its obvious value and presence in the home.

What makes this worse is that before taking out this policy, I specifically asked the financial adviser who sold me the insurance whether items purchased before cover — even those without proof of payment — would be covered. I was told clearly that they would be. This was a key part of my decision to proceed with ABSA’s cover, and now that I’ve had a loss, I’m being told the opposite. This feels deceptive and completely unacceptable.

The handling of my claim has also been extremely unprofessional. I’ve received messages at odd hours, including late at night, and when I followed up for clarity, I was met with a rude and unhelpful agent who made the entire process even more stressful.

While ABSA stalled, I was left to handle everything on my own — including the cost of changing my locks to feel safe in my home again. Not once was I offered assistance or urgency.

I’ve been a loyal customer, paying my premiums as agreed, but when it came time for ABSA to fulfill their side of the agreement, I was met with excuses, contradictions, and delaying tactics.

I am demanding the following: 1. A full and fair reassessment of ***, with reasonable acceptance of older items and gifts — especially given what I was told by the financial adviser. 2. A formal apology for the poor communication, treatment, and unprofessional handling of my case. 3. Reimbur*****t for the cost of changing the locks, which I had to pay for due to ABSA’s lack of action. 4. A clear resolution with real timelines, not further delays and avoidance.

If this is not resolved promptly and fairly, I will escalate to the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance (OSTI) and pursue legal channels.

This has been an incredibly disappointing experience after a traumatic incident, and I honestly expected better from ABSA.