ABSA Insurance - ***** - UNPROFESSIONAL - LACKING CUSTOMER SERVICE

Less than 8 months after a 5 month struggle to get our skylight replaced, I am faced with having to deal with ABSA AGAIN !!!!

What shocking and unprofessional treatment from a Financial Institution. AGAIN !!

We woke up on Saturday 17th January to our spare bathroom flooded. Considering the amount of water on the floor from our cracked toilet cistern, it must have happened at approximately 03:00 - 04:00. We shut the water off, dried the floors, passage way and bedroom. I called ABSA Insurance at about 08:30 to report the incident. I dealt with an unenthusiastic staff member who informed me they were closed and I would need to call and report the incident on Monday. What type of Insurer does not work on Saturday?

Monday morning I contacted ABSA to report the incident. I received a claim number and quite quickly received a call from Plumbing Johannesburg who arranged to come out and measure and inspect the cracked cistern. I was contacted on Wednesday 21st January by an assessor to inspect the result in damages.

After numerous calls to the claims department to follow up on my claim and having my claim elevated to whom I have no idea. I eventually called again 29th Jan (12 Days later) to be told by the Claims call-centre lady that the claim had been denied. She unfortunately was the recipient of my frustration, to her I apologise. She had tried transferring me to the claims manager/handler for an explanation. I knew this was a futile attempt at appeasing my anger and frustration, I was in the same place only 8 months ago, I am well seasoned at how ABSA work. If my life depended on "The Claims Manager" returning my call I would be deceased.

Apparently ABSA do not cover cracked cisterns. Considering this toilet was replaced by me at my cost by a plumber ABSA sent to replace a burst geyser 14 or 15 years ago. I replaced it because the old cistern had a slight crack in it. I felt the old one was an accident waiting to happen.

If a cracked cistern isn't covered in the policy, this could or should have been identified immediately and the claim could have been resolved or denied immediately. However, ABSA with their unskilled and terribly trained frontline staff send Plumbing Johannesburg to assess the damage, submit a quote and make contact with me to say they are awaiting the approval. They then have DAS, an assessing company contact me to follow up if the job has been done so they can assess the result in damages i.e. Carpets and wooden flooring. In 12 days, I never received a call, email, WhatsApp or SMS to inform me of my claim.

Why waste my time and plumbers time if the cracked cisterns aren't covered. I absolutely don't accept that a cracked cistern isn't covered. If a burst geyser can be claimed for why not a cracked cistern. An assessor could assess that the cistern wasn't intentionally damaged, they can see where the crack occurred, they could try and find fault.

To take 12 days without any communication is beyond shocking customer service. ABSA, train your staff properly in your product, you can't train enthusiasm or professionalism. You need to employ better. There is no medication for uselessness, unenthusiastic staff or unprofessionalism.

My hope is everyone looking to insure their most precious and valuable assets read this and reconsider ABSA as their choice of securing their belongings.