Shocking Service from Absa Activate – Policy Cancellation Nightmare

On 26 February 2025, I emailed Absa Activate to request the immediate cancellation of my vehicle insurance policy as I was moving to Discovery. I expected at least an automated acknowledgment, but I received nothing.

The following day, on 27 February, I attempted to call their call centre for assistance. After holding for 21 minutes and 42 seconds, frustration got the better of me, and I hung up.

Since I had previously dealt with a helpful consultant, Zandile Mthembu, I reached out to her via email on 28 February. She promptly responded, called me back as promised, and explained that she worked for Absa iDirect—not Absa Activate—so she couldn’t assist directly. However, she tried to transfer my call internally. Once again, I was put on hold—this time for 24 minutes and 7 seconds—before giving up when no one answered.

I emailed Zandile to inform her of my continued struggle, and on the same day, I tried reaching Absa Activate via email again. This time, I finally received an acknowledgment with a reference number (C-***2).

Today is 4 March, and I still have not received any response from Absa Activate. At this point, I am completely despondent. My decision to switch to Discovery has been validated, but what truly concerns me is that Absa will likely not refund the premium I paid in advance and will probably continue to debit my account since the policy remains active, and I have yet to receive a cancellation letter.

This is not the first time I have struggled with Absa’s service. Just three months ago, I had a similarly frustrating experience when I was trying to obtain a confirmation of cover letter for my vehicle financier.

It is unacceptable that customers must fight tooth and nail for basic service. I sincerely hope this complaint gets the attention it deserves, and that Absa takes action to resolve these ongoing service failures.