Gross Lack of Communication, Assistance and Incorrect Settlement Payout

I have honestly never experienced service this bad, aside perhaps for Telkom and Vodacom. This is in particular reference to Wesley Van Niekerk (claim coordinator) and Earl Marillier (Wesley's manager).

1. A day after my claim was submitted (6 Feb 2025), I had to phone King Price to arrange for a rental vehicle as it was part of my policy and they were supposed to arrange it on my behalf.

2. A week after my claim was submitted, the retail value that KP would be paying out (the vehicle was written off by KP) was posted for my claim on the self-service portal and I noticed that it was very low for the car's model year (it was insured for "retail value"). I sent an email on 13 Feb 2025 to KP stating that the retail value they were using was incorrect and that the amount was for the previous generation of my car, which I knew because I pulled a report for the older car on TransUnion's website.

3. Of the ten ****erally ten) emails I sent regarding this issue, Wesley only rep**** to one, but in stead of addressing my concerns, I was simply asked to sign a POPIA document that gave them permission to gather information and supporting documents for the claim. Wesley phoned me for the first time since the commencement of the claim after he sent the POPIA request and I asked him about the retail value issue and he told me that his manager would phone to phone me about it.

4. His manager never phoned me back and when I phoned KP to follow up, I was told that the manager was off sick. I haven't heard form the manager to this day.

5. After numerous unanswered emails and phone calls (two weeks after my initial dispute), on 26 Feb 2025, my claim/dispute was apparently handed over to a different manager from a different region (DBN, I'm in CPT), and the only reason this person reached out to me was because I had asked the original KP assessor who assessed my car to confirm that they were using the correct M&M Code for my model to get the retail value they were putting forward, but was told by this manager that the amount is correct and that they won't be changing it on their side, even though I had ample proof (including a letter from the dealership of the brand of the car) that they were going to pay out +/- R80K less than what the true retail value of my car was. The assessor told me over the phone that only the managers could decide whether the retail value should be changed if it was incorrect, though I was told on a previous occasion to reach out to the assessor about the retail value that needs to change, which means I was sent on a wild goose chase for no reason.

6. At one point, while on the phone with a King Price consultant whom I phoned to follow up and stated my problems with Wesley's lack of communication, I was told that "we don't have enough coordinators and Wesley's just very busy". So, they have enough time for other clients, but not for me? I was not phoned back or emailed by Wesley a single time regarding my dispute.

7. In the end, I was forced to accept their settlement offer because it had been almost a month since my claim was submitted and the process was standing still. I was receiving almost no help or communication from King Price, which I was told was my fault due to my dispute...BUT at the same time, no one was assisting me regarding my issue and my valid concerns were simply swept aside two weeks after my initial enquiry and I fear nothing would've happened or progressed on my claim and I would've been left without a vehicle or assistance indefinitely if I didn't accept their settlement offer which I was bul**** into through a complete lack of communication or help/resolution, other than what would've been beneficial to King Price.

In summary, I received almost no communication or assistance regarding my claim or my dispute about the retail value and was mostly ignored during the entire process, and to make matters worse, I had to settle for at least R80K less than what my car was worth (retail, not resale value). However, things did move very quickly all of a sudden when I accepted their settlement offer. How convenient for King Price.

I will never use them or be their customer again.