HOW MANY MONTHS?

A couple of months ago, I got a call from an insurer asking if he could quote me on my car insurance to see if he can better my price. I rep**** by saying my car is currently in for repairs, so I won't be changing insurers and this is my first time claiming. He asked which insurer. I rep****: King Price Insurance. He went on to ask: How many months? I was baffled by his question, but found out he wanted to know how many months I have been without a car. I said one month, but I should have it by the end of the week. He said the previous 3 people he called that were with King Price said their cars were in for repairs 6,4 and 3 months respectively. Impossible I thought, just another marketing gimmick. Well it turns out, this is my fourth month of fighting everyday to just get my car fixed.

The company who drove into me, took full responsibility from the start. Their insurer wanted to settle the matter as quickly as possible. It seems, things work a bit different at King Price. For starters, they order their parts themselves. They do not allow panelbeaters to order parts. This prolongs the process significantly. Secondly, certain damages were not allowed to be fixed, because that would have pushed the invoice value up to a level where they had to write the car off.

The last part is probably the most horrific. I am not allowed to get my car, until they receive a ridiculous excess amount from me. Although everything will be paid to them, they need me to feel the pain first, and then they will refund me. This excess amount I do not have. What happens if you do not have the access amount? Everything stops. Their policy states that they will not accept any money from the third party insurer, until I have paid the excess. In essence this means...the car could be fixed, but I will never get it. They will never get their money from the third party insurer and the panelbeater will still have to be paid. Who will be liable for that storage costs? I have a suspicion, it is going to be me. I haven't suffered enough. I got off too lightly. They just need one me dagger in my back. So it's a loose, loose for both of us. They are however enforcing this by hook or by *****.

No excess waver. No apology for the fact that I have spent R29 000 the last couple of months on rental vehicles. (Their policy for courstesy vehicles is strictly 30 days, after which they will apply a formula to see of you can get it for another couple of days. Other insurers automatically extend it to 60 days if there were delays). The long and the short is, unless I rob a bank, I will never see my car again, whilst paying premium after premium each month. Why don't you phone their call centre, where they give you "royal greetings" everytime. The only royal treatment you will get is a different story every time, even in their legal department. Especially in their legal department. Isn't the legal department the backbone of ethics, values, fairness and upholding the law? Kind of explains everything else, doesn't it?

Before you sign up, just know it's going to be one hell of a ride. Especially if you are from rural or remote areas. Your car will be sent to a major city centre, where one of their "assessment centres" are located. I thought the panelbeaters do that. Nope, not at King Price. It will stand there for a month, so by the time you give your rental back to Europcar, your car would not have seen the inside of a panelbeater.

So my question to you is: What is your number? How many months will you have to wait? Ask yourself this, before signing up with King Price. How many months are you willing to have your life totally overhauled and disrupted?

Mine is 4 and counting...........