Shifting reasons for non finalisation of claim, exorbitant repair costs, non responsive claims department, lost documents.

We are King Price clients and we have comprehensively insured my Land Rover at retail value. We had an accident on the 4th June 2019. In this accident we had pulled out of the driveway of our complex and a Johannesburg council cherry picker truck (used for changing street lights, registration BD****GP) backed into us from over one house away.

I have now been driving a smashed up car for a month!!!!! Thanks King Price for being concerned about your clients safety…… you are putting our lives at risk.

Regardless: There were four gentlemen in the car who behaved strangely:

- No one wanted to admit that they were driving, in the end one person admitted, a Mr C***** - They didn’t want to say who they worked for, and one of them lay down on the grass verge and waited there whilst checking his phone. Clearly not the actions of individuals concerned with the accident.

We took extensive photographs of the accident, the license discs of the vehicle, the license of the driver, a work card from the truck and then as required by King Price we immediately opened a case the next day with the police at Fairland station. We have a case number, and accident report number and have submitted these when requested to do so to King Price.

I even went further in my own capacity and researched the driver, found the company address, and the company to which the license disc referred. All this was supp**** to King price claims department.

We registered the claim duly on the 5/6th June, providing all details and photographs via email. Thereafter we didn’t receive any email feedback at all but after phoning to find out what to do were told to take the car for assessment at the King Price appointed insurer in Styrdom park which was done on the 6th June. We waited a week before phoning and finally called to find out what was happening (13/14 June), the insurance advised my wife the following:

- They received the quotation from the insurer and that they want to write of the vehicle as their panel beater had indicated the damage to be 97,500 rand, - The insurance adviser on the phone themselves seemed as surprised as I by the figure, and promised me that their supervisor would get back with what the options were. They mentioned a ‘buyback’ option, but I still have no information on this.

Another week passed and we became more deeply concerned - On Friday the 21st June we called King price again to find out what was happening as they do not respond to emails. The person on the phone now advised the following information:

- They said they have no record of the initial inspection that was to be undertaken when I took up insurance with them. This report was sent to the on the 7th May, by the inspectors, and fortunately I was cc’ed on the email. Thank goodness I kept it as they claimed never to have received such. This made me now suspicious as to whether they intend trying not to settle the claim, given the shifting information? - They said that they are still trying to verify the claim: In this they said that they can’t get hold of the other driver on the phone, and thus they are querying the validity of the claim. I noted that this didn’t surprise me given the behaviour of the drivers involved. Again it seems like something suspicious. - With the situation seeming strange I have taken my vehicle to get comparative quotes one the actual damage, given that the car mechanically is 100%, and the worst case quote I have so far is 40,000 rand. Why a 57,500 rand difference between the repair valuations and the consequent insistence to write off a vehicle? - They have questioned the validity of my previous insurance history, which I have given, yesterday, and was promised a call back from the claim consultant Happy Motaung, which as expected never came. - In one of the many, many phone calls the gave my wife a value of 60,000 rand for the write off. I checked the various potential values by getting the blue book / MMM values and brought this to their attention on Monday this week. The noted that their value was actually 97,500 – the caused our family great distress as it is a huge difference, what an appalling thing to do.

All in all this process seems either (intentionally) dismissive or wilfully taking time to find issues. The issues keep shifting with each phone call. They can’t complete the claim as they have no record of the case opened at the police station (now supp****), then they don’t have record of my previous insurance (supp****), they can’t find the inspection report (done by their vendor, mailed to them by their vendor and now cc’ed again to them by me), they can’t get hold of the other party involved (Should I be paying for investigators - )

In one of the calls the claim lady said that I should know they have to check as there is so much ***** going on – the implication being that I am ********** as a customer?

I have mailed the short term ombudsman and am lodging – does anyone have any other advise as to avenues?